Water treatment problems- Chlorophenols

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Nicolas P69

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Bogota D.C. Colombia
Hello everyone, I need some help.
I am having off flavors in my pale beers, is like a plastic weir taste. I think that is chlorophenols, but I really dont know what the real cause is, beacause I use sodium metabilsufite( powder) in my water( even tried using 2xrecomended quantity).
Recently I read that the water for rinsing and sanataizing has to be treated as well. ( I do not treat it)
Any clue of what may causing the off flavor?
The treatment of the water that I use for rinsing and cleaning is so important? How shoud I treat it?
Any comment or recommendation will be helpful.
 
It takes very little of the untreated water to create perceptible chlorophenols in your beer. The other place to look is in your glass. Be sure that its dry and free of any chlorine-like aroma before pouring your beer.
 
Is this happening in all of your beers? Unless your water is way overtreated with chloramines, the campden (metabisulfite) should take care of it. I would look to other areas in your process. Stressed yeast (caused by underpitching or pitching on hot wort) can throw off a very similar flavor and aroma to chlorophenols; it will taste and smell like a nasty used band-aid. And it won't go away with time, will just get worse.
 
It takes very little of the untreated water to create perceptible chlorophenols in your beer. The other place to look is in your glass. Be sure that its dry and free of any chlorine-like aroma before pouring your beer.
Thanks for the reply, I will use your recomendation. I just brew a golden Barley Wine and threat all the water (in contact with the beer) and changue some rubber packaging to silicone. I will let you know if it turn right.
 
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Is this happening in all of your beers? Unless your water is way overtreated with chloramines, the campden (metabisulfite) should take care of it. I would look to other areas in your process. Stressed yeast (caused by underpitching or pitching on hot wort) can throw off a very similar flavor and aroma to chlorophenols; it will taste and smell like a nasty used band-aid. And it won't go away with time, will just get worse.
NO, just happening with some pale beers(not all), I reuse my yeast, do you think that the yeast will carry this off flavor from beer to beer? Should I throw this "reuse" yeast and pitch a new one?
 
I would definitely use new yeast. If it was stressed once, it will more than likely carry that to another beer as you will be starting with more "dead" cells than healthy ones. Lighter beers are more likely to showcase "off" flavors as there isn't a lot for them to hide behind, as in a darker maltier beer.
 
I would definitely use new yeast. If it was stressed once, it will more than likely carry that to another beer as you will be starting with more "dead" cells than healthy ones. Lighter beers are more likely to showcase "off" flavors as there isn't a lot for them to hide behind, as in a darker maltier beer.
Thank´s a LOT. I will do it, and post how that turn out.
 
Please do. You didn't mention what type of yeast you use (liquid or dry), but if wyeast or white labs, research on doing a starter. If dry yeast, rehydrating before pitching is the way to go. I use mostly dry yeast, and I'll rehydrate it at least 30 minutes before pitching to give the yeast a jump start. By the time they hit the cooled (to at least 70) wort, they're ready to rock and roll.
 
Please do. You didn't mention what type of yeast you use (liquid or dry), but if wyeast or white labs, research on doing a starter. If dry yeast, rehydrating before pitching is the way to go. I use mostly dry yeast, and I'll rehydrate it at least 30 minutes before pitching to give the yeast a jump start. By the time they hit the cooled (to at least 70) wort, they're ready to rock and roll.
The most problematic beer is a table saison using White labs WLP590 frech saison. 3 batches with the same yeast(reuse) and the same result even using a starter. But I also have issues with S-04 to.
 
Forgive me, but that sounds more like an issue with your process rather than the yeast itself. What temperature is your wort when you pitch? Even for a saison it should be at or around 65-70 when you pitch. Are you keeping a steady fermentation temperature? Sanitation on point? These are some of the things that can cause "off" flavors in your beer.

For a test, try using RO water from the store for your next batch (don't know if you can get it in Colombia). If it is truly your water, you'll know then. If you're using city water, check to see if they have a water report they can email or fax to you. Post that here and we can see if there's something off.
 
Forgive me, but that sounds more like an issue with your process rather than the yeast itself. What temperature is your wort when you pitch? Even for a saison it should be at or around 65-70 when you pitch. Are you keeping a steady fermentation temperature? Sanitation on point? These are some of the things that can cause "off" flavors in your beer.

For a test, try using RO water from the store for your next batch (don't know if you can get it in Colombia). If it is truly your water, you'll know then. If you're using city water, check to see if they have a water report they can email or fax to you. Post that here and we can see if there's something off.
I pitch at the recommended tempeture and I use a fermentation chamber with a stc1000 for maintaining the tempeture.

I just try the new batch( the golden barley wine) and It was fine, no off flavors at all. I think that was the water.
Since this batch I always treat the water that may touch the beer, even for cleaning and sanitize the equipment and also changue the yeast that I was reusing that may carring some of the off flavors.

Thank you very much for the support matte, cheers!!!!!!!
 
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