oops... brewed in the sun--skunk brew?

hoosbrewing · May 13, 2009

So I was about 55 min into my 60 min boil of an IPA, enjoying the first warm, sunny day I'd seen in about 6 months when it occurred to me that the sun had been beating down on my hop-heavy IPA for an hour.

Did I skunk my beer? I guess I could call it Pepe-le-Brew?

Revvy · May 13, 2009

You're worry for nothing...we all brew outdoors in the sun, and our beer turns out fine.....If you leave your carboy or bottles out that's a different story....but don't worry.

:mug:

Hugh_Jass · May 13, 2009

hoosbrewing said:
So I was about 55 min into my 60 min boil of an IPA, enjoying the first warm, sunny day I'd seen in about 6 months when it occurred to me that the sun had been beating down on my hop-heavy IPA for an hour.

Did I skunk my beer? I guess I could call it Pepe-le-Brew?

All is well. Your airlock will be humming the "Copacabana" before you know it. :mug:

HillbillyDeluxe · May 13, 2009

ditto, as long as it doesnt have UV exposure durung fermentation or storage you have no worries.

The Pol · May 13, 2009

It is ruined...

conpewter · May 13, 2009

UV does not hurt wort, only beer. The beer won't skunk without yeast, has to do with riboflavin catalyzing the reaction, that is produced by the yeast.

conpewter · May 13, 2009

Riboflavin riboflavin: see coenzyme; vitamin. riboflavin
or vitamin B2

Yellow, water-soluble organic compound, abundant in whey and egg white. It has a complex structure incorporating three rings. , a compound produced by yeast during fermentation, absorbs energy from light at wavelengths of 350 to 500 nanometers (nm). It transfers the energy to iso-alpha acids, the compounds that give beer bitterness. They then release free radicals--small, unstable chemical fragments--that react with sulfur compounds produced by the yeast. The result is the offending thiol

A skunk walks into a bar ... fighting beer's fouler flavors. - Free Online Library

humann_brewing · May 13, 2009

OH no! it's ruined

Please send it here

<----

the_bird · May 13, 2009

The Pol said:
It is ruined...

You forgot the punchline... "send it to me for proper disposal!"

The beer's fine. Can't remember if it's that you need alcohol or you need the hops to be isomerized for skunking to occur, but there's no issue whatsoever with brewing in the sun.

The Pol · May 13, 2009

You mean I have been brewing in the shade all this time for NOTHING

Zen_Brew · May 14, 2009

That was a good question though. I can see myself thinking the same thing if I had done something similiar.

size · May 14, 2009

hoosbrewing said:
Did I skunk my beer? I guess I could call it Pepe-le-Brew?

hahahaha pun of the month, my friend.

Diablo · May 14, 2009

Is it only UV light that skunks beer or does household lighting also damage it ?

I have my bottles conditioning in complete darkness under the stairs. Is that overkill ?

llazy_llama · May 14, 2009

Diablo said:
Is it only UV light that skunks beer or does household lighting also damage it ?

It's only UV light, which exists to some degree even in househould lights. If your fermenter is indoors and away from windows, you're fine. If you want to be super paranoid, you can cover it up with a t-shirt.

hoosbrewing said:
Did I skunk my beer? I guess I could call it Pepe-le-Brew?

Or you could call it Heineken. Wait, that one might be taken.

Brewmasters Warehouse · May 14, 2009

llazy_llama said:
If you want to be super paranoid, you can cover it up with a t-shirt.

So is it weird that I just hug the fermenter to protect it from light during fermentation?

SmugMug · May 14, 2009

Brewmasters Warehouse said:
So is it weird that I just hug the fermenter to protect it from light during fermentation?

It's only weird when you do it naked. Unless you shower in the same tub your fermenter sits in. If that's the case I hope it's a cold shower.

conpewter · May 14, 2009

Brewmasters Warehouse said:
So is it weird that I just hug the fermenter to protect it from light during fermentation?

I hope you are making something that enjoys high fermentation temp

LooyvilleLarry · May 14, 2009

Yeah, it's trash. The rest of us just brew at night. :mug:

hoosbrewing · May 14, 2009

Cheers. Thanks for all of the input folks. I shall worry no more.

What would I do without this forum? Ah yes...I'd actually be productive at work. :mug:

Saccharomyces · May 14, 2009

hoosbrewing said:
What would I do without this forum? Ah yes...I'd actually be productive at work.

Yep, yep... agreed. :mug:

woollybugger2 · May 14, 2009

i thought about this the other day while brewin' for about 2 sec. then I RDWHAHB!

Nugu · May 14, 2009

I brew indoors, at night. The sun skunks me ;/

patrad · Jun 5, 2009

would a high temp when i pitch the yeast skunk it at all?

i was a little tipsy when brewing and forgot the whole, chill the wort part. the good thing is i did a partial boil, and the yeast survived. it's been fermenting in the basement at about 63 degrees for 3 weeks. i just took a hydrometer reading to see if i can rack tomorrow (it's very cloudy) and tasting the sample, it was a tad skunky.

I'm brewing the kolsch kit from NB.

i bought some isinglass to hopefully help clarification in the secondary.

Munsoned · Jun 6, 2009

I don't think it will "skunk." But, maybe a few odd flavors.

justinh85 · Jun 6, 2009

Nugu said:
I brew indoors, at night. The sun skunks me ;/

+1....I don't have an AG system yet, so I am banished to cooking in the kitchen doing PM's and pissing off SWMBO

Someone wanna donate to the "Justin needs to switch to all-grain" fund?

oops... brewed in the sun--skunk brew?

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

Active Member

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

More Humann than human

10th-Level Beer Nerd

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Be good to your yeast...

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!