Help my wheat

[Nhurianek]

We brewed 10 gallons of an extract wheat kit we got from our local HBS, and have been sampling it for a while in fermentation and in the keg and is tastes very chemically. We brewed two other all grain batches that day and they both turned out great. What could have happened? Could it be bad extract? BUT most importantly how do we salvage the 10 gallons? it's border line undrinkable. I can have a few toward the end of the night. would dry hopping over come some of the taste?

 

[xfevv]

In my experience time tends to heal most issues. Stick it somewhere dark and cool and let it sit for a while

 

[unionrdr]

What water did you use? It could be chlorophenols causing the chemical like flavor.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

By "chemical", what specifically do you mean? Hot alcohol? Solvent/acetone? Band-Aid? A better description of the flavor, and of the beer (process, times, temps, ingredients) would help answer your question(s).

 

[Nhurianek]

I suspected the water, but the other two beers I did that day are great. We use rocky mtn pure tap water in Colorado. Never had this issue with the past brews. The taste is not alcoholic and definitively not bandaid. Perhaps the other. I'll post the recipe and ferm schedule when I get back to my ipad.

 

[tgmartin000]

The "rocky mtn pure tap water" I get in Denver has chloramine in it. When I switched to all DI water my beers got significantly better.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I suspected the water, but the other two beers I did that day are great. We use rocky mtn pure tap water in Colorado. Never had this issue with the past brews. The taste is not alcoholic and definitively not bandaid. Perhaps the other. I'll post the recipe and ferm schedule when I get back to my ipad.

Times, temps, yeast strain and pitch rate are the most important info. Without that, it's just guesswork. And yeah, all municipal water is treated, and could potentially have off flavor producing minerals or chemicals in it, so knowing your water source could help to. If it's municipal, you can likely find a water report online that'll tell you the levels of certain minerals, chemicals and pollutants.

 

[Nhurianek]

Here is the recipe we used. Yeast was WL-300 and WL-400 Split between 10 gallons. Fermentation temps were in the upper 60s for the most part.

Would adding some dry hops in the keg cut through some of that Taste?

 

[unionrdr]

I wouldn't have added all the LME at the begining of the boil like the list says. More mailard reactions that way. high ferment temps can cause it too. But I still think it was something in the water at that time. water treatment varies with temps,time of year,& thus microbial activity.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Recipe looks solid. Temps sound ok, shouldn't produce fusel alcohols, and you say the off flavor isn't alcoholic. I think it's either your water or the twang you get from boiling LME. Can you describe the "chemical" flavor in more detail? Does it take like, or similar to anything?

 

[finsfan]

this is a sad story. I love wheat beers and would be terribly upset to see 10 gallons turn out bad. Hopefully someone can find a solution to mellow out the off flavors and it will turn out drinkable!

 

[Nhurianek]

Thanks for all the help so far. The taste on the wit isn't bad at all, just a little bit noticeable. It's a little tart, slightly phenolic and if you try at the end it finishes like a chlorine taste. The wheat on the other hand is very up front with the taste and over powering.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks for all the help so far. The taste on the wit isn't bad at all, just a little bit noticeable. It's a little tart, slightly phenolic and if you try at the end it finishes like a chlorine taste. The wheat on the other hand is very up front with the taste and over powering.

"Phenolic" and "Chlorine" sounds for sure like a water issue. Tap water often contains chloromine, which can lead to chlorophenols in the beer. A carbon filter or treating the brewing water with Campden will eliminate the chloromine. Also, keep in mind that traditional wheat yeasts tend to be, well, tart and phenolic, but the fact that you describe a "chlorine" like flavor in the finish makes me think it's your tap water.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. Like I said in post #3. Not much else can cause that particular flavor. Save for bleach or bleach like cleaner/sanitizers.

 

[billpaustin]

I brewed a wheat with LME and added it at the beginning of the boil. It came out burnt and chemical tasting, and was looking like a loss. Not drinkable, until 2 weeks later, and then it started evening out.

But not chlorine taste. Sorry, that sounds bad.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I've always gotten a strange bite from LME beers where the extract was boiled, especially if it was boiled for the full time. I wouldn't call it "chemical", but I could see where some would. More like hot rubber/plastic. I've always related that to the "extract twang" a lot of folks talk about.