Funky Pale Ale

Ok, I recently started a thread on this same beer because it took forever and a day to carbonate, and left a funky, clumpy yeast deposit in every bottle even after sitting in the secondary for 3 weeks.

Well, it finally carbonated, and last week (after sampling it periodically), it finally tasted quite good. I waited until this week, and I have opened three more bottles, and this stuff now tastes like unadulterated crap. It's terribly bitter (more than last week), it has lost it's floral nose, and it has a terrible Wang to it (kinda cat pee like--not that I've ever had cat pee).

I don't know what went wrong. . .it tasted so good, then all of a sudden took a nose dive. I'm seriously thinking of pitching all of it. Should I just wait some more?? I brewed this beer for a homebrew/beer club night that I'm hosting, and now I'm thinking of cancelling the whole event because of this.

The beer itself is an AG Pale ale (based on several of my past recipes), with an O.G. of 1.069. I used EKG's, Fuggles, and a bit of cascades for flavor. I'm at work right now and will post the recipe later when I get home, for reference.

Any suggestions????

1.069. That is a big beer. How many IBU's?

Before you dump it--give it another couple of weeks in the bottle, and try storing and serving it at some different temps (try a few cold-stored in the fridge).

Give it to the dog or some kids....they wont care how it tastes. JK folks

chask31 said:

Give it to the dog or some kids....they wont care how it tastes. JK folks

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Makinitgood'll take it off your hands...

the_bird said:

Makinitgood'll take it off your hands...

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Classic.

glibbidy said:

1.069. That is a big beer. How many IBU's?

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56 IBU total. I made it with 12 lbs 2 Row Pale, 1 lb 60 L Crystal, 1 lb 20 L Crystal,

used White Labs British Ale Yeast, and bottled with DME.

The strange thing is that when I cool it down for a day or so, the taste does improve, but it looses all of its carbonation. If I pour it room temperature, it tastes like absolute crap and the carbonation is outlandish.

I'm thoroghly confused.

so I guess noone has any suggestions. I was just going to wait and see, although I doubt we will be drinking this at our homebrew night.

Biermann said:

56 IBU total. I made it with 12 lbs 2 Row Pale, 1 lb 60 L Crystal, 1 lb 20 L Crystal,

used White Labs British Ale Yeast, and bottled with DME.

The strange thing is that when I cool it down for a day or so, the taste does improve, but it looses all of its carbonation. If I pour it room temperature, it tastes like absolute crap and the carbonation is outlandish.

I'm thoroghly confused.

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The carb thing is normal. Cold beer can be perceived as being lower carbed, and conversly the same beer will seem overlycarbed at warm temps. But the flavor shouldn't change from good to doo-doo. Usually its the opposite: from doo-doo to good. My only advice would be to see what others think of it. It could be that you taste something 'off' in there no one else might be able to pick up, and maybe its just exagerrated in your mind.
ps thats alot of crystal! Ive got an english ipa that has 1.5 lbs (1lbs 60, .5 20) and im glad i used alot of hops, and a dry yeast because its kind of coying.

jeffg said:

Before you dump it--give it another couple of weeks in the bottle, and try storing and serving it at some different temps (try a few cold-stored in the fridge).

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I would wait even longer. Big beers take a long time to mellow. Just put it somewhere and forget about it for a while. My first AG has a high gravity too and I hate it. I just have it in an out of the way place and so far every once in a while I crack open a bottle to see if it taste better. Time is on your side and if you plan to do any other big beers, this beer will be an important gauge to how long they will take.

Agree completely, although he said it took forever to carb so I figured he had given it several weeks already : )

Bjorn Borg said:

ps thats alot of crystal! Ive got an english ipa that has 1.5 lbs (1lbs 60, .5 20) and im glad i used alot of hops, and a dry yeast because its kind of coying.

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I agree with Bjorn here...I've been shooting for 5-10% crystal in my PA's which has been recommended in a couple different sources of literature I've read. You have 17% which isn't outlandish, but could still probably be cut in half.

Can't really see how this would lead to the problems you're describing, however.

I was wondering about the crystal content as a flavor detractor. . . but I did go back and look at my recipe, and it seems I was a bit off. It seems I actually used 1.5 lbs total crystal instead of 2.

That's a good guidline to follow Baron. . .I'll keep it in mind for the future. I've never made anything this big, so I guess I'll just keep it in the corner and try it again in a few more weeks. I've had it in the bottle now for a good 4+ weeks.

What about the yeast as a contributor to the problem??

Ok, I think I was panicking for nothing.

I was moving into my new house the other day, and I offered one of the pales to a friend to get his take on the funky flavor. He cracked it, poured it, and looked at me, and said, "this is quite good--actually very good." I quickly snatched it, took a drink, and it was a completely different beer than even last week. I've since opened four of them, and all have been great. There is still a funky yeast deposit at the bottom, but that can be overlooked.

So thanks for everyone's input. I should have not worried and had a homebrew.