3 batches, all with same medicinal/chlorine flavor.

[Funkyzeit]

Hey there, hopefully someone can help me with this problem I've been scouring the forums up and down after every batch trying to fix this but I can't seem to figure it out. I've brewed 3 batches of beer, all which taste great, hit their FG, but after bottling end up with the same medicinal/vinyl/chlorine flavor.

1st batch was Brown Ale, tested a bottle after 2 weeks, tasted great, after 3 weeks it was all chlorine flavor.
2nd batch was an APA, same result. After this we decided to switch to bottled water.
3rd batch was a Porter with 1084 Wyeast and bottled water. We also were able to cool the wort very fast after learning the first two times. Fermented at ~64-65. Everything thoroughly sanitized with StarSan. Tested a bottle at 2 weeks and had a huge relief to find the chlorine flavor was gone and the beer tasted excellent, popped open a bottle today and its once again an annoying medicinal taste and flavor.
Any guess as to what this is? I had hoped the bottled water would eliminate it, but apparently not. We take every precaution when sanitizing and I just cant seem to get over this godawful scent......should I thoroughly clean all my equipment? Replace hoses? Get new bottles? Is it because the bottles still have star-san residue in them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[theck]

Using tap water?

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Punity]

What are you using to clean your bottles?

 

[eastoak]

What are you using to clean your bottles?

star san.

 

[Funkyzeit]

I rinse the bottles with hot tap water after use, then StarSan on bottling day. Havent used tap water since the first two batches, bottled water now, but this Porter went from awesome to godawful over the course of 1-week of conditioning.

 

[Punity]

Star-san is not a cleaner. Are these new bottles or recycled?

Edit- sorry didn't read your last post. You should thoroughly clean used bottles hot water rinses are good but getting in there with a bottle brush and some PBW and get it all sparkling shiny new.

 

[Punity]

How are you fermenting your beer?

I say this because when i first started i really had an issue with bandaid flavor and figured out over trial and error that my fermenting temps were way off what i thought they were. I got a better handle on controlling them and my beer has been excellent ever since.

 

[Funkyzeit]

For my first batch I think we ran the fermentation a bit too high, second batch was better, then the third batch was reading 64-65 on the fermometer the whole time, I think it dipped a little low one night. I buy the bottles from my homebrew store, theyre the used bottles but I rinse them all out before bottling and then sanitize them per usual. I had a couple brand new bottles and the issue showed up in them as well.

 

[Yooper]

Medicinal flavor almost always comes from chlorine in the brewing water. If you're getting rid of the chlorine/chloramines by using bottled reverse osmosis water, perhaps the chlorine is coming in through a cleaner, or through the diluted star-san solution? Somehow chlorinated water is touching your brew gear.

 

[Punity]

What are you using to cool your wort?

Edit- just thinking if you are using a cfc or ic maybe there is a leak you haven't noticed.

 

[StittsvilleJames]

I had this problem, but I'm pretty sure it was the water. Bought some Campden tablets, and haven't had an issue since ( I was using tap water with Chloramine in it).

Altough you're using bottled water, so my post really has no bearing on this at all.

So in conclusion.. Good luck, Hope you figure this out!

 

[Funkyzeit]

I cool it in an ice bath out by our burner, cools it down super quick. I was going to use Campden Tablets but figured it'd be overkill with the bottled water.
As for water touching the brewing equipment, after I'm done brewing I always clean/rinse everything with hot water, or PBW for the fermenters/siphon etc. But when I use sanatizer I use tap water with that, would the tapwater/sanatizer be a possible cause? This is such a bummer for me, the beer went from such great flavor last week to once again tasting like chlorine water.......and I'm now worried about the Kolsch and IPA we have brewing right now.

 

[Yooper]

I cool it in an ice bath out by our burner, cools it down super quick. I was going to use Campden Tablets but figured it'd be overkill with the bottled water.
As for water touching the brewing equipment, after I'm done brewing I always clean/rinse everything with hot water, or PBW for the fermenters/siphon etc. But when I use sanatizer I use tap water with that, would the tapwater/sanatizer be a possible cause? This is such a bummer for me, the beer went from such great flavor last week to once again tasting like chlorine water.......and I'm now worried about the Kolsch and IPA we have brewing right now.

If your tap water has chlorine or chloramines, it shouldn't be used without treatment for yeast starters, sanitizer mixing, etc. You can use 1 campden tablet per 10 gallons to treat water.

Bottled water very well may have chlorine in it as well. We have a bottling facility near us that is called "Crystal Spring Water". It comes out of the city tap. It's great tasting, but it is chlorinated since it's city water.

If you want to purchase water, be sure to purchase "reverse osmosis" water, usually from the big water machines at grocery stores, or "distilled water", in plastic jugs.

 

[Funkyzeit]

Cant seem to find RO water in South Denver. The El Dorado Springs water chem analysis says no Cl/NH4Cl. As for my Kolsch and IPA in the fermenters right now, is there any way to save it or something I can do before bottling that may help this issue? Is it strange too that the beer tastes fine up until about the 3rd week of bottle conditioning when it turns to overwhelming chlorine?