Wee Heavy Tastes Like Solvent, Now What

[weirdboy]

Well, it's a good thing you didn't listen to the people saying it wouldn't fade!

 

[bssrf4]

WOW WOW WOW
This is my first experience in long aging and a complete change in beer.

When I originally started this thread, it was after 8 weeks of aging my Wee Heavy and it was still undrinkable.

I had some today and it was awesome. Complete change in flavor profile. Very sweet with a hint of alcohol (what I would expect a wee heavy to taste like).

Thanks to everyone that convinced me to hang on and see how it ages. I am happy about how it ended up.

Cheers!!
Kevin

Given how potent the off-flavors were, I'm surprised it changed so drastically in 1 month.

 

[chumpsteak]

Well, it's a good thing you didn't listen to the people saying it wouldn't fade!

You called it fusels and said it would fade. He obviously didn't have fusels or as stated earlier in this thread they will not fade. Ask me how I know...I have 30 bottles of IIPA that have been sitting for 18 months waiting for fusels to fade. Still taste like fingernail polish remover and give me an instant headache and throat burn. If the alcohol or "solvent" flavors in your beer fade after a couple of months then it just has a strong ethenol flavor that will fade, those are not fusels.

 

[weirdboy]

You called it fusels and said it would fade. He obviously didn't have fusels or as stated earlier in this thread they will not fade. Ask me how I know...I have 30 bottles of IIPA that have been sitting for 18 months waiting for fusels to fade. Still taste like fingernail polish remover and give me an instant headache and throat burn. If the alcohol or "solvent" flavors in your beer fade after a couple of months then it just has a strong ethenol flavor that will fade, those are not fusels.

Because there is a spectrum of fusel alcohols that vary from just slightly heavier than ethanol to much heavier than ethanol. The lighter ones do in fact fade and smooth out over time. The heavier ones may or may not...but it probably takes quite a long time for them to do so. Your personal anecdote aside, at least fusel alcohols do in fact fade over time.

There is some kind of weird conception in the homebrewing community that fusels == paint thinner. Well, it's not. Or rather, it's not JUST paint thinner. Same goes for oxidation. There is a misconception that oxidation as a fault in your beer means that it tastes like wet cardboard or sherry. Well, that's just not true. There is a spectrum of oxidation, from a subtle roughness to drinking a paper bag. You have to learn that nothing is absolute.

 

[kkimmes]

I should note some flavors I have observed throughout this aging as there seems to be a lot of discussions on this particular point.

When I first sample the beer at around 1 month from fermentation starting, it burned my throat and felt very hot. The aroma was very "alcohol" like. I did not enjoy it at all.

I sampled the beer two weeks later with the same experience.

I did not sample the beer at all for the past 4-5 weeks. When I tried it last night, it was to show a friend what my "bad batch" tasted like. I was obviously shocked at the turn around.

I will say there is still some warm like feel to the beer and a slight hint of alcohol aroma, but I expected some of that for a wee heavy. I plan on leaving the beer sit one more month and putting it on tap at that point.

Hope this helps. I do appreciate everyone's input.

Kevin

 

[chumpsteak]

You'll know if you still have fusels when you drink 1 or 2 and get a nice big fat hangover. I would never discourage you from drinking the beer you made, but hopefully you've learned a lesson about pitching and ferm temps. I was lucky, my first 2 all grain batches were borked so I had to either give up or build a fermentation chamber and do some reading on yeast. Good luck.

 

[JeepDiver]

Glad the beer mellowed out for you.

IMHO If you want to see the difference between "Hot" alcohol taste and fusels, mix up a batch of Ed Wort's apfelwein, let it sit a month and taste it out of the fermenter. It will be what I consider hot, and will fade after time. Then brew what ever beer you want, pitch the yeast (not Sasion) at 85 degrees, and let it ferment out. Bottle and let carb. Drink a few after it has carbed for a few weeks, it will have a nasty taste, and if you are sensitive, give you a killer headache. This stuff will not fade over time.

 

[Denny]

Another note, my LHBS insisted that there would be no taste difference between the scotch ale yeast versus the ESB yeast. I trusted him, but question if I should have.

Wyeast 1728 throws a slight smoky phenolic that gives a wee heavy it's traditional flavor. The ESB yeast doesn't do that and is fruitier. They really aren't the same but the ESB yeats will be OK. What you're experiencing sounds like fusel alcohols, usually created by fermenting too warm. They will usually age out into esters given enough time. Give it some time to see what happens. It may not turn out to be an award winning wee heavy, but it may turn into a very good beer.

 

[blacksquid]

Oh how I remember my first AG batch (Skullsplitter clone) without a wort chiller... fusels (and diacetyl) galore in that one. Tried a bottle 3 weeks after bottling and almost fell in the stairs but managed to fall forward with a snifter in my hand, cutting my index finger pretty bad - tendon damage sucks!