Just got back home after being away for a year and...

...found a primary fermenter that I brewed about 13 months ago.What I remember was that it wasn't a particularly high-gravity beer, a dry stout. I also remember that the yeast worked its magic before I left. Also, no one else lives here and would've contaminated the wort.

My question to you all is this: Is there a way, by looking or smelling, to tell if its gone bad?

I'd like to be able to rescue this beer and not have to dump it out but I'd also like to not have to clean bottles and such for a doomed beer.

What say you all?

taste it and if its good bottle it

It's almost certainly fine, and probably tastes better now than it did the month you left.

Yeah, if it wasnt sitting in some direct sun light for a year I bet it is damn tasty.

The only way you'll know is to taste and smell it.....we can't tell you. We're good by I haven't perfected my "remote beering" talent enough to psychically determine it for you. (I just saw "Men Who Stare at Goats on Friday.)

Wow, that is restraint. I almost wish I had such restraint that I could forget about 5 gallons of fermenting wort!

Pickngrin said:

Wow, that is restraint. I almost wish I had such restraint that I could forget about 5 gallons of fermenting wort!

Click to expand...

I had assumed it was just forgetfulness.

Either way, I'm only posting here so it pops up in "My replies" I wanna know how it turns out!

+1 on the restraint!

Away for a year...were you deployed? Temporarily incarcerated? Lost?
BTW, where in PA are you from? and Welcome to the forum.

mmmm....beer. Give it a shot, it won't* kill you.

*=disclaimer--> if it kills you, I'm sorry but not responsible

annasdadhockey said:

Away for a year...were you deployed? Temporarily incarcerated? Lost?

Click to expand...

sweet jesus!@!@! lost for that long could be movie rights. maybe overseas traveling? hows the beer?

oh man! I'm just hoping he doesn't take 13 months to get back to us haha

I love reading these posts about forgotten beers and wines!

Is there a way, by looking or smelling, to tell if its gone bad?

Click to expand...

Yep, bad beer tastes and/or smells bad. Infections tend to be really obvious. If it passes the smell/taste test, rack it. If you are bottling, I'd add some fresh yeast.

<-Another who wants to know how this turns out.

Rack and bottle it. And then let a friend be in charge of it. Id prefer waiting two weeks instead of 13 more months to see how it turns out.

Pins and needles here . . . .

try it yet?

Hey... dude.... Hellooooooooo?

You going to answer these poor beer drinkers or do we have to hunt you down and confiscate that fine 5 gal of goodness and give it the proper treatment???

Don't hold back.... come on now... we aren't sitting here waiting for nothing... ya know.

We are searching for I.P. address information and will locate you if you do not answer.

So coff it up and let us know the results man!

Say 1....2....3... Cheers and let us know... dang it!

FxdGrMind said:

Hey... dude.... Hellooooooooo?

You going to answer these poor beer drinkers or do we have to hunt you down and confiscate that fine 5 gal of goodness and give it the proper treatment???

Don't hold back.... come on now... we aren't sitting here waiting for nothing... ya know.

We are searching for I.P. address information and will locate you if you do not answer.

So coff it up and let us know the results man!

Say 1....2....3... Cheers and let us know... dang it!

Click to expand...

Everyone doesn't check HBT hourly? Huh, I thought that was a requirement.

This guy just can't stay out of prison, can he?

cford1 said:

Everyone doesn't check HBT hourly? Huh, I thought that was a requirement.

Click to expand...

i have an rss feed to my brain matrix style.

annasdadhockey said:

This guy just can't stay out of prison, can he?

Click to expand...

LOL

time to scramble awacs to pensylvania.

I too want to know how it tastes!

I'm gonna sit here and wait for him....I will refresh every 20 seconds. I'll let everyone know when he posts.

EARTH to tarzan. whats your 10-20? tarzan. signal lost. radio check.

perhaps he's swinging from a vine?

Update - He is not back yet....

maybe he was abducted by ETs

but yeah..he really needs to get back to us.

I vote parole violation and he's back in the pen already....or perhaps a conjugal catching up with swmbo.

Revvy said:

The only way you'll know is to taste and smell it.....we can't tell you. We're good by I haven't perfected my "remote beering" talent enough to psychically determine it for you. (I just saw "Men Who Stare at Goats on Friday.)

Click to expand...

I just got the book. plan to read it next. how was the flick?


Also, i bet the beer is fine, but trying it, like everyone else is saying, is the only way to know. I want to brew another stout now.

avibayer said:

I just got the book. plan to read it next. how was the flick?


Also, i bet the beer is fine, but trying it, like everyone else is saying, is the only way to know. I want to brew another stout now.

Click to expand...

Did you ever get to see the original BBC documentary before they pulled it off youtube over the weekend. They lifted scenes whole heartedly and recreated them with actors, AND wrapped this whole really strange fictional story around the info you'll find in the book. It was OK, but I think, since no matter how one feels about him, Michael Moore has proven that documenteries can be commercial successes, I would have preferred a big screen documentary with Jon Ronson in it, then this comedy.

It was fun, but I really wonder how it will play to someone who is not familiar with the book or the bbc series.

Let me know what you think when you see it.

Well, maybe he's stretched out on the floor with an empty beer glass next to him. Change his handle to "Toe Tag"...

WenValley said:

Well, maybe he's stretched out on the floor with an empty beer glass next to him. Change his handle to "Toe Tag"...

Click to expand...

LOL! Funny stuff.

I love the vicarious voyeurism just fine, but I really like all the hopeful optimism just bursting at the seams for a standard stout that has been sitting a room temp for more that a year, on a yeast cake, likely with a dry airlock for a large chunk of it.
No it wont kill him, but beer ages folks. True, its rare for me that a batch lasts more than a month from when I start drinking it, but I have seen several beers go past their prime and go down hill fast. (and that is bottled and refrigerated)
With that amount of time, I would expect an infection to be blatantly visible, and smell-able.
I'd most likely expect the beer to be stale.

'course, after a long stint in the joint, I'd drink a stale beer.


probably while still warm and flat.

What ever happened to this guy, or his beer?

i want the belgian pint that germey has!