Removing Butyric Acid Smell From Beer

Hey everyone.

So, I had a mild infection recently...not sure how, as the beer itself never looked infected, but nonetheless, it was. Unfortunately, the sour note is from butyric acid, aka, the smell of vomit.

I know if you add sodium carbonate to butyric acid, it will form sodium-butyrate and will precipitate out and also no longer smell. I wonder how this would affect the taste of the beer. I have access to sodium bicarbonate due to me working in a lab, but I was curious to see what others thought since a) I am a biologist and not a chemist, and b) just to see if anyone else out there is as crazy as me.

Thanks and I look forward to your input.

Kyle

It would raise the pH and add a significant amount of sodium to the beer. You precipitate out Na-butyrate, but there are likely many other off flavor compounds present if you did indeed have an infection

The other compounds, the sour note and what-not, that I am ok with, I just really want to get rid of the vomit smell.

Add Brett and wait a long time; it should clean up the smell. I wouldn't mess around with bicarb.

FarmerTed said:

Add Brett and wait a long time; it should clean up the smell. I wouldn't mess around with bicarb.

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Do this one.