Help me save it's life!!

I need some advise on "covering" the off flavor caused by exposure to light.

The style is a light colored honey hefeweizen (srm 15). I have been putting my primary (glass carboy) in the wife's laundry room and draping a dark flannel shirt around it to block the light. (there's a 2'x3' window with direct sunlight in the room). It's just been to cold in the basement this winter.

I racked the beer to secondary last night and tasted a little. I think one of my kids or my wife must have moved the shirt off of the carboy and exposed the fermenting brew to indirect sunlight because i can taste a stale cardboardish flavor (aftertaste really).

I was thinking of putting a flavor extract in at bottling to try and "cover" this flavor. Apricot maybe??

Have you brewed this recipe before? It may just be the green taste of this brew.

The only flavor light exposure creates is skunky. Wet cardboard is a hot-side oxidation problem, most of the time. Wait to see how it is after the secondary.

david_42 said:

The only flavor light exposure creates is skunky. Wet cardboard is a hot-side oxidation problem, most of the time. Wait to see how it is after the secondary.

Click to expand...

And it's the hops that skunk when exposed to certain lights. Probably not much hops in a hefeweizen to begin with?

Lounge Lizard said:

And it's the hops that skunk when exposed to certain lights. Probably not much hops in a hefeweizen to begin with?

Click to expand...

Well there you go...I alway assumed it was a reaction of the yeast to UV.

It's also normal to have a cardbordy/pasty taste in a young beer that's got a lot of wheat in it.

I wouldn't worry just yet.

All of my brews get some indirect light, and I have not had a problem yet. I have, however, started putting a couple of my old fleece vests over the carboys, as they are great for holding temp. Even before that, though, no real issues.

Thanks fella's

This sounds encouraging. Perhaps all is well on the yeastern front?? In a rare moment of weakness I seem to have forgotten to "RDWHAHB".

I especially liked hearing that many wheat styles have this taste early on. I will bottle it up and let it condition. I hope it will relieve a powerfull thirst on a hot summer day in about 3 months.

dave.

Here's an update on the Hefe.

After a month in the bottle, IT'S FREAKIN' GREAT!!

Thanks for the reassuring advice you guys gave me. Lesson learned.

dave-m said:

Here's an update on the Hefe.

After a month in the bottle, IT'S FREAKIN' GREAT!!

Click to expand...

Glad to hear it.....