I’ve been brewing for nine years. I’ve brewed four beers this year and two of them have exhibited a distinct medicinal or Aspirin-like aftertaste that I associate with chlorophenols. I'm confident that it isn't excessive hop bitterness or astrigency--I unfortunately know those characteristics well enough from brewing experience.
I also know the typical cause of chlorophenols is chlorine or chloramine in brewing water. I treat my tap water with Campden. I still remember the taste of chlorophenols due to the chloramine in my tap water from my early days of brewing, before I treated my water. That taste was very much like plastic or Bandaids. This new taste is different but still in the same family.
Here's what was common between the four batches:
- Also treated water with CaCL and acid malt.
- Brewed on a Grainfather with the same process.
- Fermented at the same temperature of 19C (66F).
- Transferred under pressure to kegs that were previously filled with Starsan and purged.
- Fined with gelatin and burst carbonated.
- Turned around in 2 weeks.
Here’s what was different:
- The two without the aftertaste were Pilsner and Hallertau Mittelfruh SMaSH lagers fermented with 34/70.
- One with the aftertaste was a 2-Row, Vienna, Crystal 15 and Citra / Amarillo pale fermented with US-05.
- The other with the aftertaste was a 2-Row, Wheat and Lemondrop / Idaho 7 wheat fermented with Wyeast 1272.
- The two with the aftertaste were fermented in the same fermenter.
- One of the lagers was fermented in that same fermenter but before the pale and wheat.
- I don’t know which fermenter I used for the first lager which was brewed before the other beers.
Here’s where I’m at:
- I don’t think it’s my brewing water because I treat it and perceive this flaw to be different than the flaw expressed by untreated water. Also, two of my recent beers using the same water did not exhibit the flaw.
- I don’t think it is a due to recipe or ingredients though I acknowledge that the beers with flaws both featured 2-Row, more expressive hops and ale yeast. I also know that different beers can mask different flaws but I doubt that my clean and simple SMaSH lagers are burying a taste that my more complex and hoppy ales can’t hide.
- I don’t think it is fermentation temperature. I control my temperature and these beers were all fermented at the same temperature.
- I think an infection of some sort is possible, likely centred on that specific fermenter or maybe my pressure transfer equipment.
- I also wonder if my use of untreated tap water to make my StarSan solution could be contributing chlorophenols? I use the solution liberally throughout all parts of the brewing process. Should I use Campden on my water for StarSan?
- Does anyone else have any ideas?
I have another lager in the other fermenter right now. I wish I had used the same one as that would have been a good if unintentional test.
I also know the typical cause of chlorophenols is chlorine or chloramine in brewing water. I treat my tap water with Campden. I still remember the taste of chlorophenols due to the chloramine in my tap water from my early days of brewing, before I treated my water. That taste was very much like plastic or Bandaids. This new taste is different but still in the same family.
Here's what was common between the four batches:
- Also treated water with CaCL and acid malt.
- Brewed on a Grainfather with the same process.
- Fermented at the same temperature of 19C (66F).
- Transferred under pressure to kegs that were previously filled with Starsan and purged.
- Fined with gelatin and burst carbonated.
- Turned around in 2 weeks.
Here’s what was different:
- The two without the aftertaste were Pilsner and Hallertau Mittelfruh SMaSH lagers fermented with 34/70.
- One with the aftertaste was a 2-Row, Vienna, Crystal 15 and Citra / Amarillo pale fermented with US-05.
- The other with the aftertaste was a 2-Row, Wheat and Lemondrop / Idaho 7 wheat fermented with Wyeast 1272.
- The two with the aftertaste were fermented in the same fermenter.
- One of the lagers was fermented in that same fermenter but before the pale and wheat.
- I don’t know which fermenter I used for the first lager which was brewed before the other beers.
Here’s where I’m at:
- I don’t think it’s my brewing water because I treat it and perceive this flaw to be different than the flaw expressed by untreated water. Also, two of my recent beers using the same water did not exhibit the flaw.
- I don’t think it is a due to recipe or ingredients though I acknowledge that the beers with flaws both featured 2-Row, more expressive hops and ale yeast. I also know that different beers can mask different flaws but I doubt that my clean and simple SMaSH lagers are burying a taste that my more complex and hoppy ales can’t hide.
- I don’t think it is fermentation temperature. I control my temperature and these beers were all fermented at the same temperature.
- I think an infection of some sort is possible, likely centred on that specific fermenter or maybe my pressure transfer equipment.
- I also wonder if my use of untreated tap water to make my StarSan solution could be contributing chlorophenols? I use the solution liberally throughout all parts of the brewing process. Should I use Campden on my water for StarSan?
- Does anyone else have any ideas?
I have another lager in the other fermenter right now. I wish I had used the same one as that would have been a good if unintentional test.