To dump or not to dump

[rlonardo]

I brewed a Russian imperial stout back in the beginning of December. I pitched yeast at around 68-70, and put it in a room that sits at around 65. The next day when i checked in it, there was a good fermentation going and the fermometer read 77. I quickly made a swamp cooler and got the temp around 65.

Fast forward 5 weeks to today and i rack it to a secondary to bulk condition it for a couple of months. I take a taste and this thing tastes like pure alcohol. A month in i would expect a lot of the alcohol flavor to somewhat subside. Unless this is fusel alcohol in tasting. I'm worried because if i wait a few months to taste again and it doesn't change much I'll have to dump it anyway.

Thoughts? I had enough ingredients left over to brew up a 1 gallon batch after i made the 5 gallon batch and it doesn't have anywhere near the alcohol flavor. That worries me even more.

 

[Chadwick]

I wouldn't dump it. If it was mine I would bottle it and set those bottles back and forget about them for about a year.

It is simply amazing how time can cure what "ales" you. lol. Seriously though, I've had some beers that were absolutely undrinkable and they sat in a corner for a few years untouched. That time had an amazing impact on all of them. Some of them are very good now. I even had an infected lager turn into an amazing beer after two years of aging in a bottle. It isn't what I set out to brew, but time made it into something pretty good.

About the only exception to this is if your beer has turned to vinager. Nothing will save that.

 

[b-boy]

I'd let it ride for a while and see where it goes.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I wouldn't dump it. If it was mine I would bottle it and set those bottles back and forget about them for about a year.

It is simply amazing how time can cure what "ales" you. lol. Seriously though, I've had some beers that were absolutely undrinkable and they sat in a corner for a few years untouched. That time had an amazing impact on all of them. Some of them are very good now. I even had an infected lager turn into an amazing beer after two years of aging in a bottle. It isn't what I set out to brew, but time made it into something pretty good.

About the only exception to this is if your beer has turned to vinager. Nothing will save that.

This is good advice.
Also don't be afraid to open one on occasion, taste it, and use it in a chili, sauce, or pot roast while it's aging. The heat should evaporate (distill out) the fusil alcohols that you are currently smelling.

 

[flars]

It took four years in the bottle for my temperature error to mellow.

 

[Cyclman]

I would bulk age it, but wouldn't bottle it if it was nasty.

 

[grrickar]

Keep it. Let it mature as others have said. It is amazing sometimes the difference a few months (or years) will make. I make it a habit to try a bottle of one of my batches every 10 days or so. It surprises me how much different a slightly aged beer will taste versus a 'green' beer just a couple weeks off after the bottling process.

 

[kh54s10]

I wouldn't make any firm judgements on a RIS in less than 6 months of aging. Big beers like that take a long time for the flavors to meld and mellow.

Don't give up on it for quite a while.....

 

[Tinpanharry]

I was giving an ice bath to the wort and filled the laundry tub too far, which caused my wort to spill over and ice water to get into the boiling kettle.

I called it Laundry Tub Lager and put it on the shelf. A year later it is a very nice crystal clear copper colored beer with light fruity esters.

The only downside I have heard of is if you make a very hoppy beer, it will lose its hop flavor over time as all beer does somewhat.

TPH

 

[rlonardo]

Thanks for all of the replies. The issue I'm having is that i was planning on using this beer for my wedding in august. I guess i won't give up on this one just yet. I may plan on rebrewing it and putting it in a swamp cooler right away so that i can have a drinkable version of it for then. The 1 gallon batch tasting good gives me some confidence that this is doable. The only thing is that the room i keep my beers in stay pretty cool through the winter (58-62) especially with a swamp cooler, so I'm wondering if notty would be a good yeast for A RIS?

It's amazing how a 24 hour mistake can turn into a year+ correction!

 

[g-star]

I would dump it. Fermenting Nottingham at 77+ degrees (probably closer to 80F internally) is a big mistake as you've seen. Fusel alcohols don't really age out...they just get masked by oxidation and esterification to a small extent over a LONG time.

Life is too short to force down sub-par beer, especially if it is going to be a showpiece at your wedding. Down the drain and re-brew!

 

[firerat]

I wouldn't dump it. But I don't dump anything unless it's infected or tainted in some way.

Bottle it, stuff it in a corner, and sometime around June try another one. Take notes. If it's good, the good! If it kind of improved or changed at all, take notes, and try again next month. If it still sucks, stuff it back in a corner and try again in like November.

I'd make another batch for your wedding though.

 

[rlonardo]

I would dump it. Fermenting Nottingham at 77+ degrees (probably closer to 80F internally) is a big mistake as you've seen. Fusel alcohols don't really age out...they just get masked by oxidation and esterification to a small extent over a LONG time.

Life is too short to force down sub-par beer, especially if it is going to be a showpiece at your wedding. Down the drain and re-brew!

I didn't use notty in the original batch, i used S-04. I have enough bottles that i think that I'll just bottle this one and set it aside, hoping that it eventually becomes drinkable. Since i was planning to use it for my wedding, i was wondering if notty would be a good yeast since my swamp cooler would like stay around 58-62. Our would it attenuate too much?

 

[g-star]

I didn't use notty in the original batch, i used S-04

Even worse. S-04 is a disaster above 72F, but its your beer.

People use Notty all the time in the low 60's, so that should work. I wouldn't worry about over-attenuation with an RIS, which should have plenty of unfermentables.

 

[Chadwick]

I personally loath Nottingham when it ferments too warm more than S-04 fermented too warm. But yes, neither are a good option when doubt may exist on the fermentation temps getting too warm.

I recommend US-05. It is a forgiving yeast that attenuates well. I also feel that beer made with US-05 seems to bottle condition slightly quicker.

 

[rlonardo]

Update

I didn't dump this monster and now I'm glad I didn't. In a month the overpowering alcohol flavor and scent has subsided quite a bit. I imagine that it will continue to do so for several more months. I tasted it today and there is an awesome vanilla like flavor that was not there before. Does anyone have any idea where that could have come from?

Anyway, I'll probably let this age in the secondary until end of March or April. I'll update again then. Cheers!