Can Chloramines affect beer kits?

[Asalpaws]

Just cracked open a bottle of kit brewed St Peter's RRA. Looks great, clear, nice head. However there was a really strong chemical after taste, it had to go down the sink! I then opened a Brewpacks special lager which had a similar nasty chemical taste. Both have been in bottle for just over 4 weeks. The common factor as far as I can tell is my water (Salford) I know from previous fish keeping that it is soft and low in nitrates. I've never used Campden tablets, have I got a shed full of chemical beer?

 

[RobWalker]

Yeah, of course. What are you using to sanitize? I had to dump two batches (two! do I ever learn?) to not rinsing VWP properly.

As for chloramines, I'm quite certain you could make up your beer kit as usual, add campden and leave for 24 hours and then add the yeast. Either that, or treat all of your water in your FV and then mix about 5L up with the beer kit and sugar in a pan, and pour it back into the cool water in the FV and stir.

 

[Asalpaws]

Interesting I have used VWP to sterilize. I thought I was pretty militant with the rinsing, perhaps that's where I went wrong?

Thinking about it I have had bottles from other kits that were fine. Perhaps it's individual bottles that I've not rinsed enough.

 

[andyhawkins]

I would use a campden tablet on all water used. Make sure you wash the fermenting bin and equipment properly after using sterilser. By this I mean wash out twice with tap water and rinse three times. I started off brewing last year and had to throw away two kits I used due to not treating the water properly. I moved straight to full grain and always treat the water, never had a problem in the 5 brews I've done to date (6th in the fermenting bin this eve!) :drink:

 

[Asalpaws]

Sounds like good advice, I'm getting kit together to try AG. Is it necessary for the equipment used before the boil to be sterilized ? Or is it OK as long as the mash tun etc. is clean?

Just trying to reduce the amount of VWP I would need to use!

 

[RobWalker]

It's fine unsterilized but needs to be clean. The boil gets rid of all the ****.

 

[Dave1970]

you could also move away from using VWP, particularly for bottles

Starsan is good for bottles, spray & forget, no need to rinse. Heat is good too, 20 mins in an electric oven set to 95 degrees. Others build a manifold that attaches to a steam generator (wallpaper stripper)

 

[Asalpaws]

That sounds good, must say bottling is my least favorite bit of brewing!

 

[BeerEagle]

Yes, I agree it's a pain. But when you've finished and have 40-ish bottles of loveliness which you know are going to be great in a few weeks. Doesn't that feel good?

 

[Asalpaws]

Shame is now I have about 60 bottles of beer coloured floor cleaner, sad thing is I'm only finding out my mistake weeks down the line after making several kits using the same technique : (