Ruined batch from oxygenation?

[_Keven]

Hello, I brewed a beligan christmas ale a few months ago, and was bottling today and noticed it tasted quite oxygenated from the gravity tube. It wasn't terrible but I tried it from a previous gravity reading about 3 weeks ago and it tastes a lot better. I was out of town a few days and when I got back I noticed the airlock was completely empty which likely allowed for oxygen to get in I was considering dumping it entirely but a friend convinced me to bottle it anyways. Odds it tastes any better by christmas lol? Kind of a rant but just wanted to share with you all.

 

[IslandLizard]

I brewed a beligan christmas ale a few months ago

That's a long time for beer to sit in a "primary" fermenter. It must have been fermented out after just a few weeks, at the longest.
If you were trying to bulk age it, a vessel that could be kept "oxygen free" would have been a better choice, such as a keg, but still, the transfer had to be done as oxygen-free as possible.

Since you already bottled it, just try one after a month or so and see if it improved.

BTW, did you add a bottling yeast for all security, in case the original yeast isn't viable anymore? After all that time there was probably not much yeast left in suspension either, all settled out on the bottom.

 

[_Keven]

That's a long time for beer to sit in a "primary" fermenter. It must have been fermented out after just a few weeks, at the longest.
If you were trying to bulk age it, a vessel that could be kept "oxygen free" would have been a better choice, such as a keg, but still, the transfer had to be done as oxygen-free as possible.

Since you already bottled it, just try one after a month or so and see if it improved.

BTW, did you add a bottling yeast for all security, in case the original yeast isn't viable anymore? After all that time there was probably not much yeast left in suspension either, all settled out on the bottom.

Yeah i was following Northern Brewer’s recipe guide for the Northy 12 quad. They call to age it in the fermenter for a few months. In hindsight I should’ve bottled after maybe 4 weeks tops. I did not add bottling yeast, but I’ve used this strain before (westmalle strain) and a couple months of aging worked in the past. I guess we’ll see. I’m seriously considering trying again next weekend and bottling much earlier

 

[IslandLizard]

I’m seriously considering trying again next weekend and bottling much earlier

Good plan!
Please keep us updated on how the first batch fared.

Bulk aging on the original yeast cake is probably fine for a month, possibly up to 2 months. But I would get it off the yeast cake somewhere in that time span. The temperature it's kept at during bulk aging is also a factor.

Do you have the means to transfer and age the beer in an oxygen-free way, such as to a pre-purged keg or so?

 

[Pennine]

I thought this was odd but they do say move to a secondary fermenter after 2 weeks and leave it there for 3 months.

Like you said 3-4 weeks is plenty in primary and then straight to bottling.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I thought this was odd but they [the kit instructions] ...

Any one who has followed NB over the years (or decades) will recognize the time frame for when those kit instructions were written.

"Conventional wisdom" in home brewing forums moves slow, but yet faster than kit instructions - "change my mind".

 

[_Keven]

Good plan!
Please keep us updated on how the first batch fared.

Bulk aging on the original yeast cake is probably fine for a month, possibly up to 2 months. But I would get it off the yeast cake somewhere in that time span. The temperature it's kept at during bulk aging is also a factor.

Do you have the means to transfer and age the beer in an oxygen-free way, such as to a pre-purged keg or so?

I wish, just working with a standard 5 gal carboy. Honestly I'd say we've gotten pretty got at transferring & bottling while reducing oxygenation with it though. I think the few days where the airlock was empty is was got me in this case. That and just waiting far too long until bottling.

 

[mashdar]

I brew a yearly westvleteren 12 clone, and I mostly bulk age it to keep the bottle trub to a minimum. It also gives me months leeway as far as bottling timing.

I always transfer. I've switched to a keg, but I used to use a carboy filled to the neck.

I once (2023, I think) had and airlock go dry, possibly for a month. Beer had a significant ethyl acetate solvent/pear flaw, but I was the only one who could tell**. It wasn't ruined, but definitely not ideal.*

I always re-pitch this beer at ~1M/mL for bottling, FWIW. I don't with young beers, but months in secondary at 10%ABV makes me nervous.

*edit: Oh, and shelf life was significantly limited. By 1 year it was really degraded.

**Admittedly only two tasters were regular quad drinkers, and I wouldn't say their palates are judge-level.