Warm beer good, cold beer bad?

[thrstyunderwater]

I made 10 gallons of a smoked porter with a friend back in February. I cold smoked the entire grain bill. I kegged after a month. It was pretty good, and has lost some of its smoke over time.

My buddy got the other half, took it to his place and fermented it. Put it next to his oven where sunlight can hit it and left it in the primary for 4 months. (I told him both were bad ideas). He never got around to bottling it so I was making fun of him and he convinced me to let him keg it with an empty keg of mine. So we did and let it keg condition for 2 weeks. Tapped it today at room temp. It was terrific. Perfectly smoked and had nice malty flavor. He took the keg to his place to ice it down, I get there a couple hours later.....it was cold and terrible. Skunky, had that flavor of under pitched rookie brew.

Why did the flavor change so much from the temp change?

 

[Zamial]

Why did the flavor change so much from the temp change?

The flavor did not change at all, your perception of it did. Beer will change as the temps do. I suspect that the smoke was stronger when it was warmer and that covered up the off flavors.

 

[Desvio]

I recently brewed a smoked chipotle brown, and found over weeks of testing it (room temps) I thought the smokiness was WAY to much, even overpowering the heat from the peppers themselves. But once chilled for an extended time I found the smokiness mellowed way down and almost a perfect balance with the heat, and the flavors of the brown.

BUT it also took a few days of being chilled before it reached it's best potential. Cold is the key.

 

[Alabamy]

The flavor did not change at all, your perception of it did. Beer will change as the temps do. I suspect that the smoke was stronger when it was warmer and that covered up the off flavors.

I don't know about this. Chris Colby, editor of Brew Your Own magazine was on BBR a while back discussing smoked beers. He was very firm on the fact that the smoke essence fades rather quickly.

December 11, 2008 - Smoked Beers
Chris Colby, editor of Brew Your Own magazine tells us about smoked beers and how to make our own at home.
iTunes | Streaming mp3

 

[jc5066]

How much of is due to the longer bulk conditioning? Leaving it sit longer may have obsorbed some of the smokeyness left in the trub.

 

[Alabamy]

From what I remember Colby said the smoke flavor will diminish even after bottling. He compared it to the fading of hop flavor/aroma. Chilling is suppose to slow the degradation.