Acetaldehyde in an Old Beer; what to do with Equipment?

[Elshupacabra]

Last December, I brewed a Extract Honey Brown Ale kit from NB. For a number of personal reasons, I wasn't really able to bottle or keg it anywhere near the time it should have been.

Last night, 6 months later, I finally decided to choose what I wanted to do with it, so I took a sample and tried it, it tasted and smelled just like green apples.

I know this is Acetaldehyde, but I read that is most common in young beers, which this obviously isn't. I've heard that it can also be due to bacteria, but the beer didn't show any sign of infection at all visually last night. Would the visual signs of infection dissipate eventually?

So, my main question relates to my equipment (glass carboy, thief, airlock ect.) If this is a bacterial infection, would it be wise to just replace the stuff that the beer touched and retire it to sour beer duty? Or should I just clean the heck out of it and give it another shot?

 

[ArcticBear]

soak everything in cleaner and scrub it all clean then sanitize it thoroughly and you should be fine

 

[brewit2it]

soak everything in cleaner and scrub it all clean then sanitize it thoroughly and you should be fine

And keg or bottle that stuff up. Who knows what you are tasting but if it doesn't look infected then give it a chance to see how it is cold and carbed.

 

[duboman]

So in other records the beer has been sitting on the trub for the last 6 months? Or in a secondary? It has not been bottled and carbonated yet?

In order to really get a true read you need to bottle and carbonate because yes it still, technically is a green beer

If it sat on the trub for 6 months it may have picked up a few off flavors from time but may condition out once fully carbonated and bottle conditioned