Beer Aftertaste Problem

[Beer Krout]

I guess the best method of finding out what Im doing wrong would be to get an expert taster to taste it for me.

Ive got an aftertaste problem with all my brews so far. Im not sure what exactly what the problem is, or what is causing it.
Ive tried different yeasts and different styles of beers but am constantly getting this issue.
The beer usually tastes good very early on and then gets slowly worse (which is confusing and frustrating).

At first I thought it was dry yeast, such as SAFale. Then using wet yeast I was getting a similar aftertaste.
Just recently I started thinking it was oxygenation, but now I am starting to think it might be my cleaning methods with bleach?
I do rinse three times with hot water and then once again with cold water each time.
I have been known to leave a fermenter soaking in a weak bleach solution for a week or so.
Is there a possibility the plastic fermenter is soaking up the chlorine and beer is absorbing it from the plastic during fermentation?
Does this mean I will have buy new fermenters?

All my friends have not the experience to comment on the type of aftertaste itself. Although one did tell me an aftertaste was like medicine.

Im not interesting getting this after taste again.

BK

 

[warrenlw63]

BK,

Sounds like the bleach. How much are you using? You really only need about 30-50ml in your average 25-30 litre fermenter.

If the problem persists soak the fermenter in some Napisan and hot water overnight, rinse out with hot and cold water.

Only soak with bleach for an hour, rinse and use. Don't leave the fermenter soaking in the bleach for extended periods. Wash and dry it between uses.

Warren -

 

[Beer Krout]

Much appreciated advice, warrenlw63.

Is the Napisan likely to save me the cost of two new fermenters?

I'll head down and buy some today.

 

[warrenlw63]

Should do BK,

It's quite good at removing odours. 2-3 teaspoons in hot water. Soak overnight and rinse thoroughly with hot or cold water.

Warren -

 

[Tony M]

I vaguely remember that chlorine breaks down somewhere around 33C or thereabouts so a good sluice of very hot water should get rid of it. Mind you I dont know the chemistry, it might turn into something really stinky, but someone here will be an expert.

 

[jgriffin]

Chlorine breaks down anyway in the sun, just leave em out for the day in the sun without the lids on.

Medicine sounds like bleach, but it could also just be that "kit twang"

 

[Beer Krout]

Thanks Tony M and jgriffin and again warrenlw63.
Ok. So there is a good possibility I might be able to clean them up.
Excellent news.

 

[dickTed]

Don't think it's the bleach man, unless, perhaps you're using the lemon scented bleach?

Point is, I've used nothing but White King regular, have left things soaking in it overnight etc., no aftertaste problems.

Changing to Napisan won't do any harm. Let us know what happens. Good Luck.

 

[Mr Bond]

Bleach(sodium hypoclorite) is my friend too.

use it in fermenter and bottles etc........ 24 hr soak, double cold rinse and 2 days air dry in the good ol aussie sun without any funky flavas.

Used to use miltons until i discovered it @ $2.50 for 2litres locally.
Mix at 40 ml per 5 litres.(same as the recommended rate for sterilising baby bots)

 

[Darren]

BK,
If you use Napisan it is advisable to "pop" the top of the container before you buy it and give it a "sniff".
I bought some recently and it smelled strongly of pine "o" clean or dettol.
Seems they put perfume in some. I will be buggered if I can see where abouts on the label it says "perfumed".
The batches i have bought before have had little or no smell.
Sniff before you buy.
cheers
Darren

 

[Beer Krout]

Thanks guys

I had been doing canned kits till the last batch which was a ESB Fresh Wort Kit (Pilsner).

I've been using White King Regular (unscented) from the start. Must admit I have not been measuring the concentrations and just been splashing some in.

Bought the Napisan OxyAction Max (hot pink container), it has that washing detergent smell.

Have plans to get the sosman to taste a couple of my brews and maybe point me in the right direction.

Cheers
BK

 

[Bilph]

I use bleach and often leave fermenters soaking for several days. Mine just get drained well, rinsed well with cold water then given a wash out with a phosphoric acid based steriliser and a final rinse with boiled water.
The bleach solution is weak. Pretty close to the 30-50ml per 25-30l strength Warren suggested.
No problems here.

 

[Weizguy]

G'day,

Don't know why no-one else has mentioned this, but I have seen it in the past.

Wild yeast produce medicinal flavours.

It may not be the chlorine at all. Do you use a scourer in your fermentor, and/or clean/ disassemble the tap and clean the threads? All prime sources for contamination, and very common places to forget about.

A friend here also suggests that your bottles may be propagating the taste,
but I still insist that U check the tap and threads too.

Seth

 

[Beer Krout]

Thanks Weizguy for your input.

I usually clean the fermenter krausen ring sediment with hot water and tissues with the intention of not creating scratches.

Haven't payed that much attention to the threads of the screw top for the fermenter, although they the inside of the lid usually gets the bleach treament.

The tap is dissassembled and left soaking in a bleach solution, usually till it's needed again. Rinsed three times in hot water before use, of course.

The bottles are left to sit in a bleach solution for at least a day then emptied and left in their boxes.
I use the Morgan's Sanitise with no rinsing on bottling day.

BK

 

[Weizguy]

BK,

I meant the threads where the tap screws in. I get a bit of build-up in there, and clean with a sponge and or bottle brush.

I usually clean up with pink detergent and rinse the brew vessel. On brewday, I will usually fill the fermentor with water, add an egg cup of cheap plain bleach, add other bits (spoon, airlock, grommet, anything else), put lid on and leave for 10 minutes. Then drain and rinse all with hot water until bleach smell is gone. put grommet and airlock back into lid and keep lid on for the short walk from tap to brew area, where the brew is almost immediatley added to the fermentor. So there is a short time (window) for contamination.

Seth

 

[BRAD T]

I recently opened a Lager that has been sitting there for 2 1/2 months lagering to find that it had succumbed to a wild yeast infection. Medicinal , Band Aid type of taste to it. I didn't detect anything during fermentation or bottling.
As this was the first time this had happened, I was not sure what it may have been, took a bottle to LHBS and the owner Colin was able to identify the problem straight away. Have done about 6 brews since and have not had any problems.
All I can say is I don't know where it came from but I hope it will be the last for a while. It is quite dissapointing to open a brew after a couple of months to find out that it is crap.

Cheers
BradT

 

[Beer Krout]

Hi guys

The sosman went beyond the call. I am in much debt to him.
I gave him four beers for testing and got back eight beer judging sheets all filled out. Him and one of his mates tasted them on Sunday, just gone.

The news is mixed.
The guys have not detected any oxidation or bleach related tastes.
The aftertaste is a sourness. Possibly lactic in three of the brews.

I suspect this isn't good news.
It's time to go ... fermenter?

BK

PS. There was talk that the sourness could be due to old extracts.

 

[Linz]

Krout,

hoof the tap(if you have pulled it apart and cleaned it) and not the entire fermenter

 

[Lufah]

You may need to look to your methods. How long are you letting the beer sit on the trub in primary? Yeast autoalysis could cause some funky flavors. If it was the bleach you would be creating Chlorophenols by combining the chlorine from the bleach and phenols from the yeast. This will give you a medicine taste.

The lactic sourness sounds like wild yeast. I would get a new fermentor and use the old one for making lambics. Of course I'm always looking for a reason to buy more gear.

Any idea how old the extract was? That could be a big problem also. I would try and find out from your supplier how old the stuff is.

Travis

 

[Beer Krout]

Linz and Lufah

Answering your questions
I clean the disassemble and clean the taps during every wash.
I don't let beer sit on the trub for more than a week.

I'm going on the theory that not all my kits and extracts could be too old and stale.
The beer tends to taste good early too.

I have heard lactobacillus is notoriously hard to clean out of a fermenter.

BK