cream ale going tart/sour with age?

[domdom]

i'm packing up for a big move to st louis. i found a few old cream ales that have been sitting around for a good year and tried them. they've gotten a lot drier and a little tart/sour. not a bad thing, but curious as to why this might be happening. they were based on the northern brewer speckled heffer recipe. maybe something to do with the corn in it?

 

[domdom]

*bump* still curious on this one. i've tried several other styles of beer (apricot wheat, dark belgian, etc) that had been sitting around for a year and haven't noticed it from them.

 

[IL1kebeer]

Sanitation might have been an issue. Most homebrewed beer is consumed within a month or two so people don't really think they have sanitization problems because the beer is drank before the effects are noticed. But if you hold those beers for a year an infection will have an effect.

Oxidation could have an effect as well. Lighter malts aren't as stable as darker malts when it comes to oxidation and even if you we're careful there will be oxidation after a year. Something about the darker malts being rich in antioxidants keeps them more stable. This probably won't lend a sour taste but more of a sherry like taste that depending on the palate might be confused for a tart funky taste.

 

[BanginBanjo]

I would suspect a small infection that took time to become noticeable. In lighter beers with lower ABV, it's a lot easier to notice flaws and off-flavors, especially over such a long period of time. This beer is probably 8-9 months past it's prime, so off-flavors will probably be present from age alone, but sour/tartness usually comes from a wild yeast.

 

[domdom]

thanks for the info. is it still safe to drink?
honestly, i kind of like it in a way, sort of like a fake belgian sour ale. might try holding on to some for even longer.

 

[pdxal]

Safe to drink? Yes, nothing harmful grows in beer.
(sounds like an infection to me)

 

[Mongrel]

(sounds like an infection to me)

Sure, but cream ales aren't exactly designed to stand up to a year of aging.

 

[Beernik]

I agree with an infection. It happened to me with two beers. I traced the infection source to bottles I could not get visibly clean before sanitizing.