TVarmy

Recipes 

I took a sample of my first beer (a citrus hefeweizen which is on the tail end of primary fermentation), and it has a very strong rubber taste. I think it's coming from the yeast. I may have accidentally sucked up some of the (shrinking) krauzen with the sample. Will this flocculate/get digested out as it conditions? The aroma is also very rubbery right now. The smell was citrus-y and banana-like at first.

I'm not planning on dumping it or anything. I just want to know if it was the sign of an infection or anything.

I did use a rubber hose, but it was sanitized and brand new.

The recipe is citrus weizen from the Wheat Beers section, with WLP 300 Hefeweizen yeast.

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Zorillo Brewery: Jinxing the hops since 2010.
Primary: Edwort's Robust Porter, Hard Lemonade
Secondary: Air
Bottled: Apfelwein, Wheat Stout, Edwort's Haus Pale Ale
Thinking about: more Citrus Hefeweizen, Strawberry Blonde, Apple Graff, Lambics

TVarmy

Recipes 

PS: I wouldn't say it was undrinkable or sour, so I'm guessing this probably isn't an infection.

__________________
Zorillo Brewery: Jinxing the hops since 2010.
Primary: Edwort's Robust Porter, Hard Lemonade
Secondary: Air
Bottled: Apfelwein, Wheat Stout, Edwort's Haus Pale Ale
Thinking about: more Citrus Hefeweizen, Strawberry Blonde, Apple Graff, Lambics

Shooter

Recipes 

Well, wheat yeasts often throw a bit of sulfur and I've seen it described as a rubbery taste or smell a few times.

EDIT: My latest wheat batch had a strong sulfur smell in the fermenter, but it faded after about a week.

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Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C. S. Lewis, English essayist & juvenile novelist (1898 - 1963)

ReverseApacheMaster

Recipes 

I'm not exactly sure what beer tasting like during the fermentation process, but I wouldn't be worried about the taste until fermentation completes.

archiefl98

Recipes 

My first hefe was a couple weeks ago using Edwort's Bavarian Hefewezien recipe. I tried the hydro sample and it tasted like I was sucking on an old stanky piece of rubber. (Like this inside of an inner-tube for a tire or something) After a week in the bottle the taste was still there. So I start Googling and searching for rubbery taste and get all worked up about this problem or that problem and wasted a couple of weeks fretting and worrying (read: drinking other homebrews).

Then I pulled one out and fridged it on week three -- THIS RECIPE IS AWESOME! The rubber smell/taste has totally gone. I've got a little banana, a bit of clove, a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness -- It's the perfect hefeweizen. At this rate I'm going to have to brew it again next weekend.

I guess I'm saying, just wait and that rubberiness will probably just disappear, leaving a totally awesome hefe behind.

BTW - I used Weihenstephan 3068 strain from Wyeast.

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Fermenting: A few beers
Conditioning: A few other beers
Bottled: A few more beers
Kegged: Many beers
Next Brews: More beers than you could imagine

TVarmy

Recipes 

Good to hear that it goes away on its own, and that it will dissipate even if I bottle (in ~2 weeks, of course). Thanks, Archie!

__________________
Zorillo Brewery: Jinxing the hops since 2010.
Primary: Edwort's Robust Porter, Hard Lemonade
Secondary: Air
Bottled: Apfelwein, Wheat Stout, Edwort's Haus Pale Ale
Thinking about: more Citrus Hefeweizen, Strawberry Blonde, Apple Graff, Lambics

archiefl98

Recipes 

Definitely not to worry (at least yet).

According to my notes I only fermented for 2 weeks in primary @68F and then bottled. I brewed it on 2/13/2010 and it is just ridiculously awesome tasting now.

__________________


Fermenting: A few beers
Conditioning: A few other beers
Bottled: A few more beers
Kegged: Many beers
Next Brews: More beers than you could imagine