Help! Stale, Cardboard Taste

My Rye IPA: this is my 5th batch of beer. First one to turn out tasting so badly.

- 4 weeks in primary
- 6 weeks in secondary dry hopping
- 5 weeks in the bottle

is very nice and clear beer, and smells nice and hoppy as expected...but it tastes horrible! It is super bitter, and the aftertaste is a harsh stale dry cardboard. I can't get half a bottle drank before I just dump it.

I have been a bottle the past 3 weeks and it actually seems like it's getting worse. The carbonation is Ok, not a huge head but not out of the ordinary either.

it seems like oxidation might be a possible source. If so, can the "power of bottle conditioning" can fix this one? Am I past the point of no return? when do i call it quits and dump it? Love this forum. Thanks!

Did you cork these bottles?

Im still learning myself but, you dry hopped for 6 weeks?! I've heard that you never want to go more than 10-14 days dry hopping. Anything after that can impart harsh vegetable flavors. That might be one of your problems right there. Im interested to see what others think.

- nope no cork regular caps, and rubber stoppers in the carboys (glass primary, glass secondary).

- I dry hopped for that long to keep get good clarity. I used hop pellets. (and I was out of town for a while)

fretsforlife said:

Im still learning myself but, you dry hopped for 6 weeks?! I've heard that you never want to go more than 10-14 days dry hopping. Anything after that can impart harsh vegetable flavors. That might be one of your problems right there. Im interested to see what others think.

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Agree...6 weeks try hopping is about 5 too long. Also, it does sound like some oxidation occured. If oxidation occured time will not heal that issue.

cardboard flavors = oxidization.

Yeah oxidation was my first thought reading the title.

Interesting to see that you dry-hopped for 6 weeks though...that's just insanely long.

E-2-Nonaneal? How warm were your bottle stored?

+1 Oxidation...

Paddle_Head said:

E-2-Nonaneal? How warm were your bottle stored?

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trans-2-nonenal

dkasamis said:

- nope no cork regular caps, and rubber stoppers in the carboys (glass primary, glass secondary).

- I dry hopped for that long to keep get good clarity. I used hop pellets. (and I was out of town for a while)

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Huh? You dry hopped that long for clarity?? I've never dry hopped longer than 14 days.

Oxidation could also have occured because of how long the beer sat around in these different vessels if they weren't purged of Oxygen. 10 weeks before getting into the bottle is too long for that type of beer IMO.

It's all a learning experience.

Thanks guys. I think i'm going to chalk this one up under what not to do...as far as sitting in the carboys too long may have over exposed the brew to oxygen.

I have tons of hop floaties in my last brew and I guess I was too concerned about trying to bottle something clear. Perhaps I should have put it in the bottle and let it condition rather than secondary. Rookie mistake.

And i'm guessing the brew is only going to get worse if it's oxidation...i'll keep a few bottles around to prove this.

Unhappy to spoiled a beer, happy to have learned something. On to the next one!

Soperbrew said:

cardboard flavors = oxidization.

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Exactly. Hot side aeration (I don't believe it exists), bubbles when bottling, air otherwise introduced after fermentation.

dkasamis said:

Thanks guys. I think i'm going to chalk this one up under what not to do...as far as sitting in the carboys too long may have over exposed the brew to oxygen.

I have tons of hop floaties in my last brew and I guess I was too concerned about trying to bottle something clear. Perhaps I should have put it in the bottle and let it condition rather than secondary. Rookie mistake.

And i'm guessing the brew is only going to get worse if it's oxidation...i'll keep a few bottles around to prove this.

Unhappy to spoiled a beer, happy to have learned something. On to the next one!

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You've got the right attitude for this hobby though. You learn a lot, even from your mistakes. Having a little bit of hop floaties never bothers me after dry hopping as long as I get the taste and aroma I was looking for.