Is BandAid flavor common in high gravity Trappist Belgian Ales?

[sroberts]

Yesterday I opened a bottle of Westmalle Tripel Trappist Ale, 9.5% ABV, bottled on 2/14/13, poured half a glass, took a whiff and I recognized the nose immediately, matching a bandaid flavored ale I brewed last year. The taste confirmed the nose.

I did a side by side with my bandaid brew, and while mine is a shade to amber, a bit hoppier, and weighs in at 6% ABV, the primary character and flavor of the two beers is the same. Though I find the warming of the 9.5 ABV compelling, I prefer the taste of my hitherto shunned beer.

Bandaid flavor reportedly can happen due to high fermentation temperature - which is common with Belgian ales. I was still using a swamp cooler when I brewed my bandaid ale, and had to go out of town so I loaded up on ice, and consequently had a large temp swing, which I supposed resulted in the bandaid flavor.

So now I'm not sure if I received a bottle from a bad batch at Westmalle, or if I simply don't like (or am over sensitive to) flavors common to the style. But for all of the raves of the style I'd be surprised if BandAid flavor was common... although a higher ABV alone seems to disproportionately boost the raving compared with a better flavor.

Steve

 

[Randy_Bugger]

Band aid notes in beer suck and are always a major flaw unless it's a wild ale and the flaw isn't dominant.

Westmalle has never served me a band aid beer. I've consumed more than a few cases of Westmalle over more than a decade. Generally, they are relatively flawless and consistent. I am relatively sensitive to band aid notes in beer.

If you really smell and taste band aids or medicinal, you got a bad batch.

 

[ajdelange]

Strong Belgian beers are often fermented at high temperatures and this encourages the formation of phenols (which is why I don't like these beers). If chloramine is present (chlorine will have been driven off by the boil but chloramine will not) you have a recipe for chlorphenolics which smell/taste smokey, plastic or bandaid like. First thing to do is verify that your water is chloramine free. Check with your water supplier. If it does contain chloramine then use Campden tablets in all future brews. If it does not look for another cause.

 

[aiptasia]

Infections can also cause band-aid flavors. I'm convinced all of Stone brewing's 12/12/12 batch of Belgian Strong Ale are contaminated.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

If the Belgian beer is chloramine free and fermented at a warmish temperature of 68-77*, you will probably make a good, fruity ester-ed Belgian beer that has no notes of Band Aid.

 

[blitzd]

I wonder if it was maybe bad storage of the Westmalle? Trappist/abbey tripels are one of my favorite styles, and I can't say I have ever gotten and band aid flavors off of any of the commercial brews that I have tried. I have noticed that some of the ones I have held on to for longer periods of time definitely change based on storage temperature though, as I don't have anywhere to keep them in the proper range.

 

[GuldTuborg]

According to BLAM, Westmalle ferments pretty cool (as in not over 68 or so), so it's doubtful something like that is in play. Maybe you're just sensitive to it, or are mistaking a similar phenol for the one that produces that plasticy nastiness.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

Regarding the question of the thread title:

No, band aid is not common for Belgian High Gravity beers, but it is more common in Belgian beers fermented at the wrong temperature and sometimes they are high gravity.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

I would also like to say my personal belief is band aid notes are more likely to be developed at sub 67*F when using Belgian Yeast.

No citation required.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

Several Belgian yeasts produce good results from 70-80F. Fermenting them colder produces less fruity esters and more spicy phenols or even band aids.

My basement is 68F-71F in the summer which is a good ambient temp for Belgians.

 

[JGHunter]

I know this is ooold (nearly ten years!) but I bring it back for good reason.

I've also experienced this, but I've never had Westmalle. I know I have a sensitive nose (I at one point considered becoming a perfumier) so it may be that they were unlucky that I happened to purchase it, but I had a La Chouffe Strong Blond last night and that aroma came out near the end. My wife, although she couldn't smell that, did say she smelled smokiness which probably shouldn't be present either.

Not confirming that band-aid/plastic is a part of Belgian beers, but they're the only beers I've picked them up in.