Possible Fixes for an "Off" Beer

[Redbeard5289]

Greetings and Salutations Home Brewers,

So I have a Red Ale that has a peculiar after taste to it. Might be an infection but I think its a mutation to the washed yeast I used. The beer finished at 1.008 instead of 1.012 with the Wyeast 1968 I had washed from a previous batch. Beer looks fine but has a definite "hot" alcohol aftertaste to it (Band-aid taste perhaps).

So before I dumped this keg and make a sacrifice to the beer gods... Is there anything I can add to this keg to offset the off taste to make it a bit more palatable? What are some things that that my fellow brewers have done in situations like this?

Looking for options...


Thanks
Redbeard5289

 

[stevedasleeve]

Your very best fix is setting aside for a few months. Seriously!

 

[botigol]

Yep, there was another thread today in which the beer seemed like a complete loss, Band-Aid taste and all, but after some time it turned out fine.

 

[beersk]

Your very best fix is setting aside for a few months. Seriously!

Doubt this. Some beers have no fix. I just don't understand what the big deal is with hanging on to beer. If it's bad and you don't like it, get rid of it, move on to bigger and better things. Life's too short.

 

[nobeerinheaven]

Doubt this. Some beers have no fix. I just don't understand what the big deal is with hanging on to beer. If it's bad and you don't like it, get rid of it, move on to bigger and better things. Life's too short.

Unless the keg is needed for something else, what's the rush? After all the time, energy, and money that goes into a batch, is it not worth waiting an extra three weeks to see if it gets better?

 

[Newsman]

Doubt this. Some beers have no fix. I just don't understand what the big deal is with hanging on to beer. If it's bad and you don't like it, get rid of it, move on to bigger and better things. Life's too short.

I believe that some off flavors can be traced back to fusel alcohols, which will fade with time. I don't know if the "bandaid" flavor is one of those off flavors, but I know I've read a number of posts on this site that state that a lot of off flavors will fade.

 

[billl]

The only thing that will fix a hot taste is time. For slightly off, it would be worth it to just set the batch aside for a bit.

If you let it sit and it gets to the "drinkable" level, you could also toss some dry hops in. Hop aroma tends to mask phenol notes.

 

[hunter_le five]

I've had more than one beer taste bad at first, but upon revisiting months later taste completely different/much better. Set it aside for a few months and try it again later.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Doubt this. Some beers have no fix. I just don't understand what the big deal is with hanging on to beer. If it's bad and you don't like it, get rid of it, move on to bigger and better things. Life's too short.

Whatever. Clearly you haven't done this yourself. 100+ batches and not a one has not benefitted from a few weeks aging. Two or three have been enormously improved from setting the aside and revisiting later. Patience is actually a reall benefit in this sport, but hey it's your beer and your time so do what you please.

 

[ruger988]

When "setting aside" a beer for a few months, whats the ideal temperature range to store it? Room temp, that particular beer's fermentation temp, fridge temp?