long time lurker first time poster.

[ikevanbrauer]

Many thanks for such a great website.

Got the plastic smell and taste.
Heres the run down though I brewed an American wheat extract kit from NB and us05 yeast. I also only had the easy clean that had come with the kit for all my cleansing. All went good on brewday and first 2 weeks in primary then I got brave. I racked 1 gallon into bottles then the other 4 onto 4# of thawed still cold strawberries. And then let sit in secondary for 1 week when I opened secondary BAM!! plastic smell. I went ahead and bottled the batch to see what will happen. I popped open beer with out strawberries and this is a very delicious beer it has been bottle conditioned for 2 weeks. I just opened a strawberry beer that has been in bottle for week and half and still very very distinct plastic smell and taste. Any thoughts on what I may have done to my 4 gallons.

I felt for my first brew I have been very meticulous about cleaning and proper methods.

Only thing I did not do was sanitize strawberries I just thawed and cut in half with sanitized knife. Maye my culprit?

Fermenting temp- house temp 68
Glass Carboys
Well Water

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[Chris1272]

The strawberry may very well be your your smoking gun. If you are going to do this next time I would either boil them briefly or soak them in vodka for a week before adding to the fermenter. the second method is easy and will knock up the abv a slight bit. Other techniques could be throw the fruit into the boil for the last 5 min to sterilize it. or use a strawberry concentrate flavoring at bottling just add a few drops at a time tasting to see when its at the proper level for you.

 

[lumpher]

i think they may be the culprit too. never add fruit without sterilizing it somehow, unless it's from a nitrogen-packed container. i put my fresh fruit in 170 degree water for 10-15 minutes, then add it into the secondary.

 

[ikevanbrauer]

Thanks guys kinda felt that's where I went wrong. Do you think that time will heal on this type infection. I keep reading that wheat beers are better young so not sure where to go from here?

 

[Chris1272]

possibly, Unless you have a desperate need for the bottles I would not dump it. just set it aside for a few months and see how it tastes. If its still undrinkable then toss it. I have a wheat beer that I added a ton of honey. It tasted horrible when young but as it ages its mellowing out and getting much more drinkable.

 

[ikevanbrauer]

Great I'll set it back and let er go hopefully it will mellow out. Hopefully after Christmas I will get started on building keezer and start kegging. I appreciate the help!

 

[barrooze]

I hear a lot of people like the Oregon Fruit Purees. You could rack onto a can of that for great results.

 

[lumpher]

I hear a lot of people like the Oregon Fruit Purees. You could rack onto a can of that for great results.

that's the chosen canned fruit of choice to be racked onto