Goats milk tastes...hairy?

[dragonmorgan]

I found out a friend of ours is givin her DS goats milk to suppliment with his breastfeeding and Ive been wantin to try it with my DS too so I got her to get me some. I was super excited for my first taste of goats milk but when I tasted it it wasnt very good at all. I dont know anything about the goats that the milk comes from so Im not sure if its what they are eatin or if theres a buck nearby or what it is. DH was very skeptical about me wantin goats since he has heard bad things about the milk tastin funny and now thats hes tried this milk hes even more convinced that its not as good as cows milk. The milk tastes fine when you first drink it but the after taste is odd. When I taste it the taste that comes to mind is hair. Ive never tasted hair lol but when you drink it and then smack and breathe out of your nose it smells/tastes kinda like hair/fur. The initial taste is really good. Very rich and sweet. I was really lookin forward to havin milk that didnt come from a store but this is so bad I cant even drink it. If it didnt have the aftertaste it would be awsome because I love the flavor I just cant get the taste out of my mouth after I swallow it. DS doesnt seem to mind since I mix it with breastmilk so it doesnt have the aftertaste. Is it sposed to taste like that? Is that what it tastes like when they have a buck with the does? Im gonna keep gettin some for DS but it really sucks that we cant drink it. Im afraid its gonna go bad in the fridge since DS doesnt drink alot and Im not sure how long its good for. Our friend doesnt seem to notice and her husband likes it too so did I get a bad batch or something. Ugh this is so frustrating. Could our next batch taste better?

I guess Im just wondering if this is normal or if I should ask my friend if hers tastes like this too.

ETA: is there anything I can do with the milk when it gets close to goin bad? Its only a few days old right now but I dont think we will have used it all by the time it gets too old? Can I make cheese or yogurt out of it even if its not fresh anymore? I really hate to waste it and maybe makin something else out of it will help the nasty taste. (wishful thinkin Im sure)

 

[manybirds]

I found out a friend of ours is givin her DS goats milk to suppliment with his breastfeeding and Ive been wantin to try it with my DS too so I got her to get me some. I was super excited for my first taste of goats milk but when I tasted it it wasnt very good at all. I dont know anything about the goats that the milk comes from so Im not sure if its what they are eatin or if theres a buck nearby or what it is. DH was very skeptical about me wantin goats since he has heard bad things about the milk tastin funny and now thats hes tried this milk hes even more convinced that its not as good as cows milk. The milk tastes fine when you first drink it but the after taste is odd. When I taste it the taste that comes to mind is hair. Ive never tasted hair lol but when you drink it and then smack and breathe out of your nose it smells/tastes kinda like hair/fur. The initial taste is really good. Very rich and sweet. I was really lookin forward to havin milk that didnt come from a store but this is so bad I cant even drink it. If it didnt have the aftertaste it would be awsome because I love the flavor I just cant get the taste out of my mouth after I swallow it. DS doesnt seem to mind since I mix it with breastmilk so it doesnt have the aftertaste. Is it sposed to taste like that? Is that what it tastes like when they have a buck with the does? Im gonna keep gettin some for DS but it really sucks that we cant drink it. Im afraid its gonna go bad in the fridge since DS doesnt drink alot and Im not sure how long its good for. Our friend doesnt seem to notice and her husband likes it too so did I get a bad batch or something. Ugh this is so frustrating. Could our next batch taste better?

I guess Im just wondering if this is normal or if I should ask my friend if hers tastes like this too.

ETA: is there anything I can do with the milk when it gets close to goin bad? Its only a few days old right now but I dont think we will have used it all by the time it gets too old? Can I make cheese or yogurt out of it even if its not fresh anymore? I really hate to waste it and maybe makin something else out of it will help the nasty taste. (wishful thinkin Im sure)

for 2 whole years i drank nasty milk that had a horrible aftertaiste. this year i FINNALY figured it out. it was cause i wasn't cooling it fast enough, you have to cool it withing 5 min of milking it or it dosn't taiste right, i now put a sandwich baggie full of ice in my milk bucket (that will work if you just milking one). if you milk more than one then you have to do a little more. i have 3 buckets; a big tub (i use a big metal washtub thing for canning) but a big pot or 5 gallon bucket will work, a bigger-though smaller than the tub- (5-12 quart depending on how many) stainless steel one and just a little either 2 quart stainless steel bucket or strip cup. i fill the biggest tub up with ice cold hose water (if you don't have the 'ice cold hose water ad a little ice) before i milk then place the stainless steel pail inside of that and a little baggie of ice in the pail. then i milk into the little one and every couple minutes dump that into the pail. its not nearly as expensive or difficult as it sounds. if u buy your stainless steel pails from caprine supply there very cheep and a tub or 5 gallon pail is very cheep. as soon as i'm done milking i take it in and filter it through clean tightly woven hanke's into jars slap some saran wrap on it and presto lovely yummy creamy healthy goats milk thats taistes just like creamy sweet cows milk but better for you!

 

[dragonmorgan]

Ok that makes me feel better to know that its not sposed to taste this funny. Hopefully my next batch will be better. Maybe they just didnt cool the jar i got fast enough or somethin. Im still holdin out hope that our next jar will taste like everyone else describes their goats milk.

 

[manybirds]

Ok that makes me feel better to know that its not sposed to taste this funny. Hopefully my next batch will be better. Maybe they just didnt cool the jar i got fast enough or somethin. Im still holdin out hope that our next jar will taste like everyone else describes their goats milk.

so its not from your own goats? if its not then there's really nothing you can do about the flavor. its the people who are milking it out that arn't getting it chilled fast enough. maybe find a different supplier?

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

Don't give up! It could be her breed, her feed, or her milk sanitation.

Also, I find that the container I used to store the milk in (a plastic pitcher) when it was in the fridge took on a horrible old milk smell. I'd sniff the milk to see if it's bad, and I'd be getting the pitcher smell and not the milk smell. Or, some of the pitcher smell was making the milk smell. Either way, I changed containers and it was no longer a problem.

I'm so picky that I don't even like pizza or any cheese, and even I love GM with my cereal or brownie!

 

[dragonmorgan]

No the goats arent ours. I been tryin to find a place around here that sells their milk and I couldnt find anything. I didnt even know about these people. Hopefully the next bit we get from them will be better. Ill keep on the lookout tho for any other places that have fresh goats milk. Im not really wantin to get it from the store.

It was given to me in a big glass jar so Im assuming thats what they store it in. I smell it everytime I go to get any out and it doesnt really smell like anything. Its like smelling air is the only way I can think to describe it.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I copied this from another of my posts because I think it applies here:
I only have trouble with milk tasting off if
I don't strain it well , a nylon/plastic coffee filter works pretty good and was free cause I use paper filters in the machine ,only $3.50 at the store.
or the container was not totally clean. I have everyone put water in the containers the second they are empty so the milk doesn't get dry on the inside and set them in the sink to wait a washing. Running our glass milk bottles through the dishwasher works like a charm, and an occasional vinegar bath for the soapstone/fat deposits that build up.
and chilling milk fast seems to be important too so I use glass bottles, they get cold and stay cold, and I put the freshest milk in the back of the fridge. Actually I run the milk around the fridge. I put it in on one side of the fridge and run the bottles across the back and back up the right side, that way the family always knows to start with the containers in the front on the right side. First in, first out that way. The back of the fridge is coldest so that helps. With teenagers always opening the fridge, the back is the safest place for milk.

I do understand that some foods will offer stronger flavors or too much contact with skunky boys, but handling seems to be our most effective way to keep the milk sweet. Most of our family and friends have never had goats milk and are shocked that it tastes like regular processed cows milk, just a little sweeter, a little richer.
hope this helps

PS. we did have a few goat hairs get into the milk before I found that the nylon coffee filter worked so good, It had a hairy flavor too. I always smell the milk and if I smell nothing....its good. If I smell "milk" or anything else, I give it to the animals (cats, dogs)before it goes bad.

I had someone tell me that goats milk had a wild goaty flavor.....I mentioned that mine didn't and she told me that I must just be used to it. At that point we had only been milking our goats for a few weeks and with a terribly picky husband I could never have gotten him to drink it if it was wild or had any other flavor. It took him years to eat our own chicken eggs without complaining about the "too eggy" flavor!

 

[dragonmorgan]

It smells fine. Well it smells like nothing is in the jar so I guess that is a normal smell. Hopefully they just didnt do a good job with the handling after they milked it. That gives me hope that the next jar I get will be better. I had heard it was an acquired taste but I dont see how anyone could "acquire" the taste of this stuff

Thanks for all the help. I was about to lose hope but now Im anxious to get my next jar of it so I can see if it tastes any better.

 

[verkagj]

I would think that sanitation is the issue. When I milk in the morning, it is sometimes already 85degrees. We live in Belize, Central America. Upon occasion, I have forgotten to take the container in (a little plastic bucket with a lid) because I got sidetracked putting the goats out in the field. Even after sitting for several hours, it is still good tasting, good smelling milk.
I would check to see how they clean up before milking,how they clean up the equipment used and how long it sits in the milking pot.
I rinse out the used jars right away and fill them with water while awaiting a soap wash. All the stuff used, the bucket, strainer, measuring jar, etc. all get a good bleach/soap wash once a week. I've never had problems even with the heat here.

 

[SmallFarmGirl]

Good goat milk should be strained correctly with a good thick filter in the then strainer stored in a glass container, chilled for 2 hours before consumption, (In my opinion 2 hours an then it's chilled)
then you should have perfectly good goat milk. If it still tastes weird I'm guessing it's the goat's diet. A goat in milk that eats certain weeds and feed can get flavored milk.

Hope that helps!