First brew -- good for 5ish weeks then...

[Tarn]

Lost flavor and had a very dry mouthfeel. This was NB nut brown ale. I was under the impression that shelf life should be a good deal longer than 6 weeks. Am I wrong here? Should mention that the bottles were stored in my basement which is in the mid - upper 50's mostly.

I've been a lurker for a while but this is my first post. I appreciate any answers/advice!

 

[scottatdrake]

Yeah, should be longer than that. Not every bottle will be exactly the same. Are you sure you didn't just get a bad one?

Google around for astringency off flavors in homebrew. There are numerous possible causes. See if any make sense in your case.

Don't get discouraged. They'll be a little better every time!

 

[Tarn]

I took a look at the common off flavors page of How to Brew. Astringent seems to fit better than anything else, but only because it lists dry. There's no pucker. I'd say it tastes like beer that's been left out and gone flat if not for the obvious carbonation (and dryness). It's like the flavor has just faded. It's still there and would be not good, but drinkable if not for the dryness.

Happened with 2 bottles the other day and I'm hesitant to open (and dump) more since I'm down to 4 22 oz'ers and a growler. Brought the growler up to sit in room temp for a couple of days and am planning on cracking that open with some friends tomorrow. My dad has a six pack that I gave him for xmas he'll be trying this weekend too. I'll report back with both of our findings.

Thanks again for the assistance. The wealth of knowledge here really helps give us new brewers some additional confidence. I'm also taking comfort in the fact that my second batch was easier, faster, and while young, already tastes great.

 

[HopPhish]

could oxidation be the problem?? i know a lot of times that's reported as a cardboard or bready flavor but I believe it can also be responsible for a lack of flavor???

 

[SittingDuck]

You said you are warming it up before your friends come over. How long are you refrigerating it? It needs a couple of days in the fridge for the CO2 to disolve into the beer, and before it does it can taste very sharp and astringent.

 

[unionrdr]

If you conditioned them in that cold basement,that could be your problem. Conditioning should be done around 70F.

 

[Golddiggie]

How much priming sugar did you use? Is it possible that the dry flavor you're getting is carbonic bite? That comes from priming with too much sugar for the style and getting the CO2 vlumes too high. I always used a priming sugar calculation site when I was bottling. Now that I keg, I don't even think about that. If you blindly added the sugar that came with the kit, that could be the issue right there.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

If you conditioned them in that cold basement,that could be your problem. Conditioning should be done around 70F.

that's what i was thinking, 5 weeks at 55 isn't long enough to condition beer. i've found 4-5 weeks at room temp (68-70) is when most bottled beers start to come into their own. also, maybe 3-5 days in the fridge AFTER they're conditioned to allow the co2 to dissolve into solution. i vote for green, not yet carbed beer.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup,I figured at high 50's temps,it'd take upwards of 10 weeks to carb & condition them. I say move'em to a warmer spot. Storing them @ 50 something F after carbing/conditioning at or near 70F would be fine for their longjevity. Just not good to carb & condition at those low temps.

 

[Tarn]

Wow, thanks all for a lot of interesting points.

Oxidation: Possible I suppose if I didn't put the caps on tightly but I have a significant amount of CO2 on opening and seems like plenty when I drink. It could just be that I got a couple of bad ones in a row though. These are the 22 oz bottles and they seemed a bit harder to cap.

I had no idea the CO2 needed a couple of days in the fridge to dissolve into the beer. That could mean bad things when I open it tonight.

Conditioning: Mostly happened in the upper 60's and as winter set in, my basement cooled into the 50's. Most of the batch was great tasting and carbonated before I opened these couple though.

Priming sugar: I'd have to check my notes (which are elsewhere) but I believe I used the formula in the online version of How to Brew. Working from my very bad memory, I think it was around 2/3 cup corn sugar.

I'm still planning to open the growler tonight with friends but will take the rest of the bottles upstairs for some better temp conditioning and hold off on them. It certainly can't hurt at this point. I'll report on the growler tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Edit: Just read up a bit on carbonic bite and CO2 dissolving into the beer. It could definitely be one of these. I am seeing a lot of head even when I give a nice easy pour that should give virtually none. Would this be a sign?

 

[Yooper]

It definitely sounds like oxidation. Oxidation happens when fermentation slows/stops and the beer is exposed to oxygen. It can happen during racking or packaging. The description you're giving of the flavor sounds like "stale beer" which is one of the earlier signs of oxidation. A astringency on the sides of the tongue is another early sign. Later signs include a "sherry" flavor (called "madeirized") and in severe cases of oxidation it can taste or smell like wet cardboard.

I don't understand the "conditioning" concerns. You can certainly cellar beer in the 50s and it should help maintain the current flavors, as it slows down aging. Once a beer is carbed up, and at/near peak, cellaring will help maintain that profile as long as possible.

 

[Tarn]

Hmmm, I was leaning carbonic bite after having some more last night. Opened the growler and had some friends taste. The basic consensus was that it had a good flavor, just not enough of it and it felt dry. I let it sit in a glass for 30 minutes and the taste came back a bit and the dryness lessened. Left the growler open while we played games over the next 4 hours and it continued to improve in flavor and mouthfeel. It still didn't get as good as it was a few weeks ago though.

I have 4 22 oz bottles left. I think I'll bring them back to room temp for a couple of weeks, chill for at least a couple of days before drinking, and see how it goes. I know there isn't much left of this batch to rescue, I'd just like to know exactly what the problem was so I can prevent it in the future. All suggestions and thoughts still welcome!