What on Earth went wrong/how do I fix this beer?

[invivoSaccharomyces]

I brewed a Belgian dubbel back in August (for transparency's sake, it was this one). I bottled it after about a month, so it's been sitting in bottles for well over a month.

Completely flat. Completely cloudy, and won't settle out after weeks in the fridge. Tastes kinda gross (hard to describe the taste, though, as there isn't an easily-distinguishable off-flavor - it's just all-around bad).

What did I do wrong? And can this beer be saved if I add yeast and/or more priming sugar straight to the bottles?

 

[chickypad]

You bottled it about a month ago, but you've already had it chilled in the fridge for weeks? That's a pretty huge beer, I wouldn't be surprised if it needed a few months to carb up at 70 or higher. Then I would imagine it could do with some aging. I vote for giving it some time.

 

[Cathedral]

That big of a beer is going to need time. A month isn't enough, especially if you only bottled with priming sugar. At 12.5%, your goal should have been to add a little more yeast; if you didn't, it's going to take a while. It'll carb up, eventually.

 

[jbaysurfer]

You bottled it about a month ago, but you've already had it chilled in the fridge for weeks? That's a pretty huge beer, I wouldn't be surprised if it needed a few months to carb up at 70 or higher. Then I would imagine it could do with some aging. I vote for giving it some time.

Time at room temps btw, not sitting in the fridge.

As a suggestion, this:

Tastes kinda gross (hard to describe the taste, though, as there isn't an easily-distinguishable off-flavor - it's just all-around bad).

-Is virtually impossible to diagnose. Maybe if you can't give any specific description, ask a friend with a good palate to help. My wife is excellent at picking out off flavors, but she knows very little about beer or the brew process in general. Maybe your swmbo could help.

 

[duboman]

If they were placed in the fridge before they fully carbonated then that's why they're flat.

as for the bad taste, that's a different issue and without any specific descriptors of flavor/aroma it's a shot in the dark as to what went wrong.

Take them out of the fridge and let them warm up for another month and then taste. If it still tastes bad, try and figure out what it is about the beer in smell or taste and report back.

 

[BigFloyd]

Belgian dubbel? That variety needs extra time to mature. Let those bottles sit at 70-75*F for 3-4 months before you even think about putting one in the fridge. Your patience will be rewarded.

Can you give us some info about your pitch/ferment temps and yeast strain?

 

[invivoSaccharomyces]

Oh, I should mention, I modified the recipe down to about 10%abv, and then my crappy efficiency brought it down to 9% by hydrometer measurement.

I've only put a couple in the fridge, two after 3 weeks in the bottle, and another after 6. I only tested one of the ones I put in the fridge at 3 weeks, and the other I haven't touched, but is still cloudy. They've been in the bottle well over a month by now, closer to 2 months. I wasn't expecting it to be mind-blowing at this point, but I had hoped it would be drinkable.

They have been carbing at temps between 75-85F, because I don't have A/C.

 

[invivoSaccharomyces]

Pitch temps were 72, and I kept it there for the first week before letting the temps rise. I realize that it's better to keep it cool even after initial fermentation is done, but that wasn't really an option for me in the summer if I want to have more than one beer fermenting at a time. I used Wyeast 1388 as per the recipe.

I intend to let it sit longer (I mean, I ain't gonna dump it, and it doesn't taste good enough to drink), but I still suspect that something went wrong at some point. It could definitely be that it got too hot in secondary, but I didn't want to mention that before I got feedback. Didn't want post after post saying "your temps are too high!"

 

[Cathedral]

Do yourself a favor and put them in a closet and forget about them.


Eventually, when you stumble across them again, I bet you'll be happy you did.

 

[Trail]

9% is still high enough that you'll want a long time for maturation. Go buy some craft brews and try to forget about your batch for a while, bro.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Pitch temps were 72, and I kept it there for the first week before letting the temps rise. I realize that it's better to keep it cool even after initial fermentation is done, but that wasn't really an option for me in the summer if I want to have more than one beer fermenting at a time. I used Wyeast 1388 as per the recipe.

I intend to let it sit longer (I mean, I ain't gonna dump it, and it doesn't taste good enough to drink), but I still suspect that something went wrong at some point. It could definitely be that it got too hot in secondary, but I didn't want to mention that before I got feedback. Didn't want post after post saying "your temps are too high!"

If your temps are too high, you'll get fusel alcohols and it tastes like rocket fuel, nail polish remover/chemically (<---Scientific term). That should be easy enough to pick out. Flat is likely (assuming you primed correctly) the same thing every one else here has told you. The bottles need more time to carb at room temps.

 

[IslandLizard]

Aside from the aging and carbonation issues you have, that recipe has some inherent problems, IMO. I question the amount of total sugar used (2# of Candi Sugar plus 1# of regular sugar), and overshooting the alcohol by 2% (20% over!). But the bigger concern comes from the note on making the sugar syrup yourself. Also, candi sugar (rock candi) is not the same as candi syrup.

According to this article, RyanBrews: Candy Syrup - The Right Way, using acid in the syrup preparation does not yield a very good or tasty product let alone a Belgian Candi Syrup substitute, like D2, D-45, D-90, or even D-180.

I have another recipe for making "candi syrup" that was posted on the forums here if anyone is interested. I've prepared a hybrid version for the Caramel Amber Ale and must say, that syrup is very tasty without any burnt sugar or acrid off flavors.

Did you use store bought or "home made" Candi Syrup?