Iodine Taste

[user 22118]

This might be the wrong spot for this post, but it falls under the AG so here goes. I just did my first AG and also my first beer ever, I just had a bottle last night (after only a week, impatience got the best of me) and it looked like beer, tasted a smelled like beer, and all was good. EXCEPT...it tasted like Idophor Sanitizer!

Question: I sanitized my bottles in a bucket, dumped the sanitizer out, waited about 30 seconds and then filled the bottle. Would I run into a problem if I dump it out and wait ten minutes and then fill? Infection? Other bad things? I mean, should I sanitize the bottles and then start racking the beer into the bucket to bottle?

Sorry about the beginner question, hope all my bottles aren't spoiled by the taste of iodine. I am still going to drink it, but I am not super happy.

 

[ericd]

I've never heard of an iodine off flavor, it sounds like you got some in your beer somehow. Maybe from the sanitizer?

 

[Revvy]

I use iodophor all the time and never get off flavors, and since it is wet contact sanitizer, I let them brain, but there is a residue...Having said that, what concentration are you uisng? Last year the company that makes it sent out a sheet with their shipment saying that the new dillution ratio was 1 tbs/5 gallons of water...

Also, it may not be iodine, but may simply bee your typical "green beer because you are impatient to try your first beer issue."

There is a reason we recommend waiting 3 weeks.....

But check on how much you are dilluting your iodophor to.

 

[Yooper]

I use a bottle tree, so the bottles drain upside down while I fill the others. How much iodophor was in each bottle that you filled?

 

[Orfy]

The brewing network did a test and they left some iodine in the fermenter and couldn't taste it in the brew.

An infection can cause a medical "Bandaid" taste.
Some medical flavour can also be present in young beer and 2-3 weeks additional ageing should take care of that.

 

[user 22118]

It is possible that it isn't an iodine taste then, but more of a medical or medicinal taste. I tasted it with a brewer friend and he got it more than I did. I used the recommended amount of idophor on the bottle for 12ppm (1/2 oz for 5 gal) and put it in a bucket, which I then placed the bottles into. I then drained it and set them on a table while someone filled them. There might have been a max of 2 min between draining and filling.

I was told by the home brew store that you don't have to wait very long, so I think that you guys might be right and I just need to wait. On the other hand, what I tasted at bottling (the last bit left in the bucket) was very nice, crisp and clean tasting. Not a single hint of medicine (used the sanitizing water to clean the bottling bucket and then poured it into the sanitizing bucket, so same stuff for bottles and bucket). So I will wait and see what it tastes like later on down the line.

Cream Ale by the way.

 

[budbo]

Starsan FTW

 

[Revvy]

It is possible that it isn't an iodine taste then, but more of a medical or medicinal taste. I tasted it with a brewer friend and he got it more than I did. I used the recommended amount of idophor on the bottle for 12ppm (1/2 oz for 5 gal) and put it in a bucket, which I then placed the bottles into. I then drained it and set them on a table while someone filled them. There might have been a max of 2 min between draining and filling.

I was told by the home brew store that you don't have to wait very long, so I think that you guys might be right and I just need to wait. On the other hand, what I tasted at bottling (the last bit left in the bucket) was very nice, crisp and clean tasting. Not a single hint of medicine (used the sanitizing water to clean the bottling bucket and then poured it into the sanitizing bucket, so same stuff for bottles and bucket). So I will wait and see what it tastes like later on down the line.

Cream Ale by the way.

Take a read of a couple links, one of the benefits of watiing a minimum 2 weeks'

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=558191&postcount=101

and another on how waiting much longer often lets some major off flavors mellow out.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=73254

 

[fratermus]

This might be the wrong spot for this post, but it falls under the AG so here goes. I just did my first AG and also my first beer ever, I just had a bottle last night (after only a week, impatience got the best of me) and it looked like beer, tasted a smelled like beer, and all was good. EXCEPT...it tasted like Idophor Sanitizer!

Question: I sanitized my bottles in a bucket, dumped the sanitizer out, waited about 30 seconds and then filled the bottle.

I suppose the ppm of the iodophor could have been way to strong; it is no-rinse (and theretically flavorless) at 12.5ppm and rinse-required at higher concentrations.

 

[user 22118]

Now I went back to the guy I got the recipe from and he said that though time might heal there is a possibility that using city tap might also have been a problem. I don't plan on using any different water (though maybe I can get some from a friends well) and so will be trying another brew today to see if I get the same flavors or not. I will also change my bottling method to allow more time to dry out before putting the beer into them.

I am still going to wait and drink this guy later (for those of you who suggested) but I figured that I could get as much information as possible to try and fix it next time.

 

[Revvy]

I will also change my bottling method to allow more time to dry out before putting the beer into them.

You really don't want to let them dry out...no-rinse sanitizers are "wet contact" meaning they kill on contact with the surface AND they also kill anything that lands on it while it is still wet, but they lose their effectiveness as they dry out...If you do let them drain, keep them upside down (a bottle tree is great for this, but I upend mine into six packs and that works too) that way there will be less chance of airborne particulate matter from falling into the bottles...

Another thing that I do sometimes is lay a sheet of wax paper on top of the bottles if they are in cases....

 

[Big10Seaner]

+1 on the starsan, not one problem yet

 

[Chriso]

You mentioned city tap water -- Does your local water use Chlorine or Chloramine? The latter is harder to get rid of, and either can cause medicinal off flavors.

 

[RICLARK]

I had this exact problem with one of my brews. OlllllO helped me one night in chat figure out it was unhealthy yeast. I have only had one batch like this and have never changed any of my brewing methods. I used WLP320 that was about 3 weeks from expiring.

 

[user 22118]

Apparently my city tap has chloramine in it according to LHBS. Any suggestion on how to rid it? I know chlorine disipates but apparently the chloramine hangs around.

I am thinking two possibilities really quick here. One being that we tried the last bottled bottle, it had less time draining. Two, I really think that I didn't over sanitize because the yeast still produced a lovely head on the beer and it was carbonated.

Early still.

I was given the suggestion of sanitizing, paper towel in the case box and then bottles upside down. Do this some time before bottling to both drain and keep contaminants out. I will try that next time here.

I just tried a friends IPA from tap and it had essence of plastic (I get it when I burp, have tasted it before in some beer stored in plastic water bottles). You think it is from the keg lines? If no, then where?

 

[Chriso]

I wouldn't concentrate on your sanitizing procedures, they sound good. Trace amounts of Iodophor shouldn't make the taste you describe. Chloramines are the devil, I have them too. Recommend 1 tablet of Campden for every 10-20 gallons of water. Crush and dissolve, stir well, then let sit ~5 minutes to allow the Chloramines to break down.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=607467 is where I learned about it.

 

[user 22118]

That is a great thread with the info I needed. I understand what all was said, I just have to make sure that I am 100% here. Crush 1 tablet, add to 10 gallons, start mash water, sparge water and boil water and don't worry any more...

Sounds easy enough!