My Beer is crud!

The good news, my beer is very well carbonated, the bad news, it has such a strong medicinal/Band-Aid flavor that its undrinkable. I had thought that the medicinal off flavor was mellowing but I just tried another bottle and its as bad as ever. I have two batches that are undrinkable and possibly a third, these are my first 3 batches and that may be it for me, I don't know what the cause is, if I'm not sanitizing properly then it must be beyond my ability to do it right.

So here are my area's of concern.

One Step saintizer, Is it really a no rinse sanitizer? Its suppose to be an oxy based cleaner, no chlorine, but the water I use with it is tap water and its chloranated. I know chlorine is one of the things that can cause the Band-Aid flavor could the water leave enough residue behind to cause problems?

Chlorine, I use bleach only in carboys and buckets, I rinse unitl there is no chlorine smell and then I sanitize with One Step sanitizer.

Water, I used Wal-Mart spring water in the first 3 batches,

The Beers are.
Brewers Best Red Ale
Brewers Best IPA
Northern Brewers Bavarian Hefeweizen

Obviously I'm doing something wrong for 3 batches in a row to have the same horrible Band-Aid flavor I just don't know what.

Either boil your rinse water to blow off the chlorine or get an activated charcoal water filter. It adds to the cost, but you could stop buying bottled water. Also, with a few adapters, you can use it to filter ale (particle filters only in this case).

The guru at my LHBS said One Step is NOT a sanitizer. Only a Cleanser. They use to advertise that sanitizes too, but had to stop because it does not.

timdsmith72 said:

The guru at my LHBS said One Step is NOT a sanitizer. Only a Cleanser. They use to advertise that sanitizes too, but had to stop because it does not.

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Boy, that seems like it could be your problem, Waldo. Look at this blowup of the package...it says "No rinse Cleanser"...nothing at all about sanitizing.

Man, I'm brewing with water that turns the toilet brown. I sanitize with bleach. Fermenters get rinsed 3 or 4 times and bottles get rinsed twice. I've never made a beer I didn't enjoy drinking. I think the whole water thing is highly overrated. Screw the Brita filter. Let your beer sit for a week or two and try it again. You'll be surprised.

I always thought One Step was a sanitizer also. It was what was included in the beginer kit I got when I started. I have since switched to Idophor but I never had a problem using Onr Step.

I really think the bleach is my problem, all the stuff I've read says that bleach is the most likely cause of the medicinal flavor.

STAR SAN! STAR SSTAR SAN! STAR SAN! STAR SAN! STAR SAN! STAR SAN! AN!

I'm JUST HAPPY, NOT DRUNK!

I sanitize with bleach, or with that pink powder stuff, which is also chlorine, and I've brewed with bottled water and with tap water. Honestly, I'm 100% certain that your band-aid taste isn't from chlorine. It's phenolic, similar in nature to what you find in Scotch like Lagavulin and Laphroaig? Wild yeast getting in there or something.... get thee hence and to the brewshop go...

waldo, i use liquid detergent, scrub and rinse very well, then use iodaphor sanitizer. i've never had a problem with off flavors or lost batches due to sanitizing. i'd stay away from bleach myself. don't throw in the towel yet. get ridiculous about sanitation. your beer will love you for it!!!!!!
hang in there bro!

timdsmith72 said:

The guru at my LHBS said One Step is NOT a sanitizer. Only a Cleanser. They use to advertise that sanitizes too, but had to stop because it does not.

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I found this. Look here under FAQ:

http://www.ecologiccleansers.com/whyOS.html

Also here, look under percorbonates:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter2-2-1.html

I hope this stuff works, my next order is going to include 5# of it!

Hmmm...Still doesn't say anything about it being a sanitizer. Only a "Light Cleanser".

From howtobrew:

"One-Step is labeled as a light cleaner and final rinse agent, and produces hydrogen peroxide in solution. Hydrogen peroxide will effectively sanitize surfaces and containers that are already clean. "

The LOGIC site states why they can not legally call their product a sanitizer, and tells you to "draw your own conclusions" based on the info they provide.

I've considered it a good way to make sure your tap water is clean enough to use to rinse your stuff after you clean it with bleach.

hence the reason for iodaphor sanitizer. it's a contact sanitizer that requires no rinsing. no worries of tap water and bleach rinses. most the pro's use it at the breweries i have visited and had the pleasure of brewing at.

I used bleach to sanitize, and my first batch seems to have come out great (already drank half of it). I keep a bucket of cool/tepid boiled water on hand to rinse everything, though, and rinse everything until I cannot smell bleach. Seems to have worked ok.

DeRoux's Broux said:

hence the reason for iodaphor sanitizer. it's a contact sanitizer that requires no rinsing. no worries of tap water and bleach rinses. most the pro's use it at the breweries i have visited and had the pleasure of brewing at.

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Exactly. I use One step to wash, and Iodophor to sanitize.

Got some good news, I tasted my Bavarian Hefeweizen today and it has lost the medicinal flavor and as of now is very tasty. I've had a few bottles of my red ale and they have been pretty good, I must have sampled a bad bottle.

Good to hear thing are working out. So are all three beers cured now?

Waldo said:

Got some good news, I tasted my Bavarian Hefeweizen today and it has lost the medicinal flavor and as of now is very tasty. I've had a few bottles of my red ale and they have been pretty good, I must have sampled a bad bottle.

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That's good news. I had a brown ale once that I bottled and thought was pretty good. I passed out a few bottles and one friend complained that it was lemony/sour. I thought she was nuts until I cracked open a bottle that was the same way. Somehow I contaminated 3-4 bottles out of the entire batch in the same way, but the rest were fine.

I'm drinking the IPA now, it has mellowed as well, its still a little light on carnonation but overall not bad, at one week it was undrinkable, at two weeks its very drinkable. So yes I do beleive all three batches are going to make it. The red ale I had sampled that led me to beleive the whole batch was garbage must have been bad, may have had some creepy critters hiding in the bottle that I didn't get scrubbed out. As for the Hefeweizen I think I just judged it to early as it was still green its now had two weekes in the secondary and is very tasty.

I'm releived and a bit embarrased at the same time, I will however use my one step to scrub everything and then follow up with Idophor to sanitize, from now on, I'll skip the bleach, its not needed and I hate the stuff anyway.

Well I must admitt it, I'm a paranoid brewer, but I'm getting over it. Here's a picture of my first home brew Brewers Best Red Ale.