Varnish smell, throw away?

[alcoholicwhitetrash]

The room where my fermentors are in got pretty hot for a few hours 3 days in a row, i'd say 80 degrees, not going to happen again, i have a AC in there now.

It got hot during the first few days of fermentation, It's been 3 weeks now, the beer smells like varnish and paint thinner, i read it's because of fusel alcohols that were caused because the temp. got too hot, and i can't really find an answer on this, can it be salvaged? should i bottle it or throw it? If the beer is drinkable even with that smell will it be poisonous? I can drink a bottle of St Ides that's been sitting in the sun with the lid off for 2 days but i don't want to poison myself! Thanks!

 

[SilverZero]

It sucks to lose the time and money, but if the beer smells bad now I don't think it's going to clean up and be great or even pretty good. I did a red ale once that was pretty fusel-y from a hot fermentation, and it never got good. In fact, it was a headache in every bottle, but I kept trying them in hopes they'd clean up. Maybe if it had been in the fermenter longer, I don't know.

Recently, I've had what I'm fairly certain was an acetobacter infection in my small batches (smells like nail polish remover, tastes like vinegar). I had 3 batches going in parallel (1 gallon each) that all went bad within the first week of fermentation. I dumped them. I had to dump 2 more for the same reason last week because it turns out the infection was probably in my yeast harvest, not my equipment like I'd assumed at first. I say all that to let you know that I feel the pain of having to watch your beer go down the sink.

Not the same as fusel alcohols, I know, but like I said, choking down a beer that's bad smelling or tasting isn't worth the consequences you'll likely be dealing with the next morning.

EDIT: Hey, this was my 1,000th post!

 

[Transamguy77]

It's always sucks to dump beer but fusel never goes away, I had a batch that fermented hot and had a hint of fusel so I kept it around for like 2 years and tried one every once in a while. Even though you lost the time you brewed them just cut your losses now and don't wait any more time and storage bottling and storing them. Take it as a learning experience and just dump them now.

 

[flars]

The good news. It is not poisonous. I feel your loss though. I had this happen on my first very high gravity brew. I tossed the remainder of the bottles after five years of maturing.

 

[DocScott]

Definitely won't improve w time. With your high fermentation temp, it's your likely cause. I'd just mention to make sure there isn't chlorine or chloramine in your water. Chlorophenols can give an odor that some call hot/solventy that can be confused with fusels if you aren't familiar with the differences. Campden tablets in your mash water will eliminate that potential.

 

[alcoholicwhitetrash]

I decided to bottle and drink the beer, it's beer, and it has that varnish taste and smell but i'm the only one that seems to notice, i drank about 4gal of it so far and no headache, no hangover! I got lucky!

 

[kh54s10]

I decided to bottle and drink the beer, it's beer, and it has that varnish taste and smell but i'm the only one that seems to notice, i drank about 4gal of it so far and no headache, no hangover! I got lucky!

Another confirmation of don't dump it until you give it a chance.

You apparently got a drinkable beer, you know what went wrong. Now brew another, correct the mistake and improve your results. This is often how we learn.

 

[bigplunkett]

Try a swamp cooler next time. Ive tried to fix fusel with brett and time but have had no luck. If you know some one that distiles u could still get use out of it.

 

[kh54s10]

Try a swamp cooler next time. Ive tried to fix fusel with brett and time but have had no luck. If you know some one that distiles u could still get use out of it.

What is left of it. He has said he has already drunk 4 gallons of it.....

 

[GoeHaarden]

What is left of it. He has said he has already drunk 4 gallons of it.....

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

It depends. Are you trying to make varnish? If so I'd say your spot on.

 

[Trail]

I'd like to note that just having an air conditioner won't make your beer perfect... a 64 degree ambient room will have 80+ degree fermentations unless you're cooling the carboy, probably with a swamp cooler as the guys here suggested.

You have options short of a minifridge though... there's a company that makes insulated carboy bags, and you plop the carboy in there with some water and frozen soda bottles. Lower temp by adding bottles, raise temp by removing them. Great way to get where you're going on the cheap.