Campden tablet AFTER boil

[frosti2k2]

Hi all,

I have made a possible error with Campden tablet usage. I usually add a tablet to my mash and sparge water before I conduct the mash to reduce chloramines, however I have forgotten to add a tablet this time and done the mash without it.

Now ive got my brewpot full of wort and ready to boil. should I now add my Camden tablet to reduce chloramines or is it now too late / risk having a flavour or quality impact if used at this stage?

Thoughts please ?

Cheers
Matt

 

[JonM]

I think chlorophenols are formed when the chloramine comes into contact with the grain, so it's probably too late. Others with more know-how about this will chime in if I'm wrong about that.

 

[Yooper]

I think chlorophenols are formed when the chloramine comes into contact with the grain, so it's probably too late. Others with more know-how about this will chime in if I'm wrong about that.

That is correct.

Adding it now won't fix chlorine related issues, as it needs to be done before the grain contacts the water.

 

[ajdelange]

Yes, it is too late for any benefit WRT chloramine but some brewers add metabite to the kettle in order to minimize color formation. It will be interesting to see if this beer is lighter in color than normal.

 

[junior]

Hi all, I leave my water out over night to get rid of chlorine, I use to boil, but that is a pain. What are issues related to chlorine?

 

[JonM]

It can cause formation of chlorophenols, which taste like rubber or bandaids. One of the last batches I made before I started treating water has a bad case of it and it's nasty.

 

[ajdelange]

See https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/campden-tablets-sulfites-brewing-water-361073/

 

[junior]

See https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/campden-tablets-sulfites-brewing-water-361073/

Thank's for the link.

 

[erichsmith]

I've never used campden at all and even when I was on municipal water it wasn't a big deal. I've been on a well for 12 years now and can't really tell the difference between it and the city water I used before. I think you're over thinking the process or you live in a city with crap for water.

 

[ajdelange]

Surprising though it may seem your personal experience does not represent the universe of brewing. If one lives in any place where he is connected to municipal supply and knows that the utility chloraminates he is fool not to use a campden tablet when he brews. It is true that there are some that get away without doing this (usually through ignorance) but many more don't.

Now what may be relevant here is that the bad stuff where chloramine is concerned is phenolic compounds extracted from husk material. Depending on how partial partial is there may not be enough husks is a partial mash to make chloramine a threat.

 

[JuanMoore]

I've never used campden at all and even when I was on municipal water it wasn't a big deal. I've been on a well for 12 years now and can't really tell the difference between it and the city water I used before. I think you're over thinking the process or you live in a city with crap for water.

Chlorine levels dissipate as the water travels through a municipal water system, so the homes near the end of a water line will have significantly lower chlorine levels than the homes close to where the chlorine is added to the system. Just because the water in your previous home had chlorine levels low enough that they didn't have a severe negative impact on your beer doesn't mean that every home is like that. It also doesn't mean that the municipal water system you were connected to is any better than other municipalities. I'd bet that there are plenty of homes on that same system that receive water with chlorine levels that would render a beer nearly undrinkable if left untreated.

 

[erichsmith]

If I lived where the water was bad I'd probably use distilled water and adjust my ph. and water profile manually. I do find this very interesting though and it's something I've never thought of.

 

[ajdelange]

Chlorine levels dissipate as the water travels through a municipal water system, so the homes near the end of a water line will have significantly lower chlorine levels than the homes close to where the chlorine is added to the system.

And that is one of the main reasons utilities chloraminate. Chloramine is not as volatile as free chlorine and residuals throughput the system are more uniform.

 

[jmich24]

Bump,

I have a "experiment" going...

Yesterday while cooling my wort, my chiller let loose and at least a half gallon of untreated water went into my brew kettle. Needless to say I got p*ssed off threw my wort chiller in the yard and went inside to stew. I knew my beer and four hours of my life were forever lost.

After an hour or so I figured why not let it ferment out and see if it can be saved. I cooled the wort, added two crushed campden tables and let it sit for 24hours before pitching the yeast today.

Today I tasted the wort and it tasted fine, I hit it with Oxygen and pitched my yeast.

I still think I will end up with the plastic burps.

I will report back in two weeks with my results.