Struggling with acetaldehyde

I recently started brewing and have completed three batches so far (Amber/Pale Ale). However, each batch seems to have that distinct green apple flavor to it. It's gone down a bit with each batch but even as my latest batch conditions I still smell a small amount of it. I've been reading forums and researching possible causes and still can't seem to fix this issue. Here's a summary of the latest batch:

-Grains steeped in 170F and boil done using malt extract.

-Wort aerated with a stirring stick for about five minutes until a thick head of foam appears. OG reading of ~1.050

-Wyeast smack pack is now ready after ~4 hours to get started, pitched in to ~70F wort in a plastic bucket.

-Airlock activity starts ~12 hours later and lasts for ~24 hours before stopping.

-A thick krausen forms and lasts for about a week before settling back down. ~10 days after pitching the FG reads ~1.010. Acetaldehyde smell is present by this point.

-Wort is re-racked to a secondary for conditioning. It's been seven days since re-racking and I'm going to add the dry hops tonight.

What can I do to improve my process? Am I adding enough yeast? Should i use pure O2 for aerating? Would switching to an all-grain brew help? I've been meticulous about sanitizing with StarSan so I don't think sanitization is my issue. Any advice would be welcome, thanks!

Topic acetaldehyde first-time-brewer homebrew

Category Mac


What OGs are you pitching a single Wyeast pack into? Those smack packs are for proving yeast viability; they aren't a self-contained sufficient starter for worts over 1.035 (at 5 gallons) or so.


Acetaldehyde is most often caused by aeration of the wort. I would suggest trying a batch where you do not rack to secondary, as this could be the point in time where the oxidation is occurring. Or you could try purging the secondary vessel with CO2 prior to racking. Also make sure that you have a good solid flow of wort during racking, the introduction of oxygen can occur where your tubing connects to the racking cane if it is not well sealed.

Pure O2, and/or the all-grain process will not improve this. They add complications to the brew process. Get this mastered first.

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