Help me diagnose this off-flavor

**Coastarine** · 06-06-2008, 12:40 AM

This is my Irish red ale (link to recipe in signature)...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coastarine

I'm drinking the first bottle of the second batch tonight and I am definitely tasting an off-flavor. I guess it would be more appropriate to call it an off-aroma. It isn't in the flavor at all, but if I let the glass sit for a while I can get a whiff of it. When I REALLY smell it is when I have a few sips and then burp. Yuck. I'm not sure if I should describe it as plasticy, metallic, or medicinal, but it's chemically. The beer has been bottled for 3 weeks now and kept at 70, but it has only been cold since this morning. Maybe more cold storage will clear it up. The brew tastes great but something carried in the CO2 is not good.

The first batch was my first brew ever and this is my 6th beer. First batch was super clean. Musta been beginner's luck.

The differences between this batch and the first batch are...
-Used an IC instead of sink and ice water method
-brewed on a turkey fryer instead of stovetop
-used 4 oz of malto-dextrin
-bottled by adding sugar solution to each bottle and bottled directly from primary (no open bottling bucket)
-maybe a warmer fermentation (71 instead of 68)

Has anyone experienced an off-aroma like that? Any guesses as to what this is, what caused it, and if it might go away with aging?

**EdWort** · 06-06-2008, 12:44 AM

Did you use bleach to sanitize or clean?

**Coastarine** · 06-06-2008, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdWort

Did you use bleach to sanitize or clean?

Nope, I use EZ clean for everything.

**Coastarine** · 06-06-2008, 12:54 AM

I just thought of another thing, neither of these beers were aerated much at all before pitching. The first batch used danstar nottingham and the second batch used a dry yeast, but the name of which I can't think of right now.

**EdWort** · 06-06-2008, 12:56 AM

What is EZ Clean and what is in it?

**EdWort** · 06-06-2008, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coastarine

I just thought of another thing, neither of these beers were aerated much at all before pitching. The first batch used danstar nottingham and the second batch used a dry yeast, but the name of which I can't think of right now.

You don't really need to aerate with dry yeasts (according to the package).

I'm wondering if this EZ clean is chlorine based?

**Coastarine** · 06-06-2008, 12:59 AM

Easy Clean no-rinse sanitizer

link is to the LHBS where I bought it. I don't think it's chlorine based, it has no odor, but a slick feel. I've used it to sanitize everything that isn't boiled for all of my brews.

malkore · 06-06-2008, 10:19 PM

EZ clean is kinda like one-step I think.

so you bottled right from primary? it is overly yeasty maybe? yeast-bite off flavor?

McSwiggin' · 06-06-2008, 10:29 PM

1) If the room was 71, your wort temp was probably more like 75. That could produce some off flavor.

2) Maybe you got some wild yeast in there?

3) What kind of sugar did you use?

4) Maybe the I.C. had some nasty stuff hiding in there.

Just a few thoughts....

**Coastarine** · 06-07-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malkore

EZ clean is kinda like one-step I think.

so you bottled right from primary? it is overly yeasty maybe? yeast-bite off flavor?

-I think so too
-Bottled from primary but not a yeast taste. The taste was fine, this is just in the aroma.

Quote:

1) If the room was 71, your wort temp was probably more like 75. That could produce some off flavor.

2) Maybe you got some wild yeast in there?

3) What kind of sugar did you use?

4) Maybe the I.C. had some nasty stuff hiding in there.

Wild yeast is a possibility. The temp is also a possibility. The sugar was all from LHBS (LME in the wort, malto-dextrin from LHBS, and priming sugar from LHBS) I cleaned and then put the IC in for the last 15 minutes of the boil to sanitize. One thing that did happen is I noticed a few drops leaking from the fitting on the IC into the wort. Tightened it down and it's doing better.

By the way I do appreciate all of your ideas on this.