Beer Forum

My latest batch (english bitter) has a green apple off-flavor--Acetaldehyde, I presume. I've resolved to improve sanitization (I can't think of any other cause), but is there anything I can do to make this beer drinkable? I was thinking about dry hopping the heck out of it in the keg (with a hop sack). Another option could be to wait it out and see if it improves. This seems stupid because I brewed the same beer previously and it turned out great without aging.

Is it even advisable to consume acetaldehyde? Isn't that a cause of bad hangovers? Wikipedia doesn't paint a pretty picture for this chemical--possible carcinogen and such. As it is, this 5 gallon batch of green apple is headed for the drain.

Any thoughts? Rude gestures? Snide remarks?

I gotta tell ya... brewing rocks... is an easy-going hobby... relax, don't worry... blah, blah, blah...

But don't be afraid to toss a bad batch like a rotting piece of sirloin.

Overall, a batch of beer costs us, what? between $20 and $30 to brew 10 gallons? Wait it out, but when your patience is tested let it go like a psycho girlfriend, man.

I once held on to a Barleywine for two years before finally realizing it was just crap and was *not* going to *age*.

Hope that helps -- if not let me say, "Dude... that sucks... it will be okay. Let's cuddle."

Cheers,
Push E.

It's like this is a support group to help me pour out the beer. "Just let it go, man." The beer does suck. Though, I've just tried it mixed with my IPA and it's like a pale ale with an appley ester. Maybe I can pawn it off on my friends and family. Save the good stuff for myself. Hehe. But I'm quite adept at dropping my psycho girlfriends, so if it has to be laid to rest...it's good as gone. Thanks Mr. E.

Dump it on the lawn. At least that way it gets used as fertilizer.

Travis

How old is it? You're SURE this isn't just that new beer green apple thing that goes away when it's actually conditioned? Even though you brewed it before, if the temp was a little different during the fermentation you could just have some flavors that need to settle out...

I'd wait a week or two and if it doesn't mellow out at all THEN chuck it... or send it to Justin.

Rob

My first bock, which was fermented doing almost everything wrong, had a very stong alcohol nose when I bottled it. I was very disapointed and thought the beer was ruined. After 6 weeks in the bottle the alcohol smell was gone.

If you don't need to keg to fill it with new beer, let it rest until you would actually need it. Maybe it will fix itself, maybe not.

Kai

I thought acetaldehyde was a result of partly yeast strain choice (Like Wyeast 2272 N. American Lager maybe?) and exacerbated by separating the yeast from the beer too soon.

Bud has a lot of this because they churn out the stuff in 30 days and all the money in the world won't make the yeast work any faster even if they have all that extra suface area of the beech strips.

to fix it.....well, blending is always an option. Another possibility is adding some actively fermenting beer to it and see if the new yeast can eat that stuff up for you.

The only thing I did differently from the last time I brewed the very same beer was to actually leave it in the primary for longer than I like to. I would normally rack to secondary after 5-7 days. It took me 14 days to do it this time due to a 66 and 70 hour workweek respectively. It's been about the same amount of time up to carbonation as the previous batch, but with the green apple aroma/flavor.

I'll wait it out as long as I can, but with only room enough for two cornis in my kegerator, it may fertilize the lawn.

Thanks for all the advice. I wish I had a counter-pressure filler so I could send some in to the studio. I'd love to hear everyone wincing at my folly. Well, you're right, Justin might like it.