light struck wort

I made a bone headed move and didn't cover up a carboy full of wort. It sat near a window in my kitchen. I smelled the wort and I can tell its off. It is only my third batch and I don't really want to admit failure. Any ideas on how to mask it or should I just dump it?

What is it?? If its an ale you could always dry hop it to mask the flavor... it would be better to taste it first tho

I was planning to make it a pale ale w/ 35 IBUs. I like the dry hopping idea. I also thought about trying to sour it.

You can't unskunk skunk. It's a chemical reaction between UV light and pre-sulphur compounds from the hops.

Are you specifically smelling sulphur? If not, your beer might not be skunked, and might just need some more conditioning time.

Anyway, if it is skunked, you can't condition it out, but you can neutralize it. Dry hopping won't do it, as sulphur is an acidic compound, so adding more acids won't do anything, you have to go with a alkaline additive. The most common neutralizing agents for sulphites in brewing and winemaking are soda ash or sodium carbonate. I've personally never gone this route myself, so do a little research first on how much to add.

You probably don't want to sour a Pale Ale unless you plan to let it sit for 12-18 months.

TopherM,

It doesn't specifically smell overwhelmingly of sulfur. I will smell it again when I get home. I had two batches: one in glass the other in a bucket. The bucket smelled fresh like wort the carboy just smelled slightly different. (not in a good way) I haven't pitched yet. I am open to experimentation.

I would finish the beer out before you worry about anything. I've had plenty of funky smells in wort that disappeared by the time the beer was done. Pitch, finish the beer out, maybe give it a couple extra weeks conditioning time. If you have an off flavor or smell in the final beer, then diagnose it and worry about fixing it.

Wait a minute, you haven't pitched yet? If that's the case, light probably isn't your problem. From what I understand, the skunking reaction requires alcohol, so if there's none in there, it's not skunked. I'd say just move it some place cool and dark, aerate, pitch your yeast, and see how it turns out.

Just curious, why didn't you pitch right away? Wort, by design, is a great growth medium for micro-organisms. If you don't get a decent yeast colony going and pumping out alcohol, you're running the risk of something else moving in. When that happens, the results are usually not good.

Skunking has nothing to do with alcohol. It is the reaction of UV light with a pre-sulphur compound naturally found in hop oils. Hopped wort can certainly skunk.

Wait its in a bucket? Buckets do a decent job of blocking UV light I believe. And you haven't pitched yet? How long has it been by the window? Too many questions.

I stand corrected. There's probably way more than anyone really wants to know in this article, but it doesn't seem that ethanol is required:

http://www.franklinbrew.org/wp/?page_id=395

However, how is it that I can brew outside on a summer day and not get skunked beer, but if I leave a glass of the finished product in the sun, it's gone off in a matter of seconds?

Maltydog

I have split batches. The same wort is in two different fermenters one glass (possibly light struck) and one in a bucket which is now fermenting (fine). It was by the window for a few hours. I haven't pitched the glass yet.

OK well that helps. The only thing that will settle the skunked issue is to pitch as normal (although it sounds like its been quite a while) and let it play out. It might be an interesting learning experience if nothing else. At least that's what I'd do. It'll be beer, right?

I thought it required the yeast to make niacin or something to allow the reaction with the hop oils?

Not niacin, riboflavin