Band Aid Flavor

[custombrewer]

Looking for some input/help. Our last two batches have come out with a band aid flavor in them. The odd thing is that it does not show up until the brite tank. We have not had this problem before and this was on two different beers with completely different grain bills/yeasts. I taste all the gravity samples and they were both perfect until carbonation. Any thoughts on the culprit would be much appreciated.

Jay
Head Brewer
Southern Sky Brewing Co

[dowlingbeck]

Band Aid Flavor

Jay,

I've read that this could be a result of chlorinated water or common industry sanitizers. Have you changed any of your companies SOP's or chemical vendors lately? How do you clean, store and sanitize your carbonation stones? Or are you using carbonation stones?

Joe Beck
Head Brewer
Blue Mountain Barrel House

[custombrewer]

Joe,

We have not changed anything in our process or vendors. Our batch last week came out just fine. We do a caustic cleaning after kegging and then use Peracetic Acid as a no rinse sanitizer right before filling. We keep the carb stone inside the brite tank for all cleaning and sanitizing. We tested our water before we opened and again this morning and there is no discernible difference in the chlorine levels.

Jay
Head Brewer
Southern Sky Brewing Co

[dberg]

Band Aid flavors are often caused by wild yeast.

[dowlingbeck]

To Jay-

Joe,

We have not changed anything in our process or vendors. Our batch last week came out just fine. We do a caustic cleaning after kegging and then use Peracetic Acid as a no rinse sanitizer right before filling. We keep the carb stone inside the brite tank for all cleaning and sanitizing. We tested our water before we opened and again this morning and there is no discernible difference in the chlorine levels.

Jay
Head Brewer
Southern Sky Brewing Co

Jay,

Those were my two major hits. Unfortunately, there is only one other thing that comes to mind. Bacteria? Do you, or have you, conduct-ed any ATP testing after your Peracetic procedures?

Joe

[WWSean]

I agree that infection is most likely the culprit. Chlorophenols would be present at any stage of fermentation. So you would taste them before the BBT Can you think of any point in the transfer that you would pick up nasties?

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[Danetrain26]

It seems unlikely that you'd develop off flavors from infection that quickly after transferring from FV to BBT. At that point beer is cold and fairly O2 free, and the most common of your off flavors from anaerobes are going to be diacetyl and lactic/acetic acid -- both of which are going to take at least a little time to manifest. I'd suggest maybe the off-flavor is present in the fermenter, but it's hiding behind the general obfuscation of green beer flavor, and the "band-aid" is only discernible once the beer cleans up and is carbonated. Other places to look are general yeast health. Look for clues like long lag times, long fermentations or lower levels of attenuation than you're used to seeing. Also check if those batches came from the same yeast crop (which could be indicative of infected or sluggish culture), or if they were from a particularly lofty generation or a first pitch. Check for notes on proper oxygenation. Also look at whether these beers came out of the same fermenter. It could be as simple as a loose thermocouple that's not calling for glycol when it needs to causing warm fermentations, and warm ferments are classic for phenolic type flavors-- similarly I'd check the action of the solenoids on the jackets to make sure they're actuating properly.
That's where I'd start! Also get that carb stone in some acid

[TunMonkey]

Carb Stone / CO2 line

If you're not having a problem until the Brite, then it stands to reason that your problem likely lies there. Carb stones are great places for creepy crawlies to "hide". A CIP cycle won't necessarily hit the stone hard enough to really get it truly cleaned and sanitized.
Remove the stone and give it a good caustic soak in between batches. Rinse it really well then force Alpet (or your equivalent) through it. Make sure the CO2 pig tail coming off of it gets a good dose of Alpet also.

If you're brewing on a scale big enough to warrant the investment then a lab grade in-line filter (a few hundred $) on your CO2 line will catch any microbes that may have set up shop up line in your system.

Let us know what you figure out the problem to be.

[TGTimm]

Carb stone--we reverse-wash our stones in the tank during CIP. Just a line from a T after the pump to a QR for the stone to force cleaner/sanitizer through the stone.

Do you have check valves on your stones? Do they work? Does beer ever get into the CO2 line? We take several precautions to prevent this, but it still happens. We use pretty cheap 1/4" ID PE lines for our drops from the regulator to the stones, and replace it if any beer gets in there. If any beer reaches the regulator, I tear it down, clean, and sanitize before the next use.

How do you all know what Band-Aids taste like? I've never actually eaten one.

[beerguy1]

I also agree with the brite tank being the problem. I would change out all your gaskets even if you recently changed them. Disassemble everything you can and soak it over night in caustic rinse then soak in acid including the stone. Perhaps its bad CO2 I have never had that (I dont think) but you should just eliminate all possibilities. And we are having band aids and beer tonight for dinner