Even with years of experience, some beers don’t turn out the way you want them to turn out. If you become complacent or lazy, you can have homebrew fails. We share this post to provide the lessons we learned from this unfortunate experience so that you may not repeat them in the future. Watch this video to get an understanding of why cleaning all of your beer equipment is crucial for homebrewing beer success.

The Pilsner Plan

From the recipe that Mike provided, this beer had major potential. Some of that potential did make it through to the end product. I thought the hopping of the beer was great. His use of Warrior hops for bittering provided a nice bittering that I envied. Mike talked about how he adjusted our tap water for a better hop presentation, which was a good reminder for me.

The grain bill was simple and suitable for a pilsner. It would have provided the proper beer color for the style. Tasting this beer, my brain was anticipating the soft, malty flavor that is a key element of Pilsners. Unfortunately, there was another flavor aspect present – an unwelcome one.

The Dirty Beer Line Culprit

As we explored in our last video, Mike needed to clean his beer lines. Even though he detected the problem, it was too late. The infection that was in his lines took hold in his keg. Once it took hold, it ruined the full volume of the Pilsner. The main off-flavor component makes this beer taste like a Hefeweizen. There’s a clove note that is out of place and it’s disappointing.

Mike’s going to give this beer a few weeks as he discussed on the video. He felt that this unwanted flavor note had waned but if it’s still there after this time period, he’s dumping this beer. The lesson is to make sure that you clean everything that touches your beer, even after fermentation. You never know what may ruin a beer so be diligent.

BREW ON.