Nail Polish Remover

[HBHoss]

Brew help. Took a sample of my Boston Red today and the initial smell and taste was that of nail polish remover. Any ideas where that would come from? It's been sitting in the fermenter for 2 months. I split the 11 gallon batch using two 5 gallon buckets and both have the same smell.

 

[Priemus]

amyl acetate, its an ester produced during fermentation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyl_acetate

 

[ajdelange]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_acetate

"This colorless liquid has a characteristic sweet smell (similar to pear drops) like certain glues or nail polish removers, in which it is used. Ethyl acetate is the ester of ethanol and acetic acid"

and as ethanol is the most prevalent alcohol and there is lots of acetate being passed around in fermenting yeast it is quite commonly found in ales at least. If you live in the UK have a Tetley's

 

[HBHoss]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_acetate

"This colorless liquid has a characteristic sweet smell (similar to pear drops) like certain glues or nail polish removers, in which it is used. Ethyl acetate is the ester of ethanol and acetic acid"

and as ethanol is the most prevalent alcohol and there is lots of acetate being passed around in fermenting yeast it is quite commonly found in ales at least. If you live in the UK have a Tetley's

Any idea if it goes away with age or is it what it is and I either leave it like that and drink it or dump it?

 

[ajdelange]

Fortunately, I have no experience with it at unpleasantly high levels (other than with the aforementioned Tetley's). Amyl acetate does disappear in wheat beers eventually so I suppose there is a chance that ethyl acetate might too. I'd say you have little to lose except some bottle or keg capacity by waiting to see if it declines with time.

The cause is usually fermentation at too high a temperature, especially just after pitching so try to control that next time you brew.

 

[Jmurm]

I dont think ethyl acetate disappears, i would dump it. I just know what it smells like from distilling, and i would never want to drink that. If you fermented too hot you produced a little bit of of it as well as some methanol.