Skunk versus Sour?

Hi all, how do you determine whether a beer has been skunked or is a byproduct of a wild yeast strain like brett? Good example, Saison Dupont. Saisons are supposed to have a sourness, but sometimes I think the green bottle has contributed to a skunkiness?

I actually noticed the same skunky flavor in Dupont from my local bottle shop. I assumed it was from the green bottle since it was sitting on the top shelf right under some nice fluorescent lights.

As far I know, there aren't any "bugs" that cause a skunky flavor. I would be curious to try another bottle of Dupont that was stored correctly.

I am thinking it is primarily a change in aroma which I honestly don't fully mind. I just wonder how I am supposed to know what the flavor is and isn't designed to be. Supposedly it is extraordinarily easy for a beer to get skunked which makes all green or clear bottles suspect to me.

Skunky beer is an aroma thing. It is caused by UV rays reacting with the hops in beer to create a chemical that makes your beer smell like skunk spray.

I had an infected beer before that tasted like vinegar.

Lou_Pilun said:

I am thinking it is primarily a change in aroma which I honestly don't fully mind. I just wonder how I am supposed to know what the flavor is and isn't designed to be. Supposedly it is extraordinarily easy for a beer to get skunked which makes all green or clear bottles suspect to me.

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Yeah it is a change in aroma caused by UV light reacting with the hops (amber blocks UV well and green doesn't).

It's pretty easy to pick out as it smells/tastes just like a skunk's spray. I don't know if any commercial breweries intentionally "skunk" their beer or if they just use green/clear glass to differentiate their product. I have heard of some home brewer's trying to clone a beer like Corona or Heineken by bottling with clear/green bottles to intentionally skunk the beer.

If you would like to learn how to identify it more easily, you could do a side-by-side taste test with Heineken out of a green bottle vs. the keg can.

Another good test would be any Dupont or Innins & Gunn from a keg vs bottle.

Corona = skunk.

Saison = brett funk.

Duchess de Borgnogne = sour (lacto).

Wild Cherry = white funk

passedpawn said:

Corona = skunk.

Saison = brett funk.

Duchess de Borgnogne = sour (lacto).

Wild Cherry = white funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

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Saison can be both Brett and skunked then, that's where the grey area lies for me.

Lou_Pilun said:

Saison can be both Brett and skunked then, that's where the grey area lies for me.

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Soo.. I take it you're good with the white funk

Happy Friday everyone!

passedpawn said:

Corona = skunk.

Saison = brett funk.

Duchess de Borgnogne = sour (lacto).

Wild Cherry = white funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

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Before I learned what skunky beer was I always wondered why Corona taste like an armpit. The 1st one I drank was the last one.

Wild Cherry was indeed some serious white funk.