Will band aids fade?

[soccerdad]

I brewed a batch of Yoopers Fizzy Yellow Beer a while back. It sat in the keg (sealed and purged) for a few weeks and went into the kegerator at the end of last week. First few pints had a taste I did not fully appreciate. At first I thought maybe I was not a fan of Tetnanger hops .. then I started going over my mental list of off flavors and got to band aid / medicinal. I did not do anything with this beer that would lend to a band aid flavor (according to the pundits who catalog this stuff, but they also iindicate that phenols can be offered up by a specific yeast (I used WL001). The taste seems to be fading .. or I am getting used to it, but I am wondering if - in your experience - it will indeed fade? Any thoughts? I am ok drinking this myself, but hesitate to offer it to company. Yet.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

well john palmer states
"
These flavors are often described as mediciney, Band-Aid™ like, or can be spicy like cloves. The cause are various phenols which are initially produced by the yeast. Chlorophenols result from the reaction of chlorine-based sanitizers (bleach) with phenol compounds and have very low taste thresholds. Rinsing with boiled water after sanitizing is the best way to prevent these flavors."

I don't think its going to go away if it is that

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Where is your brewing water coming from ? I know they've increased chlorine levels in our local city supply lately .
I've only had chlorophenols once that were noticeable and they did not fade

 

[soccerdad]

No bleach used on beer stuff. No soap. Just homemade PBW (unscented Oxy and TSP90 in 2 to 1 ratio), and Star San where I do not fear the foam (nor rinse).

When I use my tap water (I sometimes do but sometimes use RO), I have always been concerned with too much campden vs too little. If one tab treats 20 G, and I am using 8 G, then a half tab is technically an overdo. Tap water has chlorine, not chloramine. Plus, I almost always let tap water sit overnight for chlorine to dissipate.

I'm stumped. But I am also tempted to just use Fermentis US 05 and steer clear of White Labs 001 in the future. No data or science to back that up, but fooling me twice is a no go.

Thanks for your thoughts. Always appreciated. I sure love the idea that this might not fade. It gives me these 5 gallons all to myself !

 

[oliver]

US-05 and WLP001, and Wyeast 1056 for that matter, are all the same Chico strain from Sierra Nevada. Just different companies and versions of it.

I developed a certain off taste for Chico strain. can't describe it, but could be medicine or bandaid. I started avoiding that yeast as much as I could. I could never escape the taste, even fermenting way down low at 59ºF.

I can't totally say avoid the yeast, I've never built US-05 on a 24 hour starter and then pitched. That might help.

 

[J A]

I've gotten very specific medicinal flavor from a few batches that I've brewed in a particular bucket. I attribute it to a "British invasion" of wild brett since there are some other flavors and aromas that have shown up as well. I don't think I'd call it band-aid, though...less plastic than that. Since it's fairly low level and tends to fade a little, I've kept the beer. I intend to do a beer in that bucket specifically to cultivate the yeast or organism that's responsible and see what happens.

 

[soccerdad]

I've gotten very specific medicinal flavor from a few batches that I've brewed in a particular bucket. I attribute it to a "British invasion" of wild brett since there are some other flavors and aromas that have shown up as well. I don't think I'd call it band-aid, though...less plastic than that. Since it's fairly low level and tends to fade a little, I've kept the beer. I intend to do a beer in that bucket specifically to cultivate the yeast or organism that's responsible and see what happens.

It is indeed low level. I am encouraged to think that it might fade .. been on the gas in the kegerator for 3 and a half days now. I just purged the headspace in the keg ... I dunno why

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Did that brew contain wheat malt ? I have found some phenols in beers made with 05 and even moderate levels of wheat

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

so besides the yeast and off flavors from it I have had a bad flavor from co2, and so has others could this be the issue?

 

[Nosybear]

Got this from MoreBeer:

Medicinal
Tastes/Smells Like:
Cough syrup, mouthwash, Band-Aid™, smoke, clove-like (spicy)
Possible Causes:
A variety of different phenols are almost always the cause for medicinal flavors in beer.
Phenols can cause solvent, astringent, plastic and medicinal flavors. Medicinal-tasting
phenols are usually brought out during mashing and/or sparging and are caused by
incorrect pH levels, water amounts and temperatures. Using chlorine or iodine-based
sanitizers improperly can bring out Chlorophenols. Yeast also produces phenols, and
a clove-like characteristic is deliberate in some ale, especially Hefeweizen and other
wheat beers.
How to Avoid:
Follow proper mashing and sparging techniques and always follow the specific
directions for different sanitizers. Taking the same precautions to avoid Chlorophenols
and astringency should help to wipe out the chances of medicinal flavors. Always use
the proper yeast for the style of beer being brewed.

It can be from mashing/sparging at improper pH levels, not just chlorine. Infection can cause it as well. And unfortunately, it generally won't go away.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

US-05 and WLP001, and Wyeast 1056 for that matter, are all the same Chico strain from Sierra Nevada. Just different companies and versions of it.

I developed a certain off taste for Chico strain. can't describe it, but could be medicine or bandaid. I started avoiding that yeast as much as I could. I could never escape the taste, even fermenting way down low at 59ºF.

I can't totally say avoid the yeast, I've never built US-05 on a 24 hour starter and then pitched. That might help.

I have grown to hate Chico strains, I just don't like the flavor, I can't really say what exactly it is. White Labs 007 and Wyeast 1007 make a much better PA/IPA.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

years ago US05 was pure and great, today I hate to say it but it sucks, I wont use it again, too many bad flavors from it

 

[GFHomebrew]

what about its more aggrssive cousin Wlp090 i here its like a supper chico ive got no qualms with this yeast.

 

[J A]

I just purged the headspace in the keg ... I dunno why

It's not a bad idea...the only desireable thing that you might lose is hop aroma, but otherwise stuff that's gassing off can be removed. Sulfur is the best example. It'll clean up fairly quickly with a few purges over several days.

 

[soccerdad]

Again - Thanks

Wheat .. no, not in this recipe. Co2 .. maybe. The headspace purge seemed to have helped a bit. This is at least the 4th or 5th keg from this tank, so I don't think it's bad gas - although I have been known to have bad gas from time to time

Chico strain .. I have never had difficulty with 05, but I do always get the fruity esters which are just part of the deal. Maybe in the future I'll try one of the other west coast strains.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[vthokiedsp]

I brewed a batch of Yoopers Fizzy Yellow Beer a while back. It sat in the keg (sealed and purged) for a few weeks and went into the kegerator at the end of last week. First few pints had a taste I did not fully appreciate. At first I thought maybe I was not a fan of Tetnanger hops .. then I started going over my mental list of off flavors and got to band aid / medicinal. I did not do anything with this beer that would lend to a band aid flavor (according to the pundits who catalog this stuff, but they also iindicate that phenols can be offered up by a specific yeast (I used WL001). The taste seems to be fading .. or I am getting used to it, but I am wondering if - in your experience - it will indeed fade? Any thoughts? I am ok drinking this myself, but hesitate to offer it to company. Yet.

i've had a vinyl/band aid flavor/aroma in a couple of beers. for me, it was my water. treating it with potassium metabisulfite took care of it. as far as the fading...it did not fade in the IPA. it did fade in the hefeweizen. i noticed that it was completely gone in the hefe at about 6 weeks in the bottle (12 oz). it's still slightly present in the bigger bottles (22 oz). Which leads to me to believe it was more of the clove phenol (4-vinyl guaiacol) and not the true chlorophenol from the water (whatever that is called chemically).

edit: oh, i should add that the ipa used wlp001. wlp001 has been problematic for me. way too fruity, even at cooler temps. some other issues too. so...i don't use it anymore. using Imperial yeasts now since they have the right cell count in one pack for most of my brews. it's cheaper per 200B cells. great results.

 

[soccerdad]

I use campden tablets with tap water (when I use it) .. I think those are sodium metabisulfate. The taste seems to be fading. Or I am getting desensitized. It never was too strong .. just there and bothersome.

 

[soccerdad]

Just a brief update for those of you that helped problem solve this. I took the fizzy yellow out of the kegerator today and slipped in a honey wheat. This beer tastes fine and was made from the same yeast. An earlier beer - already drained - was also made with the same yeast .. no issues. The brew club will be here Sunday and I did not want the band aid special to be a featured beer. There are a couple of guys in the club that I might ask to sample it for giggles and feedback. Hopefully not $hits and giggles. It seems like 3+ gallons are still in the keg and I'll sit on it for now. If I need the keg space it's gone.