Five Months Old Belgian Wit Still Undrinkable

Hey Guys-

I made a Belgian wit about five months ago. I followed a recipe for a beer that was supposed to have mild hints of the coriander and orange. I wanted a more pronounced flavor of coriander and orange so I added a little more spice. Don't ask me how much, I didn't measure.

Well, needless to say when the brew finished, I kegged it an let it sit for a couple weeks. I tried it. The flavors were very pronounced not bad, but when I swallowed it really tasted the sour. This sour flavor went the whole way down my throat. Saying that it felt like a VURP (def:burping stomach acid) when I swallowed is the closet thing in which I can liken it. This wasn't pleasant. I thought ooops, I should leave this sit a while.

I tried it every now and then, the sour has mellowed.... slightly. But the beer is still not enjoyable. Its has been five months, will it mellow further? Will it be safe to drink, if I wait a year? Has anyone had experience with this problem. Can I add anything to my beer to mellow the flavor?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Beer is virtually always "safe to drink". On the other hand, it's not always pleasant to drink. If I were in your shoes, I'd look at ways to use that beer in cooking. There may be those on this forum that disagree and would tell you to leave it even longer, but 5 months is a long time for a wit. Leave a wit too long, and it loses the characteristics that make it a wit, such as the delicate spice and citrus flavors. I say if you don't like it at this point, then it's not likely to ever become the beer you want it to be. Brew it again, measure the spices this time, and try this batch in a recipe or two. Here's one to start you off: http://www.homebrewchef.com/CranberryWitSauce.html

Even a huge amount of orange peel isn't going to give you a sour flavor like that. Well, a HUGE amount would, but going from half an ounce to a full ounce of orange peel certainly won't. If it was a standard Belgian Wit recipe, it really shouldn't be giving you that sourness at any point, and as a beer somewhere around 5%, you should expect it to be good while fresh.

I would assume that there was some sort of contamination. Did you sample the beer at all before you kegged it? I really hate to say that it's a dumper, but it sounds like it to me. :-/

I feel your pain. I have had a few beers that just never taste good after months and months.

1. Using it for cooking is probably a good idea.... Any recipes?

2. I was afraid contamination might be part of the culprit. I did sample it before kegging. It did have the sour characteristic at that time.

Probably a totally stupid question, but just in case, did you grate your own orange peel? If so, you kept the pith (white stuff) out, right?

Everyone always says that stuff has an intense, unpleasant. bitterness.

I heard the same thing about the white pith.

I bought the orange peel. I don't think the pith was still attached when it was dried.

I, too, am suffering from a sour Belgian Wit. My problem was I got very busy since brewing it and it sat about 4 months on the yeast. But, yes, I've heard my sour 'tang' could be from too much coriander or orange peel. I used dried, but could have been too much coriander. Taking it to my local brew club next week for 'expert' opinions!

Lots of beer recipes out there---I usually use not-to-my-drinking-tastebuds for marinating meats.

J.

can you post your full recipe?