Beer has a 'mediciny' taste

[Bokdem]

Been brewing an IPA two times. Both of them had this simillar 'mediciny' taste on the background. I don't really like it and want to get rid of it.

Ingredients: 4.5gallon, pale ale malt, caramunich 1, oat flakes, simcoe, citra, cascade, safale us-05.

I'm fermenting in very small room with temperatures from 66-71Fahrenheit / 19-23Celsius. (Uncontrolled)

Does anybody have any idea where this is coming from and how to get rid of this?

 

[Brewsader1]

What water are you using...if tap, are you filtering? Do you use unfiltered tap water to rehydrate yeast, wash equipment, make star-san, etc.? I would think chlorophenols would be first thought. Have you not had this before in other beers? If not, think through your process, what has been different about these two beers? Dry hopping when you normally don't? Using a different strainer for the hops you normally don't? Different process for bottling?

 

[Bokdem]

What water are you using...if tap, are you filtering? Do you use unfiltered tap water to rehydrate yeast, wash equipment, make star-san, etc.? I would think chlorophenols would be first thought. Have you not had this before in other beers? If not, think through your process, what has been different about these two beers? Dry hopping when you normally don't? Using a different strainer for the hops you normally don't? Different process for bottling?

I've been using tap water, it' quite clear where I live.
Here the water profile, it's in Dutch but I think the measuring units being used explain enough.

I don't filter the water, don't rehydrate yeast, always very careful with equipment and use oxi-pro.
This is my second batch, and am doing it the same way with same equipment. Always very careful while brewing and take care of good hygiene. Somehow different ingredients and notice the 'mediciny' taste returning.

Hope someone can help me with this.

 

[BassElement]

Hi - welcome to the hobby.

I started brewing last year and had exactly the same issue - after several good batches I suddenly had a few batches that tasted medicinal. I was re-using my bottles of course, and realized that although I was rinsing bottles then sanitizing before re-use, I wasn't actually cleaning them before re-use. As soon as I started rigorously cleaning then sanitizing before bottling things got better, 7 batches in and not a medicinal flavor in sight.

That may not be it, but if you're not cleaning everything before using it that could be it. Good luck, and cheers!

 

[Bokdem]

Hi - welcome to the hobby.

I started brewing last year and had exactly the same issue - after several good batches I suddenly had a few batches that tasted medicinal. I was re-using my bottles of course, and realized that although I was rinsing bottles then sanitizing before re-use, I wasn't actually cleaning them before re-use. As soon as I started rigorously cleaning then sanitizing before bottling things got better, 7 batches in and not a medicinal flavor in sight.

That may not be it, but if you're not cleaning everything before using it that could be it. Good luck, and cheers!

Right after pouring the beer from commercial users in my glass, I fill the half with water and shake them vigorously. Empty them and one more time clean water rinse, upside down in the beer crate to dry, before bottling sanitize.

Do you think my way of cleaning the bottles I use could cause this as well?

Thanks for welcoming me btw

 

[flars]

Municipal water is always treated with chlorine, chloramines or both. The water report shows ammonium. This may be your off taste issue. Add a quarter of a Campden tablet per 5 gallons of water for any brew related use including water to mix with your sanitizer.

 

[Bokdem]

Municipal water is always treated with chlorine, chloramines or both. The water report shows ammonium. This may be your off taste issue. Add a quarter of a Campden tablet per 5 gallons of water for any brew related use including water to mix with your sanitizer.

Campden tablet are made out of sulfite? If so, do you happen to know how much gram 1 tablet is?

 

[Brewsader1]

You can also use a carbon filter to remove those compounds. I run water through a brita filter for brewing (but I only use 2-3 gallons of tap to the rest RO...terribly alkaline water :/ )

Campden tablets are potassium metabisulfite. "They typically contain 0.44 g each of sodium metabisulfite (plus filler) and 10 of these are equivalent to one level teaspoon (5 mL) of sodium metabisulfite." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campden_tablet

 

[Yooper]

You can also use a carbon filter to remove those compounds. I run water through a brita filter for brewing (but I only use 2-3 gallons of tap to the rest RO...terribly alkaline water :/ )

Campden tablets are potassium metabisulfite. "They typically contain 0.44 g each of sodium metabisulfite (plus filler) and 10 of these are equivalent to one level teaspoon (5 mL) of sodium metabisulfite." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campden_tablet

Sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfite are both sold as Campden tablets, but the potassium metabisulfite doesn't have sodium in it so that wiki reference is referring to the sodium metabisulfite.

The amount of powder of k-meta to equal 1/4 tablet tablet (the amount needed for 5 US gallons of water, or 18L) would be so small to measure that it would be difficult to convert. If you have campden tablets available where you live that is the easiest way to remove chlorine but I can try to hone up some of my math skills if needed to figure out how many milligrams you'd need for 18L of water.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Municipal water is always treated with chlorine, chloramines or both. The water report shows ammonium. This may be your off taste issue. Add a quarter of a Campden tablet per 5 gallons of water for any brew related use including water to mix with your sanitizer.

Flars, just curious why add Campden to Starsan water? Tia

 

[Yooper]

Flars, just curious why add Campden to Starsan water? Tia

You want water without chlorine, since it's a no-rinse sanitizer. I don't use campden, but I use distilled or RO water for mine.

 

[flars]

Flars, just curious why add Campden to Starsan water? Tia

The use of a Campden tablet in any municipal water used for brewing would be to eliminate any off flavor source in the final product.

 

[BassElement]

Right after pouring the beer from commercial users in my glass, I fill the half with water and shake them vigorously. Empty them and one more time clean water rinse, upside down in the beer crate to dry, before bottling sanitize.

Do you think my way of cleaning the bottles I use could cause this as well?

I also rinse immediately after pouring, then rack to dry, but now on bottling day I actually use a one-step cleaner on all my bottles prior to sanitizing with Star San. This did the trick for me, so if you're not executing that extra step you might give it a try in addition to anything else (like conditioning your water, which I personally have never done and haven't had issues).

Cheers!

 

[stz]

Medicinal flavours are typically chlorophenol and improper dilution of no rinse sanitisers like iodophor (if used) and improper rinsing of chlorinated cleaners like bleach (if used) are the number 1 suspect.

Chlorine or chloramine in the brewing liquor from municipal sources is number 2. Contamination with wild yeast or high fermentation temperatures with previously 'fine' strains can produce this flaw, though as the pathway for it requires the presence of chlorine or chloramine in the first place it can be a little misleading.

Most brewers yeast has a mutation on the phenolic off flavour gene which prevents them encoding ferulic acid decarboxylase enzyme which prevents them from producing the major phenolic compound 4VG. Without enough phenols to react with enough chlorine you don't get detectable chlorophenol so low levels of chlorine can be present without ever encountering a problem until your batch picks up some wild yeast, or you pitch a strain which does encode ferulic acid, a random mutation causes your yeast to start producing phenols again, you add them to the beer with smoked malts or wood, or you ferment at a temperature where excess phenols are produced by a previously clean strain and suddenly less than ideal rinsing or chlorinated tap water becomes an issue.

 

[Bokdem]

I also rinse immediately after pouring, then rack to dry, but now on bottling day I actually use a one-step cleaner on all my bottles prior to sanitizing with Star San. This did the trick for me, so if you're not executing that extra step you might give it a try in addition to anything else (like conditioning your water, which I personally have never done and haven't had issues).

Cheers!

Might give this a try. If I understand correctly, first you clean the bottles with a one-step cleaner and after that you sanitize with Star San. What exactly makes the difference off cleaning with one-step prior to Star San? It's not really clear to me. Also, I use Oxi Pro, this can replace as sanitizer for the Star San, right?

 

[Saxon]

The use of a Campden tablet in any municipal water used for brewing would be to eliminate any off flavor source in the final product.

If you've already mixed the Star San can you still add the Campden or is it too late? I have this same issue I think, and I have a keg full of Star San mixed from my tap water.

 

[flars]

If you've already mixed the Star San can you still add the Campden or is it too late? I have this same issue I think, and I have a keg full of Star San mixed from my tap water.

Can't answer this. Not sure how potassium or sodium metabisulfite would react with the acid.

 

[BassElement]

Might give this a try. If I understand correctly, first you clean the bottles with a one-step cleaner and after that you sanitize with Star San. What exactly makes the difference off cleaning with one-step prior to Star San? It's not really clear to me. Also, I use Oxi Pro, this can replace as sanitizer for the Star San, right?

Hi - Yes, right before bottling I use a one step no-rinse cleaner on all the bottles then sanitize each one with Star San. I'm posting a pic of what I use, it seems to be working well. Not sure exactly why it made such a difference, but I'm guessing that rinsing after drinking then weeks (or months) later sanitizing the bottle has picked up or retained some kind of detrimental contaminant.

As for Oxi, I've never used it but believe it's only a cleaner, not a sanitizer, so that could be the issue.

Give it a shot and see how it goes, and good luck!

 

[seatazzz]

OH OH OH I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW (waves hand energetically in the air); what temperature was your wort at when you pitched your yeast? Pitching yeast into wort over 90d can ALSO cause that nasty mediciney taste in your finished beer....I know this from experience!! Overstressed yeast can throw out some nasty off flavors and the "medicine" one is definitely on the list.

 

[Special Hops]

My very 1swt all grain I did had that medicine / band-aide taste. A guy in the homebrew club suggested using campdne tablets to neutralize the chlorine / chloramines in the city water. Hasn't been a problem since.