Will my beer taste like bleach?

[caeterisParibus]

I just cleaned my only empty carboy last night with bleach. I brewed a barley wine that I would like to transfer to secondary soon. I have tried cleaning my carboy with (previously boiled) water twice today, and it still has a slight bleach smell to it.
Does anyone think my barley wine would taste/smell like bleach if I transfered?
Thanks for your input!

 

[Nic0]

For majority of batches I've brewed, I used a bleach solution to sanitize. This means I used hot water and scrubbed with brushes where neccesary to clean any visible debris, then rinsed, and then washed with bleach water to do the sanitizaiton part.

How strong of a concentration did you use? I usually use 1 cap for 2.5 Gallons of water. If you poured bleach right out of the jug into your carboy, it's probably too strong, but if you give it several good rinses it'll probalby go away. And if you use boiled water to rinse, that's probalby nothing to worry about.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

I have to agree. I use bleach to sanitize my carboy after washing. I rinse really well and have never had any off flavors. I use about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of bleach for 5 gallons. I have had a bleach scent after rinsing. Usually I will give another really good rinse if I do smell any remnants. Again, if you rinse really well you should be fine.

 

[Nic0]

I have to agree. I use bleach to sanitize my carboy after washing. I rinse really well and have never had any off flavors. I use about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of bleach for 5 gallons. I have had a bleach scent after rinsing. Usually I will give another really good rinse if I do smell any remnants. Again, if you rinse really well you should be fine.

I actually never rinsed mine, just turned upside down and let them drip dry (or nearly dry). I was always afraid to rinse with tap water in fear of re-contaminating. I guess if I had rinsed with boiled water it'd probalby be just fine. Or maybe I was being over-cautious.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Star-san. So cheap, no off aromas/flavors, no rinsing, lasts practically forever.

 

[Grantman1]

I never sanitized with bleach because of the risk of phenols as a result (bandaid flavor), so I wouldn't risk it. I wouldn't even transfer to secondary unless you plan on letting it sit for more than another few weeks before bottling/kegging. It's fine to let it sit on the yeast in primary for a long time - many people have done so for even a few months without getting funny flavors from autolysis.

 

[zzARzz]

I've used white vinegar mixed with water (about a 1:5 ratio) to neutralize bleach odor in plastic and it works pretty well. If you mixed up a gallon of it and swished it around in your carboy it should work. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse it several times by swishing it with warm water. The vinegar smell will dissipate faster than the bleach and you shouldn't have hardly any smell at all if you rinse it thoroughly.

 

[Calder]

I coming up on batch 220. As long as I can remember I have stored all my fermenters filled with a mild bleach solution and have never had a problem associated it. Never had a sanitation problem either. Mild bleach solution ~ 1/2 cup in 7 gallons.

When I need a fermenter I pour the bleach out (I usually rack it out, cleaning my hoses at the same time), and then rinse with hot tap water about 3 times. That is, run a few of pints in the fermenter, cover the opening and swirl the water around, and pour out. Repeat for a total of 3 times.

I use Iodophor for bottling; soaking and rinsing bottles in hot water is just way too much effort.