Bad Tasting after Primary

[Randy_of_Neuron]

I am making another batch of IPA. Anyhow. I use White Labs yeast and clean my equipment with EZ clean and sterilize with Hydrogen peroxide. I have had really great luck. Anyhow. I use a bottle jet to rinse the equipment with hot water. We live in the country, so there is no chlorine or any of that.

This time the the IPA took 4 days to start knocking the airlock (this is uncharacteristic of the white labs usually in 24 hours it works)

So after a week, I moved it to the secondary and noticed that it had an alkaline sorta smell and I tasted it. It taste weird too, like heavily chlorinated or something. Since I haven't ever had a bad batch (10+ batches) is this batch bad? Should I ditch it or wait out the 2 weeks in the secondary and see if it improves with the additional hopping?

I have never had a bad batch, so I am trying to figure out what might have gone wrong. If some of the equipment was washed with soap and water by accident (I get helped) could that do this?

Damn it! I wanted that beer!

 

[smakudwn]

How much yeast did you pitch and what was your ferment temps?

I've never sterilized with Hydrogen Peroxide, I can imagine that could cause some off flavors?

And yes I would wait it out!

 

[ArcaneXor]

Interesting combination of chemicals you use in your brewery. What type of cleaner is EZ clean? The H2O2 shouldn't do any harm since it just breaks down into water and oxygen.

It does sound like you picked up some chlorophenols somehow, and since your water doesn't have chlorine in it, my bet is on cleaner residue.

For now, I suggest just letting it go and seeing what it does with additional aging and conditioning. Next time you drive to Springfield or Fayetteville, take some to the homebrew stores there (I believe the one near Springfield is actually in Ozark) and see if they can pinpoint the problem a little better.

And say hello to the Ozarks for me. Beautiful part of the country!

 

[Dogphish]

it's been about 10 years since i had a chemistry class, but if im not wrong, hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer (it breaks down into water and oxygen gas). we all know about beer and oxidation.

if you used the hydrogen peroxide right before you pitched yeast, the that is good because you are supposed to aerate at that time. BUT, you wouldn't want hydrogen peroxide contaminating your hot wort or fermented beer, because it would go stale.

 

[Randy_of_Neuron]

I know that H2O2 doesn't affect the taste. It breaks down and I have used it for about a year or more (7-8 batches) The temperature has been between 70-74 degrees with California Ale White labs liquid yeast. It comes in a pitchable vial. Her is a link to it.
White Labs Homebrew Yeast

The EZ Clean is just an oxygen cleaner that I got from MidWest Supplies.

The smell / taste is sorta a strange plastic smell and taste, well....sorta like a waterbed mattress does if you have ever smelled one. That is why I am suspecting something from the cleaning, because it is so chemically in smell.

 

[Yooper]

I know that H2O2 doesn't affect the taste. It breaks down and I have used it for about a year or more (7-8 batches) The temperature has been between 70-74 degrees with California Ale White labs liquid yeast. It comes in a pitchable vial. Her is a link to it.
White Labs Homebrew Yeast

The EZ Clean is just an oxygen cleaner that I got from MidWest Supplies.

The smell / taste is sorta a strange plastic smell and taste, well....sorta like a waterbed mattress does if you have ever smelled one. That is why I am suspecting something from the cleaning, because it is so chemically in smell.

That smell tends to come from chlorophenols, a combination of the fermentation process and chlorine. You can get it from stressed yeast as well. Sometimes it's more like cloves, or sometimes more like bandaids, but the phenols there are unpleasant!

If you used one vial of yeast, it could be that (stressed yeast). Or you could have a touch of chlorine or chloramines in your brewing water. Higher temperature fermentations (over 72 degrees, generally) can make chlorophenols worse.

My bet, though, is infection. Underpitching the yeast with only one vial allowed some other bacteria to get in and take hold before fermentation took off. There are infections that have phenols as a byproduct.

Next time, make a yeast starter or use two packages. One package is NOT enough even though it says "pitchable" on it. That's for an ideal environment, an OG of under 1.060, and perfectly fresh yeast. Using one vial of liquid yeast, even when fresh, is usually underpitching.

 

[Randy_of_Neuron]

Well, I know it isn't chlorine. All our water comes from a well in an extremely clean aquifer and then filtered. So it would have to be one of the others. In future I think I will do a starter in advance though I haven't had any issues until now. Loosing a batch of beer to me is like loosing a child!

The gravity was 1.060-1.059, the yeast was a couple months in the vial, but still had a couple months on the best by label.

If it does have phenols in it....is there anyway of correcting / salvaging what I have, or is it just going to be nasty no mater what.

Thanks guys for all the help.