Expert: John Snyder - 1/20/2003

Question
Hi John,
I recently brewed a batch of all grain terrible tasting brown ale that has an overpowering taste and aroma of plastic. I tasted the beer before botteling and, if i remeber correctly, it tasted fine. Got any ideas?
Thanks, Nate

Answer
Assuming the beer tasted fine until you packaged it;the following are possibilities:

1 the container you bottled from was a poor grade plastic,and during the contact time,it absorbed those odors

2-if you used a sanitizing agent;ie,an iodorphor,and did not rinse the receiving container thoroughly

3-use of plastic tubing that was cleaned with,a strong chlorine solution.

4--check out any cleaning,or sanitizing agent,you used,for compatibility,and free rinsing capabilities.

that is about all i can tell you,at this point;unless you find that that taste was actually present from somewhere earlier in the process.Again be carefull what cleaning and sanitizing,agents you use,and also the containers in use.Beer picks up odors and off flavors very fast.