DarthMalt
Well-Known Member
A couple years ago I brewed JZ's Flanders Brown Ale/Oud Bruin and, as it goes, life happened. The beer was left sitting in my parents' basement in secondary (after pitching bugs) for a very long time. I have my own place and periodically stop by for an airlock top-up, but sometimes months went by without even thinking about the beer.
Getting to the point... My father has been nagging me to dump this thing for several months now and I finally made it over there to take care of business. When I uncovered the beer, a thick, white crusty pellicle greeted me and curiosity took over. I pulled a sample and tasted the beer. Surprisingly, it isn't half bad. I expected it to be vinegar at this point: it definitely has a strong vinegar nose, but the taste isn't very sour. It is very dry, which I'm not totally happy about, but it doesn't taste bad. In fact, I finished the whole sample.
I am considering bottling the beer now and have returned for some advice. Do you think the dryness will take away from the finished product? There is little/no malt taste. I haven't taken a final gravity (I'll probably be instructed to do so) Will I need to repitch yeast in order to carbonate? There is a small bit of sediment/yeast on the bottom of the carboy, is it dead? Will this beer continue to carbonate indefinitely in the bottle because of the bugs (will I need to drink it in a timely fashion to avoid bottle bombs?)
Should I even bother with this thing? Jamil mentions in the book that it should be done in about 8 months or so and its been over 2 years!
Advice appreciated. Thanks!
Getting to the point... My father has been nagging me to dump this thing for several months now and I finally made it over there to take care of business. When I uncovered the beer, a thick, white crusty pellicle greeted me and curiosity took over. I pulled a sample and tasted the beer. Surprisingly, it isn't half bad. I expected it to be vinegar at this point: it definitely has a strong vinegar nose, but the taste isn't very sour. It is very dry, which I'm not totally happy about, but it doesn't taste bad. In fact, I finished the whole sample.
I am considering bottling the beer now and have returned for some advice. Do you think the dryness will take away from the finished product? There is little/no malt taste. I haven't taken a final gravity (I'll probably be instructed to do so) Will I need to repitch yeast in order to carbonate? There is a small bit of sediment/yeast on the bottom of the carboy, is it dead? Will this beer continue to carbonate indefinitely in the bottle because of the bugs (will I need to drink it in a timely fashion to avoid bottle bombs?)
Should I even bother with this thing? Jamil mentions in the book that it should be done in about 8 months or so and its been over 2 years!
Advice appreciated. Thanks!