Cleaning fluid taste

I have about 6 brews under my belt. In last 2 batchs (Lemon/wit beer and Honey Lager) I noticed a cleaning fluid after taste. I use PBW to clean and one step to sanitize. It was suggested that I might not have rised PBW out well enough. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I know that PBW will really need to be rinsed properly. That may have been your problem. The sanitizer shouldn't have affected anything.
Gosh, that really sucks though with your beer.
I wish you more luck in the future!
Cheers,
Chris

Thanks...Any suggestion to different cleaner besides PBW?

StarSan or Iodophor are the 2 most commonly used.

hmm...I would venture that oxyclean is the most commonly used for cleaning, followed by PBW then one step.

Starsan and iodophor are sanitizer, and yeah, the two most commonly used.

How did you rinse out the PBW?

I worte an article a month or so ago on what to do when your home brew goes bad.. it might be worth a read and see if you have all your bases covered.. http://www.howtobrew-beer.com/how-to-brew-beer/why-home-brew-beer-astes-bad-and-how-to-prevent-it

Blender said:

How did you rinse out the PBW?

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Rinsed with hot water

I'd say PBW is THE best cleaner for brewing. It has a surfacant in it that makes it easier to rinse than Oxyclean. If you rinsed with hot water, the PBW is not adding a taste to your beer. Especially if you sanitized afterwards.

I just had a 1-step mishap. I cleaned the tap lines and didn't rinse one of them very well before I drew a pint. It was not noticable drinking the beer but 10-20 minutes after drinking it I feel like I have a mouth full of lemons. 1-step is a cleaner not a sanitizer. You need to fully (I mean FULLY) rinse that stuff. PBC too. StarSan is a sanitizer. It's not going to affect taste much. Acid- foams up you can keg right on top of the foam. 1-step or PBC is a cleaner. like to take gross particles, and residue off stainless. You need to follow up afterward with a nice long clear water rinse and sanitize with starsan.
hope that helps. 1-step tastes like lemons. bad. hard to get the taste out too.

RichN said:

I have about 6 brews under my belt. In last 2 batchs (Lemon/wit beer and Honey Lager) I noticed a cleaning fluid after taste. I use PBW to clean and one step to sanitize. It was suggested that I might not have rised PBW out well enough. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

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one step will leave a metallic/mineral taste if it's not rinsed. it's not really a no rinse sanitizer, although i've been told it is, have you noticed the film it leaves if it's not thoroughly rinsed? i'd say go with something like star san to sanitize, PBW, One Step and Oxyclean all work well as cleaners, but you need to rinse and sanitize afterwards.

Believe it or not I never use anything but water and starsans on anything including bottles when I used to bottle, kegs and lines, brew kettle, fermenter, pump, autosiphon and hoses, etc, etc etc. I've never found a need for a cleanser other than water and a brush or sponge and I've never had a problem. Maybe Ive just been lucky.