# Soap Taste



## adraine (8/8/12)

Hey guys, so I have completed my first BIAB, a Dr Smurtos GA. I have transferred to the keg and had a quick taste & I have noted a soapy taste. Can anyone give me an insight as to what it may be and if it will improve with chilling, carbonating & time in the keg?Thanks Adam. :unsure:


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## mr_tyreman (8/8/12)

you might find its brought on by leaving the beer on the trub too long and the fatty acids have broken down and created "soap" like flavours

how low did you leave the beer in the fermenter? was it on top of a lot of trub?


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## manticle (8/8/12)

A few possibilities spring immediately to mind:

Actual soap - unrinsed cleanser/detergent etc.
Autolysis - as suggested by Mr Tyreman
Tasting incomplete beer and associating a flavour with it
Description of something else (eg not soapy but associated in your mind with soap/cleaning products - eg: disinfectant)

I think the 2nd one is least likely unless your yeast was unhealthy to start, you used a heat pad directly beneath the fermenting wort or you left the beer after fermentation for a long, long time.

What did you use to clean the keg? Did you notice anything like this flavour while fermentation was occurring - if so - what did you use to clean the fermenter, etc.

Could the soap be equally thought of as anything like one of these: fatty, solventy, medicinal, disinfectant, band-aids, paint thinners, acetone or nail polish remover?


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## Brewman_ (9/8/12)

adraine said:


> Hey guys, so I have completed my first BIAB, a Dr Smurtos GA. I have transferred to the keg and had a quick taste & I have noted a soapy taste. Can anyone give me an insight as to what it may be and if it will improve with chilling, carbonating & time in the keg?Thanks Adam. :unsure:



Hi Adraine, it is hard to tell you what you are tasting in that beer. What yeast did you use? I have made it myself and there is a heap of crystal malt and hops and depending on the yeast, a lot different flavours and aromas will get generated and at times are a bit off - maybe, depends if you have made these types of beers before?

My approach is this. If is tastes a little funky, but not bad - then bottle / keg and see how it goes - has proven the best approach. But if it stinks like shit / vommit, and you'll know because it will make you want to do both when you smell it, then toss it.

The best approach is to take it to someone else who knows. MHB in Newcastle. I have done that and at times there are a number of really good people that will help too.

Fear.


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## Florian (9/8/12)

There is a fair chance that you might perceive some hop flavours as soapy.
Amarillo is at least by one person here described as rexona deodorant, so your soapy flavour would not be too far off the mark.


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## Brewman_ (9/8/12)

adraine said:


> Hey guys, so I have completed my first BIAB, a Dr Smurtos GA. I have transferred to the keg and had a quick taste & I have noted a soapy taste. Can anyone give me an insight as to what it may be and if it will improve with chilling, carbonating & time in the keg?Thanks Adam. :unsure:



Hi Adam,

I forgot to mention, if you don't already know about the Hunter United Brewers Club? But I have a feeling that you have been at a meeting or two with us? If not, come along. We meet the third Friday of the month. If you want details PM me.


Fear_n_loath


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## Thirsty Boy (9/8/12)

i reckon florian might have it - i find quite a few varieties of hop hit my palate in a manner which I think of as "soapy" - i especially find it in beers which are dry hopped in any sort of aggressive way, not always, but often enough.

It probably will improve a chunk with a little age. But the advice to have an expienced brewer taste the beer is always good.


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## adraine (9/8/12)

mr_tyreman said:


> you might find its brought on by leaving the beer on the trub too long and the fatty acids have broken down and created "soap" like flavours
> 
> how low did you leave the beer in the fermenter? was it on top of a lot of trub?



It was in the fermenter for 16 days. But yes there was a lot of trub. ( I don't have any way to filter it yet)


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## punkin (9/8/12)

Did you by any chance have a rye component in the GA?


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## felten (9/8/12)

does it taste like eating a bar of soap or is it like a floral type smell you associate with soap?


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## adraine (9/8/12)

What did you use to clean the keg? Did you notice anything like this flavour while fermentation was occurring - if so - what did you use to clean the fermenter, etc.

Could the soap be equally thought of as anything like one of these: fatty, solventy, medicinal, disinfectant, band-aids, paint thinners, acetone or nail polish remover?
[/quote]

I used sodium meta to clean the keg & stan san to sanitise.

Didnt notice the taste ealier.

No it was definately a soapy taste.


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## adraine (9/8/12)

fear_n_loath said:


> Hi Adraine, it is hard to tell you what you are tasting in that beer. What yeast did you use? I have made it myself and there is a heap of crystal malt and hops and depending on the yeast, a lot different flavours and aromas will get generated and at times are a bit off - maybe, depends if you have made these types of beers before?
> 
> My approach is this. If is tastes a little funky, but not bad - then bottle / keg and see how it goes - has proven the best approach. But if it stinks like shit / vommit, and you'll know because it will make you want to do both when you smell it, then toss it.
> 
> ...



I used the Safale US-05 yeast.

The beer doesnt taste bad. im just picking up slight soapy tastes.

Ill drop some into mark to taste. He supplied all the ingredients maybe we can work back through my process.


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## adraine (9/8/12)

felten said:


> does it taste like eating a bar of soap or is it like a floral type smell you associate with soap?



It has that floral aroma BUT it definately tastes of soap at first but i can taste the hop bitterness at the back of the mouthful.


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## adraine (9/8/12)

punkin said:


> Did you by any chance have a rye component in the GA?




No rye


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## adraine (9/8/12)

fear_n_loath said:


> Hi Adam,
> 
> I forgot to mention, if you don't already know about the Hunter United Brewers Club? But I have a feeling that you have been at a meeting or two with us? If not, come along. We meet the third Friday of the month. If you want details PM me.
> 
> ...




Yeah i have been before but i got tied up in house renovations & a new position at work so it kind of just dropped off the radar. Then there was all the changes of location. Ill pm you for the details of the next meeting.


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## Nick JD (9/8/12)

Florian said:


> Amarillo is at least by *one person* here described as rexona deodorant, so your soapy flavour would not be too far off the mark.









But seriously, I get a soapy taste sometimes in Cascade (the beer from Tassie). I'd be looking at the water used.


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## adraine (9/8/12)

If the water in newy does what it does down in tassie near the Boags brewery im going home to hose the missus B)


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## adraine (9/8/12)

I'm please to say that another taste after works today & 24hrs of force carbonation has proved that what I thought was a soapy taste has disappeared.
It has produce a lovely beer I'm very pleased although I have noticed the amarillo hops are as pronounced as what I remember a year ago, even though that was k&k.
Thanks for all your advice and insights

Cheers adam


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## punkin (10/8/12)

Musta been a soapy glass :icon_cheers:


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## MHB (10/8/12)

Had a couple of customers over the years who have reported a soapy taste, one in particular had a lot of trouble with it, he is a very good brewer and very particular about his products and processes.
First thought was that it was an infection, so he enhanced his cleaning that made the problem worse.
We finally tracked the problem to low leaves of Chlorophenols. By soaking his fermenters in strong bleach he was getting enough Chlorine permeating the plastic that it was then coming back into the beer during fermentation and contaminating the brew.
Every other case of Soapy flavour I have encountered has had a similar solution. Chlorine is a very powerful steriliser and used as directed very effective, soak too long or too strong and it can lead to problems.
Sometimes the flavour will scrub out during fermentation, but not always, I would like to know what you are using as a cleaner/sanitiser.
Mark


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## adraine (10/8/12)

Mark im using your sodium meta. 10g per litre


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## black_labb (10/8/12)

It's not related to chlorine but I'd be using something else to see if that is related to the issue. so2 isn't all that great but has been traditionally used in homebrewing.


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## manticle (10/8/12)

Adraine: Do you mean sodium metasilicate or sodium metabisulphite?


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## MattC (10/8/12)

I have experienced a slight soapy taste in a few of my more hoppier beers. I have also read that water that is low in sulfate concentration can give hoppy beers a slight soapy taste. IIRC this info was on a Brewing Network podcast, not sure which one perhaps the American IPA or Imerial IPA one perhaps?

Cheers


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## sean_0 (10/8/12)

MattC said:


> I have experienced a slight soapy taste in a few of my more hoppier beers. I have also read that water that is low in sulfate concentration can give hoppy beers a slight soapy taste. IIRC this info was on a Brewing Network podcast, not sure which one perhaps the American IPA or Imerial IPA one perhaps?
> 
> Cheers


Hmmm, I have noticed a slight hint of soapiness (is that a word?) in two recent beers where I didn't add gypsum (mislaid my stash somewhere). This seemed only to be present early on and disappeared after a few days conditioning. You could be onto something there.


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