Band Aid Flavor

[seanoj]

I brewed a Kolsch two weeks ago and it has a very prominent chlorophenolic flavor.

We filtered our water (activated charcoal and .5 micorn membrane) and have not had the flavor when using it other times. Airlocks had water mixed with Starsan (no chlorine anywhere near the beer). Temperature controlled fermentation.

I have two ideas on what may have gone wrong:

1) Hot side aeration (or over-extraction). We did a triple decoction (our first) and stirred the wort when putting the decoction back into the tun. We also recirculated the mash for ~20 minutes before pumping into the BK.

2) Bad Yeast. We bought what we believe were fresh vials of White Labs Kolsch yeast. We made a starter, which we kept in our fermentation chamber. Perhaps the yeast was bad, or we screwed it up in the starter.

Any suggestions on what I may be missing?
Any thoughts on lagering the beer for a while to see if the phenolics fade?

Thanks in advance for any help.

-Sean

 

[kjjohns5]

Usually this offlavor is because of a lag in fermentation. The most likley reason was bad yeast. They may have simply not been viable enough to kick off right away.

How long did it take before you saw fermentation? The only time I've seen this problem was on a commercial batch I did that lagged for 48 hours after pitching before fermentation started.

 

[seanoj]

We did have a bit of a lag. I think we need to keep a closer eye on the batch dates on our yeast.

Any thoughts on whether it will fade?

 

[suprchunk]

Usually this offlavor is because of a lag in fermentation. The most likley reason was bad yeast.

Of course you mean chlorine. I've never heard of lag giving the obvious chlorine-present character of band-aid flavor. This is, of course, the only explanation I've heard for that flavor. So I may not be even remotely correct.

 

[suprchunk]

Are you sure it's a band-aid flavor?

 

[kjjohns5]

When I say "bad yeast" I simply mean that the lag in fermentation doesn't mean a lag in the initial phenols that they produce. This is what gives you a Band-Aid or medicinal off flavor. These phenols combine with the chlorine and when sitting in your beer for that lag in fermentation will give your beer this certian off flavor.

 

[suprchunk]

Combine or are mutually exclusive? Or combine with chloramine? And I understand lag to be a "lag" in the time that they are pitched and the time that fermentation is evident. As does every other person on the planet. If you are writing a new definition to that, please let everyone know.

So are you saying chlorine is doing it? Or yeast?

 

[bad coffee]

The only beer I made that had bandaids flavor was done without filtering the water. Check to make sure your carbon block is still good. How many gallons have been through it?

B

 

[tchuklobrau]

according to the book Tasting Beer that swmbo just got me Band-Aid is commonly a reaction of residual chlorine sanitizers to phenolic compunds in beer, but may also result from yeast problems. So you both are right

 

[seanoj]

Definately phenolic, band aid flavor. The carbon filter is of the "whole house" vareity and only a few hundred gallons have been through it on it is rated for 3000.

We use camden tablets usually, but forgot them this time. I think the filter should suffice. I have mase other beers, several recently, using only the filter, and have not had this problem.

I dont think the water is my problem. It is possible, but my instincts tell me to look elsewhere.

 

[AJC16]

Did you use Sorachi Ace in the boil or dry hop with it? I have always had a phenolic band aid flavor when I have used Sorachi Ace.

 

[WVbrewer]

I had phenolic/ band aid flavors from an infected plate chiller....wild yeast was the culprit in my situation. Take a look at anything post boil and see if there is a chance of infection.

 

[Yooper]

I had phenolic/ band aid flavors from an infected plate chiller....wild yeast was the culprit in my situation. Take a look at anything post boil and see if there is a chance of infection.

I made a 10 gallon batch recently- placing 5 gallons in each fermenter. Once ended up with a terribly phenolic character, one did not. Same batch, same yeast. It had to be an infection from a scratch or other issue in one of the fermenters.

 

[eriktlupus]

also, this off flavor can come from a plastic vessel being used when moving boiling wort around, if your using a pump and vinyl lines(eww remember that yooper?) or from a contamination of one of said lines. it doesn't require a lot of the flavor to spoil a whole batch

 

[Yooper]

also, this off flavor can come from a plastic vessel being used when moving boiling wort around, if your using a pump and vinyl lines(eww remember that yooper?) or from a contamination of one of said lines. it doesn't require a lot of the flavor to spoil a whole batch

I do remember that! That beer was terrible! I thought it was infection, but then you mentioned the vinyl lines.

 

[seanoj]

Plate chiller may be the problem (we have a blichmann therminator). We struggle to keep it internally clean, but have been cycling PBW then water and then Starsan through it. Still a pain. Might have had a bug in there.

The beer is fermented in glass carboys. The hoses are all silicone -except the five feet from thru-mometer to carboy. We should probably replace this...

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

We kegged the beer (one 5 gallon and two 3 gallon corny kegs). We dry-hopped one 3g keg with an ounce of cascade. Hopefully some of the phenols will fade with a few weeks of lagering (or if the dry hop works to mask it we will whack some hops into the other kegs). If there is no fix, we may need to dump.

We brewed a saison and an Oktoberfest yesterday. 10 gallons each. Hopefully the problem was isolated to the Kolsch.