In Secondary Fermentation for YEARS

[tmbrewer]

Hello All-

My brother & I made a barleywine back in May of 2008. You know where this is going.

I racked it to a secondary a month after brewing and.. well... there it sat! Until December of 2016? Crazy, yes.. but its been in the secondary fermenter for about 8.5 YEARS.

The airlock dried up and remained so most of the time but nothing appears to have grown in it. OG was 1.100 and I recall it being a very active initial fermentation (with loss via blow-off tube).

It smells actually quite fine and I suspect its high ABV given nothing has grown in it..

I'm curious if y'all think its safe to try drinking.. I haven't sipped it yet because I'm a bit nervous about it. If its safe to "drink" I'll venture to take a sip and see if its worth keeping..

I understand there could be off flavors from autolysis (or who knows what else :>)

Thoughts?

Happy Holidays-
-TM

 

[TheHopfather]

I'd vote to pull a sample and taste it.

 

[Redlantern]

If ain't nuthin' growin' on it, drink some and find out!

 

[IslandLizard]

What a find! Properly aged ale can be exquisite.

However, oxidation is typically a problem, more so when the airlock has dried out. Take a sample, let us know and and take it from there.

 

[porterpounder]

It's probably plenty safe, might be super oxidized, but there's only one was to find out.

 

[catdaddy66]

I had a brown ale once that sat in the primary almost two years. I would think about it but never checked it as other things got in the way. When I finally checked it there was an infection so it got dumped.

Definitely taste it first then proceed as appropriate. Good luck and keep us informed!

 

[Smellyglove]

I wouldn't have any problems tasting sample from it. But if it's worthy packaging is another deal, as I guess it's heavily oxidised.

 

[tmbrewer]

Well I tasted it and it's fine.. I'm not sensing any off flavors though I've never had heavily oxidized beer before so I'm not sure what I'm looking for.. but I expect it'd be clearly objectionable.

The FG was 1.030 so rough computation puts it at ~9.5% ABV.

I went ahead and bottled it.

I'll let you know in a few days if it kills me

-TM

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I want to hear how this plays out.

 

[ChemErik]

Did you add a little fresh yeast at bottling? Interested if it will carb if you didn't.

 

[tmbrewer]

I have to admit I didn't want to tinker with it so I bottled it flat.. it'll pass as wine more than beer at this point anyway ha.

 

[JohnSand]

If you change your mind, you can open some bottles, add carb drops or a sugar cube, and a few grains of yeast.

 

[figgnewton]

send me one...

 

[carolinabeerguy]

So, you made it into the company email. How was it?!

 

[XPLSV]

If you change your mind, you can open some bottles, add carb drops or a sugar cube, and a few grains of yeast.

You may need to add some additional yeast rather than just carb drops/sugar. There is a good chance that all of the yeast settled out over the eight year period. I tried some carb drops on an eised barleywine and the couple bottles that went this route for a contest submission were terrible. Keg carbed the rest and submitted a couple bottles to the next contest a month later and it took silver. Mine had sat for the better part of the year and I think it was a combination with sitting in the secondary for a year and the freezing procedure which combined to take the yeast out. Additionally, higher ABV brews make it a challenge for weakened yeast to start up activity again.

 

[zymurgeek]

Oxidation is sherry, paper or wet cardboard-like. Fortunately, carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, so, unless the carboy was exposed to drafts, the CO2 in your secondary settled to the bottom and kept out the O2. It's probably fine!

 

[Kilo-G]

Can't wait to hear how it turns out.

 

[DPBISME]

So if it tastes OK,

Add Fresh Yeast and priming sugar and bottle or Keg....

Make sure it is a yeast that can handle the high initial alcohol content....

That should do it....

DPB

Hello All-

My brother & I made a barleywine back in May of 2008. You know where this is going.

I racked it to a secondary a month after brewing and.. well... there it sat! Until December of 2016? Crazy, yes.. but its been in the secondary fermenter for about 8.5 YEARS.

The airlock dried up and remained so most of the time but nothing appears to have grown in it. OG was 1.100 and I recall it being a very active initial fermentation (with loss via blow-off tube).

It smells actually quite fine and I suspect its high ABV given nothing has grown in it..

I'm curious if y'all think its safe to try drinking.. I haven't sipped it yet because I'm a bit nervous about it. If its safe to "drink" I'll venture to take a sip and see if its worth keeping..

I understand there could be off flavors from autolysis (or who knows what else :>)

Thoughts?

Happy Holidays-
-TM

 

[heels92]

Well I tasted it and it's fine.. I'm not sensing any off flavors though I've never had heavily oxidized beer before so I'm not sure what I'm looking for.. but I expect it'd be clearly objectionable.

The FG was 1.030 so rough computation puts it at ~9.5% ABV.

I went ahead and bottled it.

I'll let you know in a few days if it kills me

-TM

Hope you are okay, lol. I notice you said you would reply in a few days "if it kills" you. If it kills you, I understand if you don't get back.

 

[JohnSand]

You may need to add some additional yeast rather than just carb drops/sugar. There is a good chance that all of the yeast settled out over the eight year period. I tried some carb drops on an eised barleywine and the couple bottles that went this route for a contest submission were terrible. Keg carbed the rest and submitted a couple bottles to the next contest a month later and it took silver. Mine had sat for the better part of the year and I think it was a combination with sitting in the secondary for a year and the freezing procedure which combined to take the yeast out. Additionally, higher ABV brews make it a challenge for weakened yeast to start up activity again.

I agree, that's what I meant by "a few grains of yeast". How much did you add to each bottle?

 

[Gzuufy]

I'm not sensing any off flavors though I've never had heavily oxidized beer before so I'm not sure what I'm looking for

You must not have ever cleaned up after a young-adult beer-drinking keg party, the next day! You know all those plastic glasses which have some draft beer left in them. Never let any beer go to waste! (please ignore the yuk factor!) Oops, that beer doesn't taste right anymore! Better toss it away, because it's oxidized.

Such beer also has lost its carbonation, and that's a different issue, which also affects flavor.

Now you know how to oxidize your beer.

 

[albino_wino]

Be weary of bottle bombs when u crack those bottles, especially if u recently added yeast or sugar.1030 is really high for a finishing gravity!

I've sadly experienced beer geysers when i bottled a beer at 1020

 

[sweetcell]

Fortunately, carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, so, unless the carboy was exposed to drafts, the CO2 in your secondary settled to the bottom and kept out the O2. It's probably fine!

CO2 is heavier, but gasses will mix (diffuse) with time. so unless there was a continual renewal of CO2 (from an active fermentation, for example), eventually the CO2 will be thinned out by the ambient air to the point of being virtually identical to air. oxidation will then ensue.

given that the OP's air lock dried out, letting in air; and that it sat around for 8 years; there would have been no "CO2 blanket" there to protect the beer.

interesting reads on the "CO2 blanket myth":
http://beerandwinejournal.com/can-co2-form-a-blanket/
http://17crew.com/forums/index.php?topic=5112.0

 

[pashusa]

Nothing csn grow in beer thst can kill you. Did u ***** today?Drink it drink it you *****.

 

[cooperbl7]

For heavy oxidation, you'd be looking for papery / cardboardy notes, or if you're lucky -- for this big beer -- just some nice positive sherry-like & vinous qualities.

 

[david_42]

I had a barley wine in a keg for 5 1/2 years. I was about half way through it, when it developed a gusher infection. Up to that point, it just kept getting better.

Good move not trying to carbonate, at this point the less you do to it, the better. Sounds like you have a winner.

 

[granitapan]

Oxidation is sherry, paper or wet cardboard-like. Fortunately, carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, so, unless the carboy was exposed to drafts, the CO2 in your secondary settled to the bottom and kept out the O2. It's probably fine!

That's not how it works. The O2 and CO2 is fully blended. If CO2 would sink you would suffocate if you laid down on a floor.

 

[laserghost]

where did he go?

 

[RAMBO3602]

what are you gonna do if it tastes like **** when you try it after 8 years? Im nervous for you!

 

[jjeremy]

It tasted "fine" isn't much of an explanation. I want to know, did it taste good?

 

[SeanMcEntee]

where did he go?

I expect we'll hear from him again in about eight years.

 

[brianmef]

How did you forget about that for 8.5 years?

 

[brianmef]

Be weary of bottle bombs when u crack those bottles, especially if u recently added yeast or sugar.1030 is really high for a finishing gravity!

I've sadly experienced beer geysers when i bottled a beer at 1020

If a beer has a high enough starting gravity, it can end at 1.030 and be fine. Depends on the beer you made.

 

[pashusa]

Maybe he passed out.

 

[Enemygod]

I have a Tart of Darkness clone sitting in secondary going on 4 years now. No water left in the air lock of course. Probably be decent salad dressing at this point.

 

[pdxal]

If a beer has a high enough starting gravity, it can end at 1.030 and be fine. Depends on the beer you made.

I doubt a beer in secondary for 8+ years has any fermentables left (whether due to original yeast or any infection organisms that got in through a dry airlock), gushers would only be possible from an infection and bottling above FG.

 

[zymurgeek]

CO2 is heavier, but gasses will mix (diffuse) with time.

Thanks for the correction. It's been many years since chemistry class. However, this information does not support my current beliefs and is inconvenient to my purposes, so I'll be writing my congressman to have those pesky ideal gas laws repealed.

 

[biggmatt]

oxidation taste like stale cardboard.

 

[tmbrewer]

You guys are killing me! ha

You know it took me 8.5 years to bottle it - it'll probably take me another month to down a bottle of it :> Seriously, though, I guess I'll finally try more than a "sip" this evening! Thanks for the info with respect to identifying heavily oxidized beer -- I will be watch for it.

I'm not going to mess with the carbonation -- but thanks for all your replies.

I've never had barleywine so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with respect to knowing how it compares to "good". Though you've got me curious now about trying to find a decent commercial example to compare. I imagine we all know "bad" when we taste it ha

Cheers-

 

[Brewbuzzard]

How did you forget about that for 8.5 years?

I forgot about a 3 gal carboy of Mead in a back closet for three years. Out of site out of mind. It was sealed though and tastes great, what a find. Also, bad beer won't kill you or hurt you. It can leave a bad taste in your mouth and as a worst case maybe an upset stomach. But I'm not a biologist. Just drink it man.