can i change this finished beer?

hopsoda · 07-22-2009, 11:22 PM

my beer tastes off kind of a cardboard after taste
I can't detect any hops at all , its been in the keg 2 weeks and still cloudy

I rushed this one ... I know... but what can i do to fix it?

first off i didn't take any readings... in a rush

5 1/2 gal batch
8lb 2 row
1 lb C60
1 lb c20
1 lb c10
1 oz fuggles 60 ... er 45
1 oz 30 ... er 15
1 oz at 0
boil time was cut to 45 min ... racked to carboy pitched us-05
2 weeks in primary 68F... - racked to keg with 4oz table sugar -
1 week in keg at room temp and into the kegorator at 10psi

poured a beer every fiew days for 2 weeks and its still cloudy and has a weird cardboard like after taste? ... the beer was clear when i racked it to the keg? and does not taste sweet

I'm thinking about letting it warm back up to 70f maybe the yeast will clean up some of the taste?

and adding 2 oz more of the fuggles or some cascades to it the closing the lid back on the keg... in a hop bag? all i have is pellets. and letting it sit for another week then back into the fridge?

will warming it up, or adding hops make things worse? its drinkable at this point ... just not good

what can i do?

TipsyDragon · 07-22-2009, 11:30 PM

there is no fixing this batch. you oxidized it. never aerate above 80F. when racking always keep they end of the hose below the surface of the liquid in the destination vessel. after fermentation gets going never splash the beer. and never POUR a beer out of your fermenter. always rack.

annasdadhockey · 07-22-2009, 11:37 PM

you may be able to mask some of the cardboard flavor, but not get rid of it. How about a hop tea? Boil up some hops in some water, chill, and add right to the keg. I'm sure someone here can give you some info as to how long to boil, and how much to use. Also, just let the beer age for a bit, maybe it's just green.

**Yooper** · 07-22-2009, 11:40 PM

Well, I think there are two separate issues. One is the grainbill and the amount of hops.

With a grainbill of nearly 30% crystal, you won't get much in the way of bitterness anyway. I'm surprised it's not cloyingly sweet. There aren't enough hops (and they weren't boiled long enough) to counteract the sweetness, so you won't get any hop flavor or nose. If this is supposed to be an English pale ale, it's got way too much crystal and it's way underhopped. Maybe some dry hopping can give you some flavor and aroma, but I think it's too unbalanced to really give you a good beer no matter what you do.

The second issue is the seemingly off-flavor due to oxidation. If it's not oxidized, it could just be young beer. If it's cardboardy because it's oxidized, age will only make it worse.

As far as the cloudiness goes, it simply sounds like chill haze which happens when the beer is chilled. Maybe you didn't chill the beer fast enough after the boil.

hopsoda · 07-22-2009, 11:40 PM

not sure how i oxidized it? or how you came to that conclusion " i used a IC and lowered my temps into the low 70's before i transferred to my carboy... and i didn't splash or let much air to the beer during fermentation?

is cardboard taste a sign of oxidation?

hopsoda · 07-22-2009, 11:43 PM

ya i though i was getting the hang of this ...

guess i still have allot to learn and rushing does not help.

could i add bitterness by boiling some hops tea ... maybe

if its oxidized do you think letting it warm up again for a week will hurt?

or will it make it worse? ... maybe i should just bust out the beer bong and some tomato juice

... i think ill try to add some hops tea as suggested above and drink it fast before it gets worse . thanks for the replies.

**Yooper** · 07-22-2009, 11:51 PM

We're guessing at oxidation, because "cardboard" is a classic sign of oxidation. It could be just young beer, though.

I don't see the point in warming up the beer now, though, to be honest. I'd keep it in the kegerator and add the hop tea or the dryhops or whatever you're planning.

hopsoda · 07-23-2009, 12:01 AM

thanks ... one more dumb question

can i rack out of that keg into a new one at this point if i degas a little?
I want to get it off the yeast in the bottom of the keg .. Im assuming there is allot of it.

z987k · 07-23-2009, 12:05 AM

yes you can rack to a new keg, but if it's chill haze and not yeast, it won't go away.

**Yooper** · 07-23-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z987k

yes you can rack to a new keg, but if it's chill haze and not yeast, it won't go away.

Right. And if it is yeast, it'll just compact down anyway since it's chilled and not moving. I'm certain I have yeast in the bottoms of my kegs. But if you don't move the keg, it won't disturb the sediment at all.