Oxidation after 3 weeks???

Is it possible to show signs of oxidation in a batch after 3 weeks?

I brewed an English special bitter for a party about 4 weeks ago. After a week on the gas it tasted great. Took a sample now, and it seems the color is a tiny bit darker, and the flavor is a little "different". I understand the flavor should change over time, but this is a flavor I haven't experienced before. Is it possible to oxidize a batch after one 4 weeks from brew day? I fermented this for about a week, then kegged and carbed it. I don't know how this could have oxidized, especially so quickly. I tasted this a few days ago and it was fine, but today it has a different flavor to it. Could this oxidized, or am I just panicking about have 50+ people drinking my brew?

As long as you flushed your keg with CO2, and are using CO2 to dispense your beer, there is very little risk of oxidizing your beer even over long periods of time. If this was a heavily hopped beer like an IPA, I would address the concern of oxidation a bit more seriously, but the odds are hugely in favor of the fact that your beer has not been oxidized.

My guess is that the "slightly darker color" and the "different" flavor might have just been caused by the rest of your yeast flocculating out of suspension, thus resulting in clearer (but darker) beer and a less yeasty (more clean) flavor.

I know that it can be nerve-racking to serve your beer to a lot of people, but it is likely that they will love it and will praise you highly. Have faith in your system and your methods, and I'm sure everything will be fine. If all else fails, RDWHAH.

lyacovett said:

Is it possible to show signs of oxidation in a batch after 3 weeks?

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Absolutely! I've seen signs of oxidation after only 1 week in the bottle.