Help! - Funny Taste

Sir Real Ale · Post by **Sir Real Ale** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:15 am

Had a sneaky taste of my Wherry (1 week in bottles) and am getting the same funny taste as with my first brew (Muntons Stout). I can only really describe it as a 'plasticky' taste, it seems to taste of the fermenting vessel (i.e. it tastes as it smells when fermenting in the FV), but it may be 'known' as another taste. With the stout I put it down to the barrel it had been in, but the Wherry hasn't been near a barrel.

All other aspects of the beer seem fine - sufficient fizz, nice and clear.

Any ideas of what it might be? Below is a link to the details of my tap water, which I used as it came out of the tap. I guess it may be a cas of experimenting by trying different things (e.g. pre-boiling water), but that's 40pints of funny taste each time! Brief outline of brew process listed below.

Thanks

SRA

link to previous post detailing my 'errors'

viewtopic.php?t=15556

link to water quality report

http://www.waterplc.com/WaterPlc/quality/L11.pdf

BREW PROCESS

clean equpment with soda crystals
sanitise with thin bleach solution
boil tins, empty, swill with boiled water
make up to 5 gallons
aerate thoroughly
re-hydrate yeast, wait until 30 degC and pitch
leave 10 days at 20 deg c, then transfer to bottling bucket
leave 1 day, then bottle with syphoning hose
leave 1 week at 20 deg c

vacant · Post by **vacant** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:32 am

My brew process is much the same as you but:

I use two sanitised bins, cans are sanitised in one. First bin is filled with water and 1/2 campden tablet added, 6 pints of this water boiled and added to the kit in the second bin (cans left in hot water, not boiled). I then open the tap on the first bin and fill the second to aerate. After vigourous fermentation has finished (four or five days), I transfer to the other bin, leave for a few more days before adding priming sugar and bottling.

Some manufacturers tell you not to boil kits as it can alter the balance.
Muntons suggest transferring to a second bin after vigourous fermentation finished to avoid "yeast bite"

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:34 am

Hmm. What are you fermenting in?

Don't boil the tins. 1) it's dangerous, they could pop 2) you don't need to 3) you could be liberating stuff from the lining of the can depending on what it's lined with.

Does the FV smell of anything when it's clean and empty? It could be chlorine from your tap water i suppose, try adding half a campden tablet to the top up water before adding it to your brew.

Sir Real Ale · Post by **Sir Real Ale** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:31 pm

Standard 5 gallon fermenting bucket. I think it still smells a bit of beer, even though I cleaned with soda crystals since I brewed.

Sorry, don't boil the tins, I stand them in boiled water as per Jim's guide here: http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/kits.htm

Maybe I need an experienced homebrewer to taste it for me??!!

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:56 pm

Ahh right.

In that case, your most likely culprit is your sanitation procedure, i would guess. Most likely you're not rinsing out the chlorine well enough when you're finished sanitizing.

Best way to be sure is either boilling water or 1 campden tablet in a pint of tap-warm water. Slosh either or about in your fermentor and bob's your proverbial.

Either that, or you could switch to an iodine based no-rinse sanitizer.

Sir Real Ale · Post by **Sir Real Ale** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:40 pm

Thanks

I did rinse, and rinse again, and then again.

Plus I wouldn't describe the taste as 'medicinal', but maybe that's what it is. I guess I can only try again, perhaps with the campden tablet..

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:56 pm

Yeah. All i can suggest, really. If you're using a food grade plakky bucket, i don't imagine it's contamination from there. It's not a super old bucket is it?

Ditch · Post by **Ditch** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:02 pm

SRA; I use half a camden (crushed) in my water before anything goes in it. That neutralises it.

I sanitise with strong soda solution. Then I (used to) use thin bleach to finish off. Only, rather than rinse That out with my dubious tap water, I sloshed Sodium Metabisulphite all over the place. Drained and got on.

Now I have some Iodophor and used that on my last brew. So it was Soda to 'clean up' and Iodo' to kill off. Result? First out of three tries that Hasn't had that dodgy tang to it.

In summary then: 1/2 Camden in 'All' water. Soda clean. Iodo' sanitise. Easy life and great beer!

PS. I Know it's a heart breaking bitch to find 'It's happened again'. Just shrug and look ahead, mate. Crack it and ye there. It was worse for me; I used to do it all without thinking and never had a problem. Started again and just couldn't get it right. Third time not lucky so much as just sorted out my mistakes.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:14 pm

Mmmmm iodophor.

Some people are paranoid about iodine content in their brews. Iodophor is only 1% available iodine (anything stronger is controlled due to narcotic precursors), and at the infinitessimal dilutions that will be left in your beer after no-rinse sanitation, iirc you'd have to drink volumes that are physically impossible before reaching clinically significant levels. I think it might actually have been Steve Flack that worked it out.

Did i laud iodophor already? I don't remember.

mysterio · Post by **mysterio** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:20 pm

For me, iodophor is up there at #1 along with kegging that makes brewing an altogether less time consuming and more enjoyable hobby. One bottle can be stretched out over dozens of brews, so it works out cheap, too.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:28 pm

hmmm, sounds like Iodophor will save a lot of time when bottling. The biggest ball ache is triple rinsing 40+ bottles. Might get me some.

anyone tried this...
http://www.leylandhomebrew.com/item1922.htm

(sorry for the hyjack)

mysterio · Post by **mysterio** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:31 pm

You dont need to fill each bottle either. Just make up a litre in a jug and add a splash to each one, then swish it around. By the time you've done all the bottles, just drain them all and fill 'em up.

This is assuming the bottles are fairly clean in the first place however. Won't work with mouldy bottles

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:38 pm

mysterio wrote:You dont need to fill each bottle either. Just make up a litre in a jug and add a splash to each one, then swish it around. By the time you've done all the bottles, just drain them all and fill 'em up.

This is assuming the bottles are fairly clean in the first place however. Won't work with mouldy bottles

Cool, thats gonna save me a couple of hours come bottling time. I rinse all my bottles out when I empty 'em, so they're all clean.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:48 pm

Chemipro Oxi is somewhat frowned upon around these parts, mainly because anecdotal evidence, and Steve's scientific arcanery, suggest that percarbonate is not an effective sanitizer.

Stick with Iodophor, and you can't go wrong. Many of us use Videne Antiseptic Solution, some use the Brupaks purpose made iodophor. Either way, it's really easy to use.

Ditch · Post by **Ditch** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:20 pm

maxashton wrote:
Did I laud iodophor already? I don't remember.

You were the one who turned me on to it, Max. What can I say? Two balls ups, using bleach. I get some (unlabled so obviously home produced Iodine based stuff sold as " Iodophor " ) from my supplier and am now gagging to drink my brew, rather than gagging when I attempt to!

I'll never go back now. Just no reason to! Why complicate what's so bloody simple?

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Help! - Funny Taste

Help! - Funny Taste