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  • Off taste

    My wife has repeatedly mentioned that my draft Bud Lite tastes a little off. I have to agree. The taste is definately different than that from the pubs and restuarants we go to; especially a pint by the pool in the sun. What's up? I'm running the reccomended 10-12 psi and keeping the keg at around 34-38 degrees. Why is my beer kinda smelly and skunky? By the way, I clean the lines, coupler and faucet after every keg. Thanks in advance.

  • #2
    I am pretty sure I already know your problem, but before I get into it, the following info will help.

    What kind of kegerator?
    Are you using beerline or vinyl line from a home improvement place?
    Do you clean with Beer Line Cleaner or something else?
    Do you disassemble the faucet and scrub it - or are you just running cleaner through it?
    What is your second pour temp?

    When your system isn't properly balanced, your beer won't taste like it should. I can tell from your description that you need to dial it in a little better. Your settings should be an exact number, not a range. Your psi should read a specific number, if you are using 11 psi, say 11 rather than 10-12, that way we know how careful you are being when setting. Same with Temp - only one temp matters and that is your second pour temp, that temp won't fluctuate once your keg is acclimated.

    There is only one way to get the second pour temp:

    Pour a beer into a glass - chug it or dump it immediately.
    Pour a second beer into the SAME glass.
    With a CALIBRATED (very important) probe thermometer take the temp of that beer - be careful not to touch the glass with the probe.
    That EXACT number is your beer temp, no other temp matters and that will help you determine what PSI setting you need.

    If you are pouring closer to 34 degrees and are applying 12 psi, you are overcarbing your Bud light and that will lead to off tastes.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by boydjoyner View Post
      especially a pint by the pool in the sun.... Why is my beer kinda smelly and skunky?
      What Sketch said, PLUS

      Beer that is exposed to light will get light struck, or skunked, as it is more commonly referred to. Light causes a chemical reaction to hops in most beers that produces the chemical that is exactly the same chemical that a skunk sprays in defense. So you expose a beer to sun, you turn your beer into skunk butt spray. This process can happen within minutes, and even for a lightly hopped beer, the skunk chemical is very noticeable to many people in trace amounts. I avoid taking a glass of beer outside, as this has happened to me more than once.

      Try using a non clear glass. A plastic mug? Anything you can't see through outside would be preferable than a clear pint glass.
      ____________________________________________
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      Thy will be drunk, I will be drunk, at home as it is in the tavern
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      Home Brew IPA

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      • #4
        Originally posted by cubby_swans View Post
        So you expose a beer to sun, you turn your beer into skunk butt spray. This process can happen within minutes, and even for a lightly hopped beer, the skunk chemical is very noticeable to many people in trace amounts. I avoid taking a glass of beer outside, as this has happened to me more than once.

        Try using a non clear glass. A plastic mug? Anything you can't see through outside would be preferable than a clear pint glass.
        Unbelievable.

        Not the "skunky in a few minutes statement", but that it happens to someone other than me!

        My wife and friends swear it's my imagination.

        I have a very acute sense of smell. As a beer lover, that is a double-edged sword. I easily detect the slightest nuances in the smell and taste of beer.

        If it is not near-perfect, I can detect the slightest off taste, which is one of the major reasons for keeping my kegerator dialed in. I also have a very difficult time drinking draft beer anywhere but at home, or a very few select establishments.

        As for the beer outside, I cannot bring myself to drink it out of a plastic mug. It probably makes no difference, (probably a sensory thing), but my solution is that I have a couple of Koozies that I jam pint glasses into, just for that reason.
        Hail to the Redskins!

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        • #5
          I don't like plastic either. This would be a good excuse to invest in a ceramic beer stein with a lid.

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          • #6
            is there a chart to use to balance C02 to temp. ????

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            • #7
              There are links to it here in some of the topics, check on any of the topics that are related to foamy pours, it usually shows up there. Then download it so you always have it.
              What I have: Haier two tap, 525 faucets, tower cooler, 10' lines

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              • #8
                Originally posted by johnnycsuperior View Post
                is there a chart to use to balance C02 to temp. ????

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Sketch View Post
                  I don't like plastic either. This would be a good excuse to invest in a ceramic beer stein with a lid.
                  By the way, I think it's a perfect cap for beer
                  Last edited by FrankenBuk; 03-30-2012, 07:12 AM.
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                  • #10
                    Well, there are a lot of different things that would constitute to it tasting not as well and though there will be just a few things that you would consider to work with regard to how they are going to be utilized, I think that it would be more helpful to isolate every single piece just to see which one constitutes to the off taste. There is no direct way but a series of processes might add up to it.

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