Autolysis...BUSTED!!!

[Brew-boy]

I agree if the conditions are right and maybe not 100 % healthy yeast being used there could be a risk. To say it does not exist or will never happen would be a false statement.

 

[Tonedef131]

lolin because the OP thinks his one experience with a beer on a yeast cake for a relatively short period of time has BUSTED a scientifically documented part of yeast life cycle...screw those scientists with their computers and research, conducting experiments to collect cold hard facts.

 

[ISLAGI]

lolin because the OP thinks his one experience with a beer on a yeast cake for a relatively short period of time has BUSTED a scientifically documented part of yeast life cycle...screw those scientists with their computers and research, conducting experiments to collect cold hard facts.

Not to get pissy about it or anything....but over 3 1/2 months on the yeast isn't all that short.

Rereading my OP, i was a little more positive than I normally am. I should have been more specific and limited it to my personal brewing process and resources.

That being said, there's no need to pee in my Wheatie's. I'm pretty d*mn happy about my first real good AG batch.

 

[Tonedef131]

That being said, there's no need to pee in my Wheatie's. I'm pretty d*mn happy about my first real good AG batch.

Didn't mean to dis your beer, I really am happy your beer turned out great and I am sure there are many more of those coming. It was nothing personal...I just hate sweeping assumptions like that.

 

[jeffmeh]

A little reading...

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - BYO and Basic Brewing Radio Experiment: Does Delayed Racking Harm Your Beer? -

Interesting reading, though an extra two weeks on the yeast cake after fermentation completes is likely way too little time to tempt the autolysis demon. Also, as a serious study it may have been fundamentally flawed, as most of the tastings were not blind. Even for the blind one it was not clear whether they did an A-A-B or just an A-B-C. Telling someone that there are three different beers and to describe the taste differences is very different than telling them that there are two different beers among the three, determine which two are the same, then describe the taste differences. Identifying the matching beers is an objective outcome with a 50/50 chance of random success. Everything else is completely subjective. The placebo effect is alive and well.

That being said, with the large number of people on here that opt for an extended primary, and the very few who report a problem, it is very reasonable to conclude that 3-4 weeks is highly unlikely to result in autolysis.

Maybe today is the day I should rack my Apfelwein that is on day 168 in primary, lol.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I dumped a batch yesterday which was ruined from autolysis.

I re-pitched some washed yeast from last November into a starter without re-washing it. Fermentation was fine, but there was enough dead yeast from the jar in the starter which in turn made it into the batch to ruin the whole batch of beer.

Now that I have started slanting, I will only wash yeast if I plan to re-pitch it within a couple of weeks. Lesson learned!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I dumped a batch yesterday which was ruined from autolysis.

So how bad was it, and what tastes/smells were apparent? Was it subtle, or extreme and utterly undrinkable? Vegemite ale?

 

[Saccharomyces]

So how bad was it, and what tastes/smells were apparent? Was it subtle, or extreme and utterly undrinkable? Vegemite ale?

Meaty and rubbery tasting. It wasn't Satan's anus, but I have too much homebrew around to even think about wanting to choke it down.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Maybe today is the day I should rack my Apfelwein that is on day 168 in primary, lol.

Well, that depends if it has cleared yet or not.

I have left primaries sit from 2 to 4 months and have not had this problem. Not saying it does not happen, it just seems kind of hard to do as a home brewer.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm drinking a Mild right now that sat in Primary for 6 wks. It's a beaut.

 

[SavageSteve]

Steve, tell us more about the rubbery brews. How long in primary, temperature, etc?

Two batches, both brewed on 3/9/08. Fermented and sat around in my dining room which was generally in the 70's (the temperature, not the decade).

Kegged on 6/14/08, so that makes just over three months on the yeast. Damn, I'm lazy.

Anyway, they both have the same off flavor, albeit with slight differences. One is a pale ale, and there is a definite dry, black rubberyness with a hint of sulphur to the taste. The hop bitterness seems harsher, and the aftertaste is where it really gets you. The second, a cream stout, has the same off flavor, but it's a bit more intense and has an acrid element to it.

Both were stored in their kegs in my basement over the course of a year. I put the pale ale in the freezer this past spring, and the taste was still just as awful as the day I kegged it. After several weeks, it mellowed a tiny bit, but it is still very present. I haven't even tried the stout since I know (yeah, yeah...) it's going to taste awful. I will chill it and taste it before I dump it, but the pale ale is definitely going down the sink.

Lesson learned. Steve, don't be lazy. Don't be lazy, Steve. Don't be lazy.

-Steve

 

[passedpawn]

Fermented and sat around in my dining room which was generally in the 70's (the temperature, not the decade).

Steve, you make me laugh.

 

[SavageSteve]

Steve, you make me laugh.

Heh! Thanks.

I'm always intrigued with language and communication, and as I typed that, I realized it could be taken two ways (at least in my twisted mind).

-Steve

 

[z987k]

yeah I don't think we should ever say something is impossible to get. Just in some cases very hard and the conditions have to be just right. I age all my beers at least a month in the primary.
Like HSA, it's a boogeyman of homebrewing, but if I tried really hard, I bet I could produce a beer with HSA.... but probably not without trying to do so. That said, I don't ever get a feces taste in my beer either, but if I took a **** in it....

ok, nuff beer and typing.

 

[Rick500]

I left an Irish Red ale in the primary (Wyeast 1084) for 9 months.

It turned out kind of flavorless except for a bready, slightly stale note. No meaty flavor.

 

[McKBrew]

What I think the OP meant was that the chances of autolysis are probably very small even in longer aged beers. There are still books out there saying that you should not leave beer in primary for more than a few weeks and most of us know that that is pretty much bunk.

He even admitted he was just a little bit stoked because he was expecting it and didn't get it.

 

[Evan!]

ha, nice. good on you.

Your opinion is invalid based on your stupid-ass avatar. FAKE FIELD GOAL, *******!

 

[mmb]

I dunno but the beer always tends to have a slight glow.

That must really help you to pee at night...

 

[EoinMag]

I experienced autolysis recently, at least I think that's what it was. I was reculturing some yeast from a Franziskaner weizen and left it in the laundry room, which heats up because of the washer and drier. I forgot about it for a month or two. Man that thing was rank when I went to tip it out recently, terrible terrible smell.