What is this flavor and what am I doing wrong?

[Tweek]

I just uncapped my first bottle of 30 Oatmeal Stout's I brewed. Originally I intended to make it like an oatmeal cookie beer but I got cold feet on bottling day and didn't do any of the weird spices (except for the brown priming sugar.) I just did a straight up Oatmeal stout.

Here's the recipe:

malt and fermentables
% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
37% 3 5 Light/Pale Malt Extract Syrup info 36 5
37% 3 5 Dark Liquid Extract info 36 0
11% 1 0 Amber Dry Malt Extract info 45 13
8% 0 12 Roasted Barley info 25 300
6% 0 8 Black Patent Malt info 27 550
1% 0 1 Amber Dry Malt Extract info 45 13
Batch size: 5.0 gallons


Original Gravity
1.063
(1.056 to 1.066)
Final Gravity
1.016
(1.014 to 1.017)
Color
36° SRM
(Black)
Mash Efficiency
75%

hops
use time oz variety form aa
Boil 60 mins 1.0 Northern Brewer info pellet 8.5
Boil 30 mins 0.5 Northern Brewer info pellet 8.5
Boil 10 mins 1.0 Fuggles info pellet 4.5
Boil: 6.0 avg gallons for 60 minutes


Bitterness
8.5 HBU
41.4 IBU
Æ’: Average
BU:GU
0.66

yeast
Pasteur Champagne info
ale yeast in dry form with medium flocculation


Alcohol
6.3% A.B.V.
4.9% A.B.W.
Calories
208 per 12 oz.

misc
use time amount ingredient
bottling 0 min 4 ounces Brown Sugar info
bottling 0 min 0.25 ounces Cinnamon, Powdered info NOT USED
bottling 0 min 0.13 ounces Cloves info NOT USED
bottling 0 min 0.13 ounces Nutmeg info NOT USED
bottling 0 min 0.05 ounces Vanilla Bean NOT USED

So anyway to the problem, there is a weird unpleasant flavor and I'm extremely upset. I don't like wasting money so I don't like wrecking batches.

The flavor is one I've tasted many times in the past in commercial beers and have dumped many a beer over. The fact that it's in commercial beer though makes me think it's not an infection. It's kind of hard to describe, it's like a rubbery off flavor. It tastes like the beer was brewed in a latex doctors glove. I get the flavor in a lot of kinds of German beers I've tasted like Franziskaner where the flavor is kind of light or Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel where it was quite strong. Can you tell me what this flavor is? I always thought it was what autolisus is just because I can describe it as rubbery but maybe I don't know my ass from my elbow.

One thing I did differently is brew using a fermentap setup (which I don't think I'll ever do again.) Another thing is because I have a very old stove there was some time during the steeping of the grains that the water got a little on the high side (Mid 170's) and I had to fight to drop it.

I don't think it's an infection because the beer is still drinkable. I just am stumped and this is the 3rd batch in 2 years i've been extremely unhappy about and I'm practically on the verge of selling my brewing equipment and giving it all up... It's a lot of work for 1 person with very little pay back and 3 screwed up batches is no good.

HELP ME PLEASE!

[ApresSkiBrewer]

What kind of water treatment do you do? Any carbon filtration? Also, what do you use as your sanitizing solution?

[Tweek]

I'm a little embaressed to say I just use plain Buffalo NY tap water though i've brewed good beer with it. I use statsan as my main sanitzer after cleaning.

[AndrewD]

[ApresSkiBrewer]

The off flavor you are experiencing is most likely chlorophenols.

Carbon filter your water. Use a slow flow rate through the filter to maximize its effectiveness in removing chlorine and chloramines. As a gambler, I'd say 6 to 1 that this is where your problem lies. There is a chance that your local water treatment has changed recently for some reason (seasonally, staffing change, regulatory changes, whatever) and there is more chlorine in your tap water. I don't know much about buffalo tap water, but I bet that will do the trick.

Also, maybe brew a batch with purchased bottled water/ RO water and build up your water profile manually... - see if you solve the problem that way.

There are some really great brewers in Buffalo on the forum, maybe one of them can speak to the water of said fair city.

[Tweek]

Thanks for your idea. Though, I don't think it is chlorine in the water because our water here is extremely clean and flavor clear from chlorine. I also believe the water is pretty neutral here. Your tip did however give me a good lead on my research...

I did some deeper research on phenolic flavors. It really helps having a word to pin on the flavor. It really struck me when my research said that this flavor is actually wanted in certain styles like German Heffeweisen and the beers I have tasted it in are mostly Heffe's.

Any way one website I came across sited a possible cause as contaminated yeast. It also specifically stated that dry yeast is more often the culprit over liquid yeast. This hit me because I used Red Star Dry Champagne yeast. Has anyone ever had a problem with this yeast? Perhaps my yeast wasn't kept refrigerated all the time? This website recommends I try brewing the same recipe again but using a different type or brand of yeast.

I'm going to do some research on champagne yeast to see what I should have expected from it. I didn't just pull it out of my ass though I based this recipe on an Oatmeal Stout recipe in Homebrewing for Dummy's.

I'm glad I have a name for this flavor finally. I will say that the beer isn't totally undrinkable and I will drink all 30 bottles if not out of the principal of not wasting beer then I'll do it because I'm a cheap bastard. I don't know if I'll share it with anyone though but perhaps It isn't such an unpleasant flavor to all... after all many of the beers I've tasted it in are very highly acclaimed.

[gbob]

Not the water.

I've brewed many beers with water right from the tap. Stouts are one of my favorites.

We normally use 5.2 solution to balance the water, but the water itself is basicly fine.

Now, I'm an all grain brewer, and so not an expert, but it seems to me that using the DME isn't really needed. You can get a dark stout by using standard LME and grains to achieve the desired results.

Also, I would change the yeast. If you're using a dried yeast, then use something like a coopers ale yeast. Champagne yeast is great for higher OG beers, like an IPA, but not ideal for a stout.

[Bugeater]

I agree about not using dark dme when using dark grains. Also, the amount of roasted barley and black patent you are using is pretty high but would not cause the flavors you are experiencing.

According to the Buffalo Water Authority website chlorine is added at two different points in the treatment process. http://www.buffalowaterauthority.com/Ho ... entProcess

However, if other Buffalo brewers are not having problems with it, that is probably not the source. I would tend to be looking at the champagne yeast as a possible culprit. That kind of yeast, in my opinion, has no place in the beer brewing process other than as a last resort for bringing down the final gravity of a beer already fermented with another yeast.

Wayne