Oxyclean not properly rinsed?

[GatorWayne]

Is this a sanitation issue?

I am trying to drink my forth brewed batch but the taste of SOME of the bottles is bad, real bad, but I can’t describe it.

A little background. Just started home brewing. First batch (which rested 2 month) is a Chimay PM clone that is very enjoyable but is off from Chimay, 2nd batch was SWMBO slayer that was kegged and tasted great, 3rd was Bee Cave Hefeweizen. Most, and all the swing top bottles I filled, tasted great. Somewhere around the time I bottled this I started using oxyclean free because I was out of swing tops and trying to get labels off 12 oz bottles. Some of the Hefe was in 12 oz bottles.

4th was a blue moon original from Wayne1. As I found home brewing to be a great hobby I upgraded my gear and my technique improved. I thought this batch was going to be awesome. I was really excited to taste it. Bottling day it was good. Now comes the problem:

Nearly all the hefe tasted great but a few had a bad off taste (all in 12 ounce bottles, not swing tops), no head at all, and smelled a bit off as well. I’m thinking I didn’t clean them well enough. Next batch is blue moon clone. I soaked the bottles in oxyclean, scrubbed them, and rinsed them in cold water. Prior to any bottling I put all the bottles in star san to fill, shake, and turn upside down to drain. I have no fear of the foam.

Bottled up with star san being sprayed around. It went well and I was very confident this was going to be my best brew yet.

It is not and many have gone right down the drain after a taste. No head retention at all. I can pour it from 2 feet over the glass and the head is gone in 45 seconds. Some are at least drinkable. Some have a really bad taste I can’t even think of a description of. It is just bad. The taste is so bad that a follow up Sam Adams cold snap which I really enjoy does not taste good. Uck!

So I come to you smart people seeking your knowledge. Assume filtered water, proper mash temps (or very close) and volumes, boil times, and I always use a stir plate starter made properly. Super fast chill by putting boil kettle in swimming pool (66 degrees) with immersion chiller drawing water from pool. Wort and yeast are nearly the same temperature. Star san used exhaustively during brewing.

Did I screw up the blue moon clone by not thoroughly rinsing the bottles after their bath in oxyclean?

Do I just suck at making home brew? The taste might be bad but the ABV is certainly not too far off what it should be?

I am hoping and pretty certain the oxyclean is the problem or at least my suckiness in rinsing bottles has ruined my brew batches.

What do you think?

 

[flars]

You most likely have solved the problem. To rid bottles of Oxyclean takes quite a bit of hot water rinsing.
Bottles I empty are rinsed with cold tap water immediately. When I take them to my brew room they get a hot water rinse with a jet washer attached to the faucet. Brew day a Starsan rinse then filled.
The only time I use soap is to loosen labels or clean bottles with gunk in the bottom. These bottles also get the bottle brush treatment attached to an electric drill.

 

[Wynne-R]

It’s not the Oxiclean. It would leave an alkaline bitter taste but it would take a bunch to taste it. The part that's hard to rinse is lime scale from hard water, but you won't taste that.

When you say “some bottles” it points to a sanitation problem. I know you said you used StarSan but you can’t easily sanitize dirt. I think if you inspect the bad bottles very closely you will find bits of gunk sticking to the glass.

 

[GatorWayne]

Thanks! I did some further research and decided to use baking soda to remove future labels. I really do not think it was dirt as these were bottles I had just emptied of Sam Adams and usually rinsed them out. I just hope this is the problem and it is not someplace in the process.