Somewhere between 2002 and 2005, (I don't have my notes with me right now), I made a batch of banana wine/beer. On the recommendation of some friends I entered it in the state fair and came away with an "Honorable Mention". It was good stuff. However, I am a patient person, and decided to let it age for 'a while'. About 6 months after bottling, I got a bottle out and had a swig. Ptooey! I spit it out! It tasted like paint remover smells! Man I was bummed! I got on the internet and did some reading on banana 'beer' and every source I read said,
(On a side note, I keep putting "beer" in quotes because the colloquial term for fermented bananas is "beer", as in the alliterative 'banana beer', but as I understand 'things', fermented fruit is 'wine' and fermented grain is 'beer'. I see it referred to 'wine' most often here, and will continue using that terminology.)
Back on topic, I am one of those people that does not easily throw things away. I thought MAYBE it MIGHT age back to at least 'tolerable'. Well, it's been 8 to 11 years now, and it doesn't taste much better, although MAYBE slightly.
I was recently told by the person at my local home brewing store that just about everything 'wrong' with a batch of wine can be fixed by mixing or aging. But NOT "acetone". "Acetone" is just "not fixable".
Resistant to the end (AKA hard-headed), with respect to 'tossing it', I went through the threads on HBT looking for "acetone" and "banana wine". I found one general point repeated several times that was 'curious', and some interesting comments on "acetone" so I thought I would start this thread to see if I could get some specific answers and/or insight into what happened, and some suggestions on whether or not this stuff is salvageable.
The first 'curious' issue is that I read almost everywhere on HBT that banana wine can easily be - and maybe SHOULD BE - AGED TWO YEARS! This is certainly inconsistent with just about everything I read "on the web". (Meaning at places that discuss banana beer from a cultural perspective or general recipes, etc. as opposed to brewing sites.) Maybe someone can clarify what I'm 'missing' on the subject of aging banana wine.
On the issue of "what to do at this point" about "acetone", I found this interesting comment in post #3 on this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=360551
So... what say 'you'?
Does anyone think this stuff is salvageable?
Does anyone have a suggestion for what to do different than 'aerate'? (Besides, "toss it".)
What's the story on "aging" banana wine?
Thanks,
Paul
Dang!"DOES NOT AGE. Is consumed immediately following brewing."
(On a side note, I keep putting "beer" in quotes because the colloquial term for fermented bananas is "beer", as in the alliterative 'banana beer', but as I understand 'things', fermented fruit is 'wine' and fermented grain is 'beer'. I see it referred to 'wine' most often here, and will continue using that terminology.)
Back on topic, I am one of those people that does not easily throw things away. I thought MAYBE it MIGHT age back to at least 'tolerable'. Well, it's been 8 to 11 years now, and it doesn't taste much better, although MAYBE slightly.
I was recently told by the person at my local home brewing store that just about everything 'wrong' with a batch of wine can be fixed by mixing or aging. But NOT "acetone". "Acetone" is just "not fixable".
Resistant to the end (AKA hard-headed), with respect to 'tossing it', I went through the threads on HBT looking for "acetone" and "banana wine". I found one general point repeated several times that was 'curious', and some interesting comments on "acetone" so I thought I would start this thread to see if I could get some specific answers and/or insight into what happened, and some suggestions on whether or not this stuff is salvageable.
The first 'curious' issue is that I read almost everywhere on HBT that banana wine can easily be - and maybe SHOULD BE - AGED TWO YEARS! This is certainly inconsistent with just about everything I read "on the web". (Meaning at places that discuss banana beer from a cultural perspective or general recipes, etc. as opposed to brewing sites.) Maybe someone can clarify what I'm 'missing' on the subject of aging banana wine.
On the issue of "what to do at this point" about "acetone", I found this interesting comment in post #3 on this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=360551
gratus fermentatio said:"Fingernail Polish Remover Smell: The wine is contaminated with ethyl acetate. There are three ways a wine can become thus contaminated. (1) Ethyl alcohol and oxygen can interact to create acetaldehyde, which can react with oxygen to create acetic acid (vinegar), which in turn can react with ethyl alcohol to create ethyl acetate. This pathway can be easily shut down by preventing oxygen exposure with the wine. Since this is impossible, one can at least minimize it to what is absolutely necessary (racking, stirring, testing, bottling). This can be done by topping up adequately, using an inert gas (such as argon -- or even CO2) to sparge the new carboy of oxygen when racking, leaving the bung on the carboy except when absolutely necessary to break the seal, and keeping sulfur dioxide levels sufficiently high that no vacant molecular interstices exist for oxygen to populate. (2) Bacterial contamination of the wine (by acetobacter) can allow the creation of acetic acid, which then combines with ethyl alcohol in the wine to form ethyl acetate. The key to prevention, again, is maintaining an aseptic level of sulfur dioxide to preclude contamination and/or prevent contamination the same way oxygen exposure is prevented. (3) Finally, ethyl acetate contamination can be created by yeast under stress as well as by many bacteria besides acetobacter. In the first instance, maintaining an optimal temperature for the yeast strain employed, using a good mineral water in the must (if water is even used), yeast nutrient for non- grape wines, and a nitrogen source (Yeastex-61 or some other specialized nutrient) for yeast strains requiring ample nitrogen (see Strains of Wine Yeast) will eliminate yeast stress. In the second instance, if you follow the procedures for preventing acetobacter contamination, you will prevent the others as well.
In many cases of ethyl acetate contamination, running a small aquarium pump through an airstone "blows" ethyl acetate away in just a few days. Of course, the wine usually oxidizes during this treatment but can be consumed quickly or converted into a fortified wine in which oxidation is a requirement (such as Sherry or Madeira-type wines). In more severe cases, the ethyl acetate will be blown off only to reveal excessive acetic acid. When this occurs, the wine cannot be saved."
So... what say 'you'?
Does anyone think this stuff is salvageable?
Does anyone have a suggestion for what to do different than 'aerate'? (Besides, "toss it".)
What's the story on "aging" banana wine?
Thanks,
Paul