'Cat p!ss' smell to Spirit of ANZAC Ale

[Farls]

I have the ANZAC Ale in my FV, one week in, and am getting a cat p!ss smell. I've heard of similar smells with citra hops (haven't used them myself yet), but this only has 25g of steeped Nelson Sauvin which I've used before with no such smell.

 

Possible cause is 2 days of 30+ temps that I wasn't prepared for, fv temp got up around 26-27 degrees while I was at work. I've got it back down to my usual 20 degrees but some damage surely done.

 

Its possibly from another source but it's only where I keep brew gear, so unless something crawled behind the shelving and died it's the brew.

 

There's no visual signs of infection so I will taste samples and if ok bottle at 2 weeks as usual, hopefully I won't have to tip the batch. I can handle drinking and learning from sub standard beer but I won't drink utter crap.

 

I have a basic set up for my fv, an old cardboard box lined with foam. In hot weather I stick cold packs around the fv and in cold weather I wrap it in an old jumper. This usually keeps me in the 18-21 range as long as I avoid brewing in extreme temps.

 

Beyond moving to a better set up (eg. temp controlled brew fridge, which will happen one day) any explanations/assurances re: the smell, or tips to avoid similar issues in the future would be much appreciated.

 

 

[Frosty Chop]

any tips to avoid similar issues in the future would be much appreciated.

 

 

I've been there many times, things happen and you're not there to tend to your beloved.

 

Check Gumtree every two to three days for a fridge, limit the search radius to your local area.

 

It took me a quite a few months before I found one local for $25. It's old, it's rusty and it's missing bits, but it holds both my FV's and chugs along like a trooper.

 

Rent a trailer if you must but get a fridge, don't look back and while it's doing the temperature management side of things RDWHAHB

 

Thank me later.

[Farls]

You're definitely right Frosty, and I will get brew fridge eventually. Currently building a new house and can't afford or justify anything new until we move to the new place. Then a nice new insulated garage awaits where I will create a new brewing empire.

 

Until then I'll have to make do. Can't get anything new for the brews in the meantime as the current garage is full, the budget is tight and I don't want to add to the many things that will have to be moved.

 

And I would rather brew in current sub standard conditions than not brew at all.

[Hairy]

I once had a cat piss beer that I made with Simcoe and Citra. I can't be certain it was the Citra because I have used it several times since without that result.

 

Anyway, the smell never really went away; it lessened a little but it was always there. Hopefully that isn't the case for you. I don't think it actually changes the taste of the beer but it affects the perception of taste. You smell the cat piss as you drink it which in turn has an impact on how you taste it.

[Beeblebrox]

I got a 2nd hand brew fridge on Friday.

Previously SWMBO & I had been in disagreement about whether or not we could fit a fridge anywhere.

I spent a few days moving things around, we found a bloke on the Trading Post website that was selling old fridges, & Bob's your uncle.

 

The fridge arrived around lunchtime on Friday.

Within a couple of hours the STC 200 was set up, the fridge was sitting nicely at 21c, & my current brew was sitting in there without any problems.

 

For the first time since I resumed brewing 3 years ago, I can now just have a quick peek at the digital readout on the STC 200, & know my brew is at the right temp, & I don't have to do anything.

If I knew how much easier it was with a brew fridge, & how well you can control temps, & stop worrying about if everything's OK with the brew earlier, I would have got the fridge set up much sooner.

 

Like many I made my excuses, or SWMBO resisted for a few years, but once you take that step & get a brew fridge, I can't see how you'd ever go back, or ever regret it.

 

I get what you're saying Farls, it does seem a bit too hard sometimes, & the thought of having to move furniture, & re-arrange storage is a bit daunting, but believe me, once you bite the bullet & go for it, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

 

Of course if it seems easier to continue to make sub par beer, & struggle with temperature control, that's up to you.

 

BTW - we spent $290 for the fridge (including delivery, as we couldn't arrange pickup - the car's too small, we don't have a tow bar, & I don't have anyone to help me with loading & unloading even if I did). The STC 200 from the LHBS was $70.

It's not a lot to spend, & if you've got more time & patience, & are willing to have a good hunt around on Ebay, Gumtree, Trading Post etc, you could get a similar setup even cheaper; perhaps even a free fridge if it's council cleanup time.

 

Admittedly it took me 3 years to cross over to a brew fridge, but I really wish I'd done it sooner, as I'm sure some of my decent beers would have been great, my really good beers would have been brilliant, & some of my less good beers would have at least been more palatable.

[MikeC1525229119]

I have to agree. Moving to a brew fridge has made my brewing life soo much easier.

I just bottled an IPA last night after it was sitting in the fridge/freezer untouched for 2 weeks at 19C

Picked up a small freezer for $50 off Gumtree which can fit my 19L craft FV or the full size 23L one in no problems.

Also purchased the same STC1000 from my LHBS for $70. Best investment ever.

I only have a small storage area in my garage 4sqm so I have a bar fridge to keep my bottles in and this chest freezer. My wife is also happy I am not doing my brewing in the laundry anymore :)

Next I am going to try out a lager at colder temps. Then I will try an look into BIAB brewing later on.

My first brew was the American Rebel Amber Ale and this was without the temp control it did not smell or taste great at all. Then I did the Cascade PA with the temp control and this was really good.

Still learning the ropes but will recommend to everyone to get the temp control correct.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

[Farls]

The advice of the Brewersmeisters is clear, get a brew fridge!

 

We move in 2 months, depending on tradie progress, but looking good so far. Turns out that SWMBO wants a new fridge for the new kitchen. Normally I would mount a rational but eventually ignored argument that the current fridge is in perfect order and replacing it is a waste of money.

 

I'll just give in to the inevitable and when we move the current fridge will join me in the garage. I've been brewing for around 2 years, so time wise I'll be just ahead of you Beeblebrox.

 

On a side note I did do some shuffling of the garage set up and found an old forgotten mouse trap in a spot that often gets quite damp, containing a very dead and gooey mouse, complete with crawleys living in it. It was truly disgusting. Cleaned that up and hey presto, no more weird smell. I knew the ingredients of the ANZAC ale were unlikely to cause that smell.

 

Nonetheless, the brew fridge looks like a lock in, so I'm sure as soon as I plug it in I will join the get-it-over-with-and-get-brew-fridge brew-crew-gurus.

 

Thanks for the tips all.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Brew fridges definitely make life a lot easier in regard to fermentation temp control. I wouldn't be without mine now either, have been using it for just over 3 years now, well actually 3 and a half years. I began using it on my first AG batch. I have thought about putting two batches on at once when I needed a quicker turnaround, with the second one at ambient or using my old cooling method, but I just can't bring myself to potentially degrade the finished beer that I worked for 5 or 6 hours to create in the first place by reverting back to crappy temp control.

 

I was lucky enough that the fridge I use was already sitting exactly where it sits now, just not being used for anything at the time. $20 for an STC-1000, bit more for a jiffy box and some plugs etc. and I've never looked back.

 

The best part is though, that you can brew whatever you want, whenever you want.

[Farls]

Brewing whenever I want will be a big bonus, along with controlling temp to maximise quality. Can't wait.

 

I hear a lot about the Stc-1000. Can it be used effectively with the usual fridge/freezer? You know, the standard kitchen fridge that has the freezer on top? If so, what will the freezer be doing? Operating as usual/operating differently/not working at all/messing things up temp wise?

[Beeblebrox]

Brewing whenever I want will be a big bonus' date=' along with controlling temp to maximise quality. Can't wait.

 

I hear a lot about the Stc-1000. Can it be used effectively with the usual fridge/freezer? You know, the standard kitchen fridge that has the freezer on top? If so, what will the freezer be doing? Operating as usual/operating differently/not working at all/messing things up temp wise?[/quote']

 

In a nutshell, the STC 1000, or whatever temp control you end up purchasing over-rides the temperature control built into the fridge.

I'd imagine you could use it with just about any fridge or freezer, but of course it's up to the user to make sure it's suitable first.

 

You simply plug the Temperature Control unit into the power point, plug the fridge into the Temperature Control, set the temperature you want on the Temperature Control, put the sensor inside the fridge - mine is sticky taped to the FV - (it's really just a long thin wire with a knob at the end, & you won't need to drill through the fridge or cut the fridge seal), & that's about it.

 

The sensor tells the Temperature Control what temp the fridge is at, & turns the fridge on or off if it gets outside the parameters you set; typically there's about a 1c default variance from set temperature.

 

My setup is just an STC 200, which only has one plug point, so I can use it to chill or warm my brew, but not both at once (you can change settings for warming or cooling), some of the more fancy setups, like the STC 1000 have 2 plug points, so you can plug your fridge in one point & your heat belt or pad into the other (they have separate plugs for heating & cooling which are marked).

 

Unless you've got a pretty sick fridge to begin with you shouldn't have any real problems, & you'll find the fridge uses a lot less electricity than it would if it was just plugged in & turned on.

The temperature control unit uses a fraction of the power you'd usually use running a fridge, so it's much more efficient than running the fridge without it.

The Temperature Control unit usually has a delay of a few minutes, which you can adjust, so that the compressor in the fridge doesn't get too stressed.

 

Realistically, so far since I've had my brew fridge, I'd say the actual fridge itself would only run a few minutes every hour, just to keep the temperature steady.

It'd probably run even less once the novelty wears off & I stop opening it up to check on my brew!

[Otto Von Blotto]

It doesn't actually over-ride anything in the fridge. Example being if you set the STC to maintain a colder temp than the fridge can go, the temp drop just stops there and the fridge never turns off. All it does, is as you say - flick the power on and off.

 

In a standard fridge/freezer combo like that, it'll do exactly the same thing. The freezer part will switch on and off at the same time the fridge part does - there is only one power lead into the fridge unit after all. I don't think it'll have any effect on the brew temp though.

 

 

[Beeblebrox]

It doesn't actually over-ride anything in the fridge. Example being if you set the STC to maintain a colder temp than the fridge can go' date=' the temp drop just stops there and the fridge never turns off. All it does, is as you say - flick the power on and off.

 

In a standard fridge/freezer combo like that, it'll do exactly the same thing. The freezer part will switch on and off at the same time the fridge part does - there is only one power lead into the fridge unit after all. [img']wink[/img] I don't think it'll have any effect on the brew temp though.

 

 

OK, maybe I chose my words poorly; the temp control device controls the fridge or freezer turning on & off, & other than that, the insulation of the fridge or freezer maintains the temperature.

It does more or less the same as a timer device, only with a thermostat built in with a sensor you put in the fridge near your brew, rather than a timer.

 

Fermentation creates heat, so unless you've got your brew fridge in a cooler part of the home/garage, or you're in a cooler part of the world, you may not need any heating device to warm up your brew, just the fridge & temp control.

 

With this in mind, I have to assume the advantage of a freezer, other than it being more efficient, is that it will get to those cooler temps more easily & maintain them, when it comes to cc'ing your brew, whereas some fridges won't get your brew down to 0c or lower; though most of us don't want to make beer slushies (though I hear they're becoming a thing now!)

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah I created a beer slushie on one batch when my old STC died and I just used the fridge on its own to CC that batch. Obviously this particular fridge has no trouble going below 0.

 

But pretty much yeah, the temp controllers basically act like you or me standing at the wall flicking the power on and off.

 

I had the example I mentioned happen to me when I mistakenly set the fridge dial to 0 thinking it was Celcius (which I later realised was stupid because it is a 1950s vintage and we were still on F then ), and the STC to 0C. It stopped about 4C and wouldn't go any lower, and the fridge just stayed on the whole time and worked as if it was plugged straight into the wall.