beer can die.

[yeasty]

for example. i could be aerating my beer on transfer to the bottle bucket ever so slightly. this could be producing an off flavor that is not overpowering but detracting from the best quality i should hope for. now that i have frothed up a batch before bottling i sure will recognize that problem later if i have another occurance. if someone was brave enough to post about doing so i may learn this fact before i ever ruin a batch or think my beer is the best it can be without knowing any better.

 

[srm775]

Sorry, but we don't go there here....we don't dwell on producing fear in the noobs about brewing....

We? Whaddya got a frog in your pocket? I see plenty of people posting.

Besides, there's even threads on here by people who have intentionally tried to ruin there beer, and STILL the mofo survived....Becasue that's the truth of the matter...it is Really Really Rare that "Your beer can die. Despite what you may think....

While beer may be hardier than most think, It's a possibility to have an off batch.

For instance, a pedio infection will ruin a beer and won't give it that "sour" taste that's common for lambics or sour ales. There isn't really any hope for an infected beer, unless you like drinking sweaty, horse-blanket beer with metalic undertones (don't know many people that do, though).

Or, perhaps a way underhopped barley wine. Or, a fermentation that won't finish, which is closely related to an underhopped beer.

None of these are out of the realm of the possible.

 

[JPicasso]

I'm currently sitting on two cases of ruined beer.

I recently constructed my own Immersion Chiller. It's 50' foot of 1/2 tubing ala Bobby_M video. (Thanks!) But, I forgot to clean the thing. I only gave it a quick starsan spray and wipedown. The batch of beer it cooled is decidedly undrinkable. Tastes like mineral oil or some such thing. I've only taken a coupe of sips. It's nasty.

Not only is it nasty, but I suspect this may be one of the rare instances where something in the beer may not be too good for me. I plan on dumping this very soon.

So, if we are using this as an instructional time, for the first use of your immersion chiller, scrub it good with some dishsoap and water before you use it. Or, others have suggested a bath with some vinegar in it. It's shiney and clean now, so now there are no worries. Putting it into the boil for 15 mins should sanitize it. But I significantly reduced the savings of making my own chiller, by wasting a batch of beer.

 

[TexasStu]

See: this thread

 

[jgln]

But it's not IMPOSSIBLE to kill your beer. That seemed to be the point of the post. Oxidizing your beer is a really bad idea!

Since you guys are discussing this again, can I please ask another question? (ok, that one and this one) Is this just a problem just before fermenting or just before bottling or once you do it at any stage you made a big mistake?

 

[Glubki]

When I first started messing with my water makeup I accidentally measured the additives in teaspoons instead of grams - the beer really tasted like shi!.... It's the only one I've completely ruined....

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Since you guys are discussing this again, can I please ask another question? (ok, that one and this one) Is this just a problem just before fermenting or just before bottling or once you do it at any stage you made a big mistake?

IMO anytime after the wort is cooled it should not be exposed to air. But there are a lot more knowledgable people on here that will hopefully jump in and help you.

Edit: disregard this post folks, I had a serious brain fart. See below for proper info.

 

[flyangler18]

IMO anytime after the wort is cooled it should not be exposed to air. But there are a lot more knowledgable people on here that will hopefully jump in and help you.

Aeration is crucial before pitching the yeast- the boil has deoxygenated the wort and the yeast need oxygen for growth; once the yeast is pitched and the ferment is underway, leave it the hell alone.

 

[olllllo]

IMO anytime after the wort is cooled it should not be exposed to air. But there are a lot more knowledgable people on here that will hopefully jump in and help you.

More precisely once fermentation begins (ie yeast is pitched).

 

[jgln]

Aeration is crucial before pitching the yeast- the boil has deoxygenated the wort and the yeast need oxygen for growth; once the yeast is pitched and the ferment is underway, leave it the hell alone.

I use a single fermenter with a spigot about 1" above the bottom. I also use this for bottling so when I do a beer I know is going to have a lot of sediment I siphon off the top instead of using the spigot into a temporary bucket. I then clean the fermenter and put the fermented wert back in with a clarifier (I use isinglass) and let it sit for another week. Last night for some reason the beer was dripping onto the floor so I did it quickly really foaming it up. Since I will be waiting another week for settling will this still be an issue? I bottle prime.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I forgot what I was doing once just like you. Luckily, I did it the other way around and was trying to avoid getting oxygen into the transfer of cooled wort from BK to fermenter. No real harm done there, just took forever to start fermentation. It's surprising how easy it is to have a brain fart like that though!

See!!!! I did it again, but in a post this time!!! :cross:

Sorry for the mis info. I'm all disturbed and on edge today

 

[bbrim]

I had a beer develop some fusel alcohol and way too many esters. It was in the spring and it suddenly got hot before I could kick the AC on. I was the only one who thought there were any off flavors in it though. It peaked at around 82-83 during fermentation. I definitely drank it and it was definitely still WAY BETTER than BMC!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

You can learn from the stories of others (both good and bad), from books or whatever method you prefer, but in my opinion there is no substitute for just doing it.

Some folks aren't the 'jump in with both feet' type and that's perfectly acceptable. In all of the brewing I've done there are dozens of things that I've come across that I never would have even thought of, let alone asked. Nothing teaches me more than physically doing something. I can read it and understand it, but until I actually experience it, it's just theory and or opinion, and we all know what opinions are like.

I will say that from my experience it's pretty difficult to screw up a batch of beer to the point of dumping it. It can certainly be done though. I've done it a couple of times myself.

Like I mentioned earlier, give the beer some more time and if it still sucks then make sure you make note of the things that you think you did wrong and the results that they produced so that you remember not to do them the next time.

 

[dagrar]

My first batch I didn't fully understand sanitation. That went down the drain. Using an food processor and grinding it to much. WAY to astringent. Once would have ok but my dumb ass did it twice. I drank both of them. Once shame on you, twice shame on me, before a third time we buy a barley crusher.