1st brew has a chemical taste... any ideas?

[russellinireland]

Hi, I have just finished making my first brew, just tasted it there and it tastes quite chemically. could this be the cleaning product i used at the start for sterilisation? has anyone had this problem before? wondering whether it will improve with time or should i bin the beer? Thanks!

 

[Hang Glider]

First question - how old (new) is it? Many brews taste off (green) when tested too early.
best advice around here is to start your second batch. Once you have a few batches in the 'pipeline' the urgency to taste your creations becomes modified with patience.

Second question - what cleaners/sanitisers?
third - what kind of beer?

and don't toss it out - find a corner to put it in and forget about it. Try it again in a month or two...if it's nasty later on, then dump it. But give it some time....

 

[Pharmguy]

What did you use to sterilize with? Probably just the so called green beer taste that will get better with time. I dont even taste my brews anymore until they have been bottled 3-4 weeks.

 

[beerkrump]

Hey Russell, welcome to HBT.

Chemically, huh? Can you be a little more descriptive and add what you are using for a sanitizer?

Also, read this, How to Brew - Problems. Heck, go ahead and read the entire online book. Lots of good stuff there.

 

[russellinireland]

thanks. more info:
beer was a coopers pale ale using malt extract.
the cleaner was sodium metabisulphite, used as per instructions.
fermentation was for about 17 days.
then bottled and left for 4 weeks before tasting.
the beer had the similar chemically taste at the bottling stage.

 

[Hang Glider]

Reading a bit on the sodium metabisulphite here, it doesn't mention if it should be rinsed or not, nor does it mention any 'flavor profiles'. But it does say it puts off quite an odor. Perhaps try changing your cleaner and go with a no-rinse sanitizer like iodophor or StarSan.
just a thought...

 

[Homercidal]

I started off using sodium metabisulphite, but hav esince switched to Starsan. I love it. So easy to use and no rinse too.

What were your fermentation temps like?

 

[Rankinstein]

Has the taste faded at all compared to bottling time and now? I'd think after 4 weeks in the bottle hopefully you'd see at least a little reduction in any green flavors but they wouldn't necessarily go away completely. It took my first batch a few months before the green flavor went away (but of course I drank most of it before it got to that point). I know how tough it is to wait to drink your first batch, but I say no matter what try to hold back at least a six pack for 3-6 months to see if that flavor goes away.