Constant Battle - Ethyl Acetate - Looking for suggestions.

[Christophrawr]

Update.

I sampled the campden batch a few days ago to see if I could taste the hot solventy chemical and I wasn't sure, it wasn't upfront like I was used to but my brain was looking for it.

Decided to bottle it today to use as a sample of my off flavor for more knowledgeable brewers. Well I'm drinking a sample right now and I don't think I can taste the enemy (at least not clearly) so my brain is trying to tie the normal taste of alcohol to it. Also, I think Mosaic hops have a flavor that's triggering something in my head and confusing me. The enemy has employed psychological warfare and won.

Tomorrow I will brew the same recipe with spring water to finally clear my head of whether or not this is water. I'll serve the campden batch and spring water batch to friends as well for their blind input.

If I get the same semi good results/no obvious presence of the enemy again Ill then ditch the mosaic hops and also try a different yeast to reboot my palate and go from there.

 

[Christophrawr]

Sampled the bottled campden batch, no solventy or chemical taste. Feels good. It was the water and chlorophenols in the end. I can now taste the difference of high ferm temp and chlorophenols (I think) which I'm telling myself was a good thing to come from this. I also think my palate is broken with US-05 or Mosaic hops now, it still didn't taste how I want it or imagined. Next week I'll be sampling the same recipe but with spring water. Today I brewed a wit with el dorado to shock my homebrew palate and try to reboot.

You've all been awesome and helpful and definitely played a huge roll in improving my practices.

 

[Miraculix]

Lose the bleach entirely. There's no upside.

Know how I clean my bottles? Triple-rinse when first emptied, then I put 'em in the dishwasher. They're sanitized with Star-San just prior to bottling.

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I do exactly the same, just without the star san. Pasteurizing them in the dishwasher at 70c is enough.