StillSmart

Hi all Ive done a few kale washes and the first one i did following the recipe to a T worked spot on. the neutral end result was very good indeed.the last few have quite strong off flavors even after going through the essenica filter.
the only thing different i can think i have done is use a tablespoon of sparkolloid fining agent after ferment has finished to clear then siphon into clean vessel before putting into the air still.
i can honestly say everything else has been the same ,i ferment it at 28c + - .3 degrees in a fermentation fridge to make sure its kept at a very steady temp.
i use star san to fully sanitize all equipment before i do anything.
i am at a loss .my batches seem to be getting worse not better,i even have tried collecting less hearts for a better cleaner taste but this has not worked.
any advice appreciated... currently got a WWW on the go to see if any better.

The kale Wash worked well for you. The only difference
was finnings, so dont use them mate. Try putting your
fermenter somewhere cold, a stone floor, outside in
the shade or ?? Works for me in 2or 3 days.
Your wash doesn't have to be clear as water, a little
cloudy is ok. You should see some of my Rum washes

gaza the instructor wrote:The kale Wash worked well for you. The only difference
was finnings, so dont use them mate. Try putting your
fermenter somewhere cold, a stone floor, outside in
the shade or ?? Works for me in 2or 3 days.
Your wash doesn't have to be clear as water, a little
cloudy is ok. You should see some of my Rum washes

Thanks gaza,i will try that ,to be honest my first kale wash was not a bit clear now i think about it.i had no way of clearing it as it was too warm at the time ,i could use the fermenting fridge to drop it really low i suppose.
but surely 1 spoon of finings would not give me off flavors like i have now ??

@Nijnja G. Can anything build up in your still? I scrub out all internal equipment every few runs. Dont think of the still like you would a teapot. Build up of residue can cause off flavours to come accross.

You dont need sparkaloid, etc. Keep your wash as clean and pure as possible. I dont use kale. The stripping run should get rid of all colour for you.

I have never fermented Kale.
I possess,but have never used sparkolloid.
Just laying out my qualifications.
Is it just yourself, or do others also think your product has gone downhill?

Robert.

Where does the off flavour start?
Taste it all the way through the process.

It could be ingredients, yeast or the still.

What sort of flavour is it?

In the mean time, don't waste money on sparkloid doesn't need it.

Easydrinker wrote:I have never fermented Kale.
I possess,but have never used sparkolloid.
Just laying out my qualifications.
Is it just yourself, or do others also think your product has gone downhill?

Robert.

Just myself and my good lady really,but my brother has tried and smelled the off smell as well as the taste....

Describe it. We may recognise it.

I may be speaking completely out of turn here.
Having re-read this a couple of times, I believe your problem may be cuts.
But what do I know?

Robert.

I was my thinking. Hence my request to describe it.

Just saying that Sparkoloid is like very fine brick dust, the sort of sludge you get from the bottom of a wet tile cutting machine.
It will seriously mess up your drainage, given a chance.

Robert.

I have never felt the need to put cat litter in my brews.

Mash wrote:I have never felt the need to put cat litter in my brews.

I know what you mean, I can make stuff that tastes like cats piss quite easily too

I will be offline for the next week, feel free to have a pop at me!

Robert.

Hi all.the off flavour is a smell as well ,i can smell it after the stripping run and less so after the sprits run.twice through the essenica has helped but its not gone completely.very hard to describe .
i have got a WWW nearly ready to strip so will see how that goes and i wont use any sparkolloid..

It's it a wet cardboard smell?