Good beer gone bad

[ChrisMoss]

Hi guys,

Wanted to ask a question on here as I've had some really bad batches and then after a while I brewed a good batch - an ipa - a little sweet and didn't finish as strong as I expected (I think a higher mash temp would account for this) but otherwise good.

I tasted it with other people on a few occasions over about the 1-3 months after it was brewed and it tasted good. Hops at their best and really fruity.

However, opened the last bottle now and found it overcarbonated. It's lost a lot of flavour (which I guess could be expected) but also has developed an unpleasant taste with the over carbing. This bottle was new (ie not used on a previous bad batch), however I didn't sterilise (just sanitised) so it could just be a bad bottle.

Do other people think there's any reason why a beer that was great for 2 months would suddenly be bad at 3-4 months?

Thanks again all

Chris

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

What style of beer? Some lend themselves better to aging than others, although three months isn't that long...

Was there a lot of air left in the top of the bottle? It could have oxidized over that time.

 

[flars]

My first thought would be oxidation and/or infection.

 

[day_trippr]

Lacking anything else to go on...^that^.

Cheers!

 

[ChrisMoss]

Sorry good question. It was an ipa, probably 4 months from bottling day. Not loads of headspace, but not full to the brim. The rest of the batch was good so I'm thinking infection in the bottle, but never sure!