Phenolic / Plastic Taste in homebrews

[Drk93TT]

Ok, so quick poll...

What kind of valve are you guys using for your brew kettle to fermenter? I'm using just a typical SS ball valve that threads onto boil kettle. I clean it with PBW and a brush. Im still having some off flavor Im trying to pinpoint...

 

[smyrnaquince]

This is what my next batch will be for Friday Going to buy 10 gallons of RO water and add some salts.. Im thinking small amounts of calcium chloride, epsom and a sprinkle of campden . Excited to see the results. Going to condition my grains too... maybe throw in a handful of rice hulls to try to do a single batch sparge. . .

Ive had 2 days off sick w sinus problems and way to much time to research and read the forum/books I have and Kai's webpages......

Why Epsom salts? You don't need the magnesium. Did you mean gypsum?

 

[day_trippr]

Ok, so quick poll...

What kind of valve are you guys using for your brew kettle to fermenter? I'm using just a typical SS ball valve that threads onto boil kettle. I clean it with PBW and a brush. Im still having some off flavor Im trying to pinpoint...

Standard 3 piece ball valve - that gets pretty toasty through the course of a boil. Not hot enough to melt the vinyl handle cover, but still, you don't want to test the bare metal

I've never had an evidently infected batch but if I did I'd be looking somewhere else - unless I was running an e-rig...

Cheers!

 

[doug293cz]

Check this out http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/13/problem-identification-or-helping-a-buddy-stay-in-the-hobby/. And then take apart and check your ball valve.

Brew on

 

[Drk93TT]

Check this out http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/13/problem-identification-or-helping-a-buddy-stay-in-the-hobby/. And then take apart and check your ball valve.

Brew on

You know whats awesome? I disassembled my ball valve AND thermometer above it (both weldless pass thru style w o rings on the inside and securing nut on inside) this morning before reading this and it had crud in it.. not a ton.. but there was crud in there. Took it all apart and scrubbed/soaked in PBW... this threads journey continues ...

Wish I took pics of the gunk before and after. was maybe 1/4 as dirty as the dudes valve in that link you posted. But still.. gunk is gunk. My 2 piece ball valve has now been retired... I sat there for 20 minutes trying to unscrew the thing in a vice.. it is stuck. No unthreading. So I just bought a brand new 3 piece ball valve on amazon... will be here tomorrow!! And Im going to clean it and its thermometer probe above it after every brew day from now Id imagine.

 

[Mousetrapbrewery]

You know whats awesome? I disassembled my ball valve AND thermometer above it (both weldless pass thru style w o rings on the inside and securing nut on inside) this morning before reading this and it had crud in it.. not a ton.. but there was crud in there. Took it all apart and scrubbed/soaked in PBW... this threads journey continues ...

Wish I took pics of the gunk before and after. was maybe 1/4 as dirty as the dudes valve in that link you posted. But still.. gunk is gunk. My 2 piece ball valve has now been retired... I sat there for 20 minutes trying to unscrew the thing in a vice.. it is stuck. No unthreading. So I just bought a brand new 3 piece ball valve on amazon... will be here tomorrow!! And Im going to clean it and its thermometer probe above it after every brew day from now Id imagine.

did you ever figure out the issue? I have a similar problem. I use RO water but from the sounds of it, the filters in the RO system don’t fully get rid of Chloramine. So I’ll use campden next time. I usually only notice this taste in a heavily hopped beer. And usually only get that flavor after the dry hop. When I taste it before dry hopping and after fermentation it’s pleasant tasting. I don’t think it’s hop burn because after a month that taste is still there. I didn’t perceive it as plastic until I entered it into a competition and that’s what they perceived. I just thought it was a harsh bitterness. And I don’t think it’s a sanitization issue because I take everything apart every brew and clean right away.

 

[Rfox2014]

did you ever figure out the issue? I have a similar problem. I use RO water but from the sounds of it, the filters in the RO system don’t fully get rid of Chloramine. So I’ll use campden next time. I usually only notice this taste in a heavily hopped beer. And usually only get that flavor after the dry hop. When I taste it before dry hopping and after fermentation it’s pleasant tasting. I don’t think it’s hop burn because after a month that taste is still there. I didn’t perceive it as plastic until I entered it into a competition and that’s what they perceived. I just thought it was a harsh bitterness. And I don’t think it’s a sanitization issue because I take everything apart every brew and clean right away.

Came here because I'm having the same issue. Tap water, campden… trying RO next butit’s been a frustrating journey. Would be interested to hear your solution, assuming you didn’t give up

 

[Mousetrapbrewery]

Came here because I'm having the same issue. Tap water, campden… trying RO next butit’s been a frustrating journey. Would be interested to hear your solution, assuming you didn’t give up

I switched to campden tablets when I brew with RO and noticed a difference. So I would suggest still doing that. But I honestly think my plastic issue was from the galaxy. I probably used too much of it honestly.