Saison all grain odd taste

chor808 · Sep 9, 2016

Hello All,

I've started brewing again after about a 15 year break, I used to do kits and never really made anything as good as I got down the pub. So this time I've started all grain and I'm on my third batch. I did a Stout which I used too much water on and turned out a bit weak (bodyless) but tasted fine, I think did a tribute which has turned out great, this convinced me you really can make your our pub standard beer!

Anyway the problem, I made up a Saison. It has been in the FV for 2 weeks and since about day three it has had a real odd, even medicinal taste to it. You would not want to drink it for sure. Is this normal for a Saison, should I bother bottling it and storing or did this get infected?

Thanks

Saision 4.7 KG Lager Malt
465g Wheat malt + 166g Cara Munich
26g Magnum hops
38g Celeia Hops

BeerCat · Sep 9, 2016

Funny I brewed one with my own recipe and had the same problem. Got to bin mine.
If you end up with too much water just boil for a while before you add any hops. I often end up doing this. Best of luck.

Covrich · Sep 9, 2016

I never try my brews while they are fermenting especially after 3 days and would expect that to taste bitter and not pleasant, Saisons will have funky flavours which some people will not get on with, should be clovey and spicey

Medicinal is not a good sign though, what sanitiser do you use??

chor808 · Sep 9, 2016

I used a wilko one, bruclens cleaner. I ordered StarSan which I'm using today for my next brew.

Do you think it is worth leaving for a couple for weeks and see if it goes away, I'm sure it tastes like medicinal to me. My other brews tasted fine if a little rough in the FV.

Covrich · Sep 9, 2016

My only worry is with that you need to make sure you rinse it off thoroughly because if you dont rinse a rinse steraliser.. you can end up with band aid flavours..

But if you don't need the FV for a few weeks, possibly hang on to it
look at this though

http://howtobrew.com/book/section-4/is-my-beer-ruined/common-off-flavors

this sais medicinal like cloves which is exactly what I said above, it is probably the saison yeast, I would expect Saison yeast to kick up these flavours..

Yeah for now I would leave it and see what it is like in a few weeks.. I assume you know what you're getting with a Saison though right?

chor808 · Sep 9, 2016

Honestly no idea what to expect I just liked the look of it :-). The fact I don't know what it is supposed to taste like I guess means it could be ok in time? It just does not taste like a normal beer to me.

I did rinse everything however I think this StartSan should be better. StarSan is no rinse correct?

I will leave it and see what happens.

Covrich · Sep 9, 2016

chor808 said:
Honestly no idea what to expect I just liked the look of it :-). The fact I don't know what it is supposed to taste like I guess means it could be ok in time? It just does not taste like a normal beer to me.

I did rinse everything however I think this StartSan should be better. StarSan is no rinse correct?

I will leave it and see what happens.

Starsan is no rinse

Saisons will not taste like your normal ale or lager beer far from it, they are Belgian farmhouse ales and have a real funky flavour to them which mostly comes from the yeast, they are also generally fermented at higher temps to bring out the flavours.

I would leave it and see how it turns out, Saisons (and a lot of Belgians) are a style which some love and some just cannot get on with.

Brightonnik · Sep 9, 2016

Leave it somewhere warmish and let it ride for a few weeks. If you've never tried a saison it won't taste like any been you've had before. I'm assuming you used a saison yeast?

chor808 · Sep 9, 2016

Yes the yeast was Danstar Belle Saison

serum · Sep 9, 2016

Medicinal will probably be problems with your sanitiser not being rinsed off.

Belle Saison should give you a very dry finish and a bit spicy tasting. I find it a bit cleaner than a lot of saison yeasts. It definitely shouldn't taste of medicine.

chor808 · Sep 9, 2016

Thanks guys, I'll just leave it and see what happens, if it still tastes bad then down the drain it goes.

JapanBrew · Sep 9, 2016

Your just getting the byproducts of the yeast. Give it time to ferment and then a good week after that to clean itself up. The yeast, if treated right, will absorb all the bad stuff it made when it runs out of sugars. Just be patient.
It is good to raise the temp up a bit after the main fermentation has finished.

MyQul · Sep 9, 2016

A medicinal taste is an off favour caused by chorine in your water. Did you treat your water for chlorine with a campden tablet? Is your water particularly chlorine smelling/tasting?

Your looking for the one that says phenolic http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2011/08/common-off-flavors/#Phenolic

Covrich · Sep 9, 2016

But Phenolic will be by products in a Saison surely??

Slid · Sep 10, 2016

I would just let the yeast get on with it for a while. Belle Saison produces a beer that is not to everyone's taste even after the 6+ months before it starts to taste slightly like a normal beer.

My best effort with Belle Saison was a kit brew - 2x Coopers Draught Lager (dented cans from Tesco that they generously replaced) using slurry yeast from an earlier and stronger brew. It was really quite good for a kit - I added 400g of sugar and brewed to 25L. It dropped to 1.002 and benefited from being brewed at around the usual 22C for my brewing space in the house (IMO!).

My advice is to leave this one and don't even think of chucking it until 6 months.

Use Star San to sanitise well cleaned and rinsed kit.

chor808 · Sep 12, 2016

All my not be lost, I had my wife taste it and she said it tastes citrus and spicy and thought it was ok, she did not say medicinal. Anyway I've bottled it and stuck it in the garage. I'll report back in a few months.

Simonh82 · Sep 12, 2016

As everyone has said it is likely to be linked to poor rinsing after using a chlorine based sanitiser, or high chlorine levels in your water. It isn't just the chloride though, it is the reaction with phenols produced by the yeast during fermentation.

Saison yeasts produce a lot more phenols than other yeasts so you might have got away with it before but not with the saison yeast.

Star-san will sort you out!

The Idiot · Sep 14, 2016

Some people just don't get on with Saisons. I took a few friends out to a place that only serves Saisons and Bretts. One said everything had a bleach thing going on. The rest of us tasted funk, fruit, spice, you name it, we tasted it. The other guy drank wine despite being a serious beer lover.

Early stage Saisons can be a bit like kissing a lady when you're 10 years old! At the time you don't like it, but with age comes appreciation!

chor808 · Sep 19, 2016

Ok quick update, we opened a bottle (I know too soon) it tastes like AdelScott, anyone else tried that beer before and is that the right sort of taste. Not medicinal really just very different. Anyway I will leave the rest till Christmas and try again.

Saison all grain odd taste

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