Skunk beer tastes like....

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BWRIGHT

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My final extract brew I'm not so sure about. I went out on a limb and basically came up with something on my own. I don't have the recipe handy but that wasn't the problem. I came home one day and my cat had pulled the shirt off my secondary. Not only that, but the SWMBO decided to move it a couple of feet so she could vaccum. When I got home the sunlight was shining directly into my carboy. I was extremely ticked off and acted accordingly. My question is: What does skunked beer taste like. From my understanding, the best example of skunked beers are Corona or Heineken in a bottle. Both of those beers seem to have that kind of "skunk fart" smell and taste when you open them. Is this the only way a skunked beer can taste? I just poured my first pint from that batch and there is somethin I just can't put my finger on. Need some help. Will post recipe if necessary.
 
I'm drinking it right now. It doesn't have that "corona" taste. I was wondering if all skunked beer has that skunk anus taste or if it can impart different taste depending on the type of hops that are used. Maybe my impromtu recipe making skills just aren't up to par. I'm going to drink it, but I'm definitely dissapointed at this point.
 
its the oils of the hops that are getting light damaged, and there's only a few types of hop oils, present in all hops...just in varying degrees.

I have no doubt your beer got skunked...but the question is 'to what extent?' a little skunkiness is probably what you are tasting...not enough to ruin the beer, but just enough that your discerning taste buds are gonna raise a red flag.

the fact it was a full carboy probably helped, as the light likely could not penetrate to the center of the liquid mass...so only part of the contents were light damaged, and then during bottling got mixed back into the unskunked beer.
 
My final extract brew I'm not so sure about. I went out on a limb and basically came up with something on my own. I don't have the recipe handy but that wasn't the problem. I came home one day and my cat had pulled the shirt off my secondary. Not only that, but the SWMBO decided to move it a couple of feet so she could vaccum. When I got home the sunlight was shining directly into my carboy. I was extremely ticked off and acted accordingly. My question is: What does skunked beer taste like. From my understanding, the best example of skunked beers are Corona or Heineken in a bottle. Both of those beers seem to have that kind of "skunk fart" smell and taste when you open them. Is this the only way a skunked beer can taste? I just poured my first pint from that batch and there is somethin I just can't put my finger on. Need some help. Will post recipe if necessary.

If you want to know what skunked beer really tastes like, take a pilsner, pour half into a pint glass, and sit it outside in the sun for one hour. Then pour the other half into another glass, and compare side by side.

Most likely your beer isn't too skunked since you caught it early and it was still in a carboy.

- Eric
 
Isomerised alpha acids react with UV producing a chemical that is exactly the same thing produced in skunk glands.

Exactly.

Mother Nature has a twisted sense of humor.
 
pour one in a glass and let it sit out in the light for a little bit...you will tell within 20 minutes i bet.

or take a clear bottle beer or green bottle let it sit out in light and then get the same beer in a can or brown bottle and compare you will see the difference
 
Yeah, its crazy how that works. I don't know if you've ever had Heineken in a can or not, but the difference is unbelieveable. It doesn't even taste like Heineken in a can. I would bet that Corona would be much better in a can than in a bottle. My question is how the hell does MGD get away with it? I used to drink it and don't remember it ever being skunked like that. Maybe because the hop level is so low?
 
Yeah, its crazy how that works. I don't know if you've ever had Heineken in a can or not, but the difference is unbelieveable. It doesn't even taste like Heineken in a can. I would bet that Corona would be much better in a can than in a bottle. My question is how the hell does MGD get away with it? I used to drink it and don't remember it ever being skunked like that. Maybe because the hop level is so low?

Corona is sold in cans and tastes the same. They intentionally skunk the Corona before packaging and shipping it...
 
Try any beer that comes in a green bottle. You will notice they all have a similar smell and taste. That's the skunk.
 
:mug:
I'm drinking it right now. It doesn't have that "corona" taste. I was wondering if all skunked beer has that skunk anus taste or if it can impart different taste depending on the type of hops that are used. Maybe my impromtu recipe making skills just aren't up to par. I'm going to drink it, but I'm definitely dissapointed at this point.

If it smell like a skunk's anus, I ain't drinking it!:D
 
Yeah, its crazy how that works. I don't know if you've ever had Heineken in a can or not, but the difference is unbelieveable. It doesn't even taste like Heineken in a can.


Agreed...I'll always buy the cans over the bottles.

heini.jpg
 
Yeah, its crazy how that works. I don't know if you've ever had Heineken in a can or not, but the difference is unbelieveable. It doesn't even taste like Heineken in a can. I would bet that Corona would be much better in a can than in a bottle. My question is how the hell does MGD get away with it? I used to drink it and don't remember it ever being skunked like that. Maybe because the hop level is so low?
Miller doesn't use real hops. They use a hop extract that is a chemically modified version of hop's alpha acids. They don't isomerize the hops, so there is no isohumulones to decompose.
 
If you did not have a cover on your carboy, start covering it. Even if you just wrap a towel around it or pull a dark t-shirt over it. Anything is better than nothing in this case.

And, be careful about giving the SWMBO too much about moving the carboy to vacuum. Beer is great, but it's not worth becoming a steer. ;)


TL
 
I'm drinking it right now. It doesn't have that "corona" taste. I was wondering if all skunked beer has that skunk anus taste or if it can impart different taste depending on the type of hops that are used. Maybe my impromtu recipe making skills just aren't up to par. I'm going to drink it, but I'm definitely dissapointed at this point.

Thread bumped up just for "skunked anus taste" !
:cross:
 
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