plastic taste?

netmasta10bt · 10-31-2006, 04:10 PM

My first batch is a Pike Pale Ale clone from "Beer Captured". I let it sit two days after pitching without much fermentation. I guess I got scared that I didn't aerate it well enough, and decided to use my fish pump and pump air (without airstone or filter) directly into it. Now I realise that probably wasn't a great idea. But then fermentation really took off.

You can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OMtBlH_eTo

I used a Wyeast XL smack pack let it sit for a few hours. Should I have waited longer for fermentation to really pick up? I thought I aerated it well by using a funnel and sive when pouring from kettle to carboy... I thought I was going to shake it... but I realised that it's pretty darn heavy. I got a non drilled stopper for next time to roll the carboy on its side back and forth to slosh it.

I racked it to secondary after 7 days. The day prior the kraueson fell and the bubbles were much slower -- not stopped though. I took a hydro reading it was from 1.060 to 1.020 ... should I have left it in primary longer? It's still bubbling in secondary... but verrry slow -- maybe 1 a minute.

Now when tasting while racking after 7 days, I got a pronounced plastic taste. I'm using all glass though... I have found that I used way too much bleach for sanitizing .. I thought that I removed all traces of it in the bottle but maybe this contributed?

Am I worrying too much? I know it's only 7 days... maybe this flavor will go away?

aekdbbop · 10-31-2006, 05:55 PM

hmm.. not sure about the plastic taste.. but i do know that its WAY too early to worry about it. Give it time, its taste will mature

**david_42** · 10-31-2006, 06:44 PM

The flavors associated with bleach could be called plastic. Give it time. If the flavor is still there after two weeks in the secondary (you probably did rack too soon so your fermentation wasn't done), rack it again & give it another 2-3 weeks.

netmasta10bt · 12-27-2006, 03:04 PM

Well I kegged that beer and it's been probably 2 mths -- and still tastes/smells strongly of plastic.

My subsequent beers have tasted great though. Since that batch I've since switched to using iodophor for sanitization and filtered water. I used plain tap water from here in FL which is known for its chlorine -- I figured after an hour boil in the kettle the chlorine would be gone? I think it was one of those two things.

Thanks for the replies.