SavageSteve
Well-Known Member
Steve, tell us more about the rubbery brews. How long in primary, temperature, etc?
Two batches, both brewed on 3/9/08. Fermented and sat around in my dining room which was generally in the 70's (the temperature, not the decade).
Kegged on 6/14/08, so that makes just over three months on the yeast. Damn, I'm lazy.
Anyway, they both have the same off flavor, albeit with slight differences. One is a pale ale, and there is a definite dry, black rubberyness with a hint of sulphur to the taste. The hop bitterness seems harsher, and the aftertaste is where it really gets you. The second, a cream stout, has the same off flavor, but it's a bit more intense and has an acrid element to it.
Both were stored in their kegs in my basement over the course of a year. I put the pale ale in the freezer this past spring, and the taste was still just as awful as the day I kegged it. After several weeks, it mellowed a tiny bit, but it is still very present. I haven't even tried the stout since I know (yeah, yeah...) it's going to taste awful. I will chill it and taste it before I dump it, but the pale ale is definitely going down the sink.
Lesson learned. Steve, don't be lazy. Don't be lazy, Steve. Don't be lazy.
-Steve