Skunky ESB -- will bottle aging help?

[PhilOssiferzStone]

Long story short, we had a hot spell recently while I had 5 gallons of English bitters perking away in the garage. I put it in a plastic tubby with ice and (tried) to keep it cool, but the SWMBO objected to me constantly depleting our precious ice supply, so it got preeeeetty warm the last couple weeks. I tasted some at bottling time and it didn't seem *too* bad, so I went ahead and bottled it and hoped for the best.

After two weeks, it doesn't taste bad.... just freaking *weird,* to the point where I don't particularly care for it. Those fruity flavors you get from a too-hot fermentation do not mesh well with Fuggles hops. I know the mantra here is NEVER THROW YOUR BEER AWAY LOL, and that bottle aging will cover a multitude of sins, but will it cure skunky bitters that fermented the last couple weeks at temps from 78+ degrees?

 

[Germelli1]

Those flavors from fermentation WILL age out, but it may take a while. If it was actually SKUNKED which can ONLY happen from light activating chlorophylls in the hops paticles, then it won't age out.

If it is just from temps, I would throw them in the back of a closet for a few months and forget about em. They will be good in due time!

 

[PhilOssiferzStone]

Those flavors from fermentation WILL age out, but it may take a while. If it was actually SKUNKED which can ONLY happen from light activating chlorophylls in the hops paticles, then it won't age out.

If it is just from temps, I would throw them in the back of a closet for a few months and forget about em. They will be good in due time!

Yes, I am sure it is from the temp. The last couple weeks I couldn't see the temp on the stick-on thermometer, so it was sitting there at 80+ degrees. The first few days I know I kept it in the low-mid 70's.

I'll do as you say and stick it in the closet and forget about it until around Halloween. If that doesn't do, I'll wait until Thanksgiving. After that, I may simply dump them and start over.

 

[bottlebomber]

I put it in a plastic tubby with ice and (tried) to keep it cool, but the SWMBO objected to me constantly depleting our precious ice supply, so it got preeeeetty warm the last couple weeks.

Next time just get secret bags of ice from the gas station, or what I do is freeze gallons of water and rotate those out. Although its possible your SWMBO would gripe about the freezer space. I guess I take for granted that my wench doesn't interfere with my brewing endeavors