Sawdustguy
Well-Known Member
Just a recap on the medicinal causes:
Chlorine or Chloramine in the water
Poor yeast health
High fermentation temps
Water from a bad garden hose
Any others you guys can think of?
I don't believe infection causes the medicinal taste. Correct me on that if I am wrong. The pitching temp is really high, and if the yeast is healthy, it will take off quickly. Therefore it may take a while for the temperature to settle down inside the fermenter.
I always considered the high fermentation temperatures to have a very strong phenolic taste as opposed to medicinal but they are both somewhat similar and could be confused easily.
When you mention that the taste shows up in the bottle, I tend to worry about oxidation. If you don't have your bottling process down to a science, an oxidized taste will develop after a couple of weeks that causes a frustrating off flavor that could be confused with medicinal taste.
Here is what the experts say:
Medicinal
Tastes/Smells Like: Cough syrup, mouthwash, Band-Aid, smoke, clove-like (spicy)
Possible Causes: A variety of different phenols are almost always the cause for medicinal flavors in beer. Phenols can cause solvent, astringent, plastic and medicinal flavors. Medicinal-tasting phenols are usually brought out during mashing and/or sparging and are caused by incorrect pH levels, water amounts and temperatures. Using chlorine or iodine-based sanitizers improperly can bring out Chlorophenols. Yeast also produces phenols, and a clove-like characteristic is deliberate in some ale, especially Hefeweizen and other wheat beers.
How to Avoid: Follow proper mashing and sparging techniques and always follow the specific directions for different sanitizers. Taking the same precautions to avoid Chlorophenols and astringency should help to wipe out the chances of medicinal flavors. Always use the proper yeast for the style of beer being brewed.