Help me diagnose my aftertaste......please

Hello all, I recently bottled (4 weeks ago) an extract heffeweizen. At first taste out of the primary it tasted delicious and I was really excited about this beer but after carbing, it has acquired an aftertaste that is almost bitter medicinal. This taste was not present at bottling and I'm not sure what is causing it. I used 6.6 lbs Bavarian wheat LME, 1oz willamette @ 60, 1 oz cascade @ 20, and 1 oz citra @ flameout. Pitched WLP300 (no starter) and fermented @ 68-72 depending on the day and was in primary for 25 days. Is it possible my batch got infected during bottling or am I jumping the gun? I'm just trying to figure out what happened so I can try to avoid it with future brews. Thanks in advance for your help

Joe

From what you indicate, I would guess that chlorphenols are the culprit. Search for an off flavors guide for details. Your brew favors the production of phenols, and in the presence of chlorine from your water, the medicinal flavor is formed.

I'm a noob so this may be a misinformed statement, but could it be from the fact that it was in the primary for 25 days? I was under the impression that lighter styles like a Hefe only need 2 weeks in a primary. My first batch I did was an American Hefe that was primaried for 2 weeks, and then bottle conditioned for another 3 weeks. Came out great.

BayAreaBrew said:

I'm a noob so this may be a misinformed statement, but could it be from the fact that it was in the primary for 25 days? I was under the impression that lighter styles like a Hefe only need 2 weeks in a primary. My first batch I did was an American Hefe that was primaried for 2 weeks, and then bottle conditioned for another 3 weeks. Came out great.

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First, read through this: http://www.kroc.org/Links/TroubleshootingGuide.htm, go down to Phenolic.

Being in the primary for 25 days should not have been the issue. I agree with the above post but it could also be something that occurred at bottling regarding sanitation

Thank you duboman, that troubleshooting guide is great. is it possible for the chlorophenol flavor to be intensified during carbonation? this aftertaste was not present at all when i took my FG readings or bottled.

jmorris62 said:

Thank you duboman, that troubleshooting guide is great. is it possible for the chlorophenol flavor to be intensified during carbonation? this aftertaste was not present at all when i took my FG readings or bottled.

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Yes, and as stated in the guide i referenced it could also be a by product of the fermentation as this was a wheat beer and you may be tasting the excessive clove characteristics but that is usually more present when fermenting this yeast cold, not warm.

Evaluating un-carbonated beer is difficult at best since carbonating changes the overall complexion of the finished product. Give the beer some conditioning time in the fridge and see if it mellows.

duboman said:

First, read through this: http://www.kroc.org/Links/TroubleshootingGuide.htm, go down to Phenolic.

Being in the primary for 25 days should not have been the issue. I agree with the above post but it could also be something that occurred at bottling regarding sanitation

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Thanks Duboman. The more reference material I have the better.

Cheers!

Two things that will help someone make a better diagnosis:

1. What kind of water did you use, and did you treat it with anything?

2. When you say 68 to 72, was that the room temperature, or the temperature of the beer?

I used regular tap water which I now regret. I will be purchasing campden tablets for future brews. In regards to fermenation temps, I was only going by the temperature strip on the side of my carboy. I realize this is not the actual temp of the wort/beer but with my current equipment it is the only way I can semi monitor the temp. This was my first brew so my equipment is very basic.

Alright, sounds like water is the issue, and you are on top of it. Search "water for extract" on the search function, and do some reading- I was making the same mistake you were for a few batches, and I have learned a lot from the forums, even some considerations beyond chloromene. Good luck.