The Dreaded "Bandaid" smell & taste...

[seatazzz]

I have an AG Racer 5 clone in primary right now (AIH recipe with some hops tweaking). Brew day (6/25) went fine, OG was 1.056. I check my primaries every day, and got a little concerned that the krausen hadn't dropped after 5 days. Brought the temp up from 68 to 72, still didn't drop. Said oh well and left it. Went to dry hop it on Saturday 7/2, and could smell it as soon as the lid was off. Krausen looked like bread sponge and smells like bandaids. Not overpowering, but it's there. Yesterday I said the heck with it, sanitized the heck out of my hands and a sieve and took the krausen off. Gravity is at 1.010, so it's basically done. Question is, can the "bandaid" taste/smell be aged out? Or is it a dumper? Taste isn't bad once you get past the bandaids. I really don't want to dump this one if I can possibly get a decent beer out of it. Help!

 

[Dan_K]

First off, why are you checking your beer every day? Each time you open the airlock that's a potential for contamination. I don't normally check the beer very often, only open to dry hop or take final gravity readings. Don't mess with it so much, just relax and let the yeast do their thing.

In general, your beer should be in the primary for 2+ weeks- depending on style. And just because the FG is where you want it to be, doesn't mean it isn't done. The yeast are continuing to do work!

Don't take the kruesan off- why would you do that? There's no harm in it sticking around. You possible made the beer worse by interfering.

Bandaid flavor is often caused by Chloramine in your water. There are many possibilities, but Distilled water + minerals or RO water are options to get some water that has reduced Chloramine.

 

[doug293cz]

Campden tablets (potassium or sodium metabisulfite) are the easiest way to get rid of chloramines (and chlorine) that can cause the bandaid taste. 1 tablet will treat 20 gal of water. Crush a tablet (or half a tab for less water) and dissolve it in your brewing water prior to heating.

Brew on

 

[seatazzz]

First off, why are you checking your beer every day? Each time you open the airlock that's a potential for contamination. I don't normally check the beer very often, only open to dry hop or take final gravity readings. Don't mess with it so much, just relax and let the yeast do their thing.

In general, your beer should be in the primary for 2+ weeks- depending on style. And just because the FG is where you want it to be, doesn't mean it isn't done. The yeast are continuing to do work!

Don't take the kruesan off- why would you do that? There's no harm in it sticking around. You possible made the beer worse by interfering.

Bandaid flavor is often caused by Chloramine in your water. There are many possibilities, but Distilled water + minerals or RO water are options to get some water that has reduced Chloramine.

I don't open the bucket - simply take off the airlock briefly and shine a flashlight sideways to see the surface. I neglected to mention that the krausen had a nasty grayish looking 3 inch circle on it, so albeit hastily I decided to get it out of there.

 

[jddevinn]

I would not be checking every day!!!! After I pitch the yeast I don't see the wort/beer again until it passes through the site glass on the way to the keg! Then it's hidden until it pours into a glass.

Definitely wouldn't be pulling the kruesan off!

Does it just smell or have you actually tasted it? How was the water profile? How was the temp controlled during fermentation?

 

[Yooper]

Band-aid taste comes from two causes generally- chlorine/chloramines in the brewing water (chlorophenols) or from infection.

I had that once from a contaminated yeast starter, and it hurt tossing 11 gallons of Band-Aid beer, but it never did become drinkable.

 

[microbusbrewery]

...but it never did become drinkable.

+1, based on everything I've read and personal experience, it doesn't age out. Apparently there was some chlorine that made its way into a rauchbier I made years ago. It was bad. I left some to age for a year+ and it never improved. Clarity was great, but it tasted all band-aid.

As Doug293cz indicated, campden is cheap and easy insurance that chlorine and chloramine issues are addressed.

 

[seatazzz]

All, thanks for the input. It's been in bottles for a week now, just for the heck of it I tasted one last night. Eeeewww yecccch. This will be my first dumper, and it's sad. I haven't had any issues with my water since I started, have always used our tap water. Will try campden tablets for the next batch. Scuse me while I sit in the corner and cry.

 

[PADave]

And quit opening up the fermenter every day. No need for that, let the yeast work. I open mine up one time once its in the fermenter, and that's on bottling day, after 3 weeks. If you feel the need to look every day get yourself a clear plastic carboy.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

if its an infection, it might not go away and could come back in the next beer, i would throughly clean and sanitize everything just to be sure