Comments on: When Beer Goes Bad – a couple of Questions http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/ A beer blog by a bunch of blokes who enjoy blogging about beer Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:06:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Darren Turpin http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-786 Darren Turpin Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:09:25 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-786 @Dominic - Would that be the Marble brewery in Manchester, by any chance? If so: your beers are bloody marvellous, mate. Keep up the excellent work! :) And I did drop the brewery in question a line. They told me that they'd heard from one other customer with a similar problem, so it must have been batch but that it hadn't occurred again since. They also very kindly offered to replace my bottles, but as they're based a bit far from me I'll probably not get the chance to take them up on that one. But still, they responded quickly and positively and thanked me for the feedback, so that's the main thing. @Dominic - Would that be the Marble brewery in Manchester, by any chance? If so: your beers are bloody marvellous, mate. Keep up the excellent work! :)

And I did drop the brewery in question a line. They told me that they'd heard from one other customer with a similar problem, so it must have been batch but that it hadn't occurred again since. They also very kindly offered to replace my bottles, but as they're based a bit far from me I'll probably not get the chance to take them up on that one. But still, they responded quickly and positively and thanked me for the feedback, so that's the main thing.

]]> By: Dominic, Marble Brewery http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-785 Dominic, Marble Brewery Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:56:19 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-785 Bottle number 3 is almost certainly "ropiness", basically an infection usually down to poor housekeeping and bad hygiene, a familiar problem with novice homebrewers. Don't have time to explain it, but google should answer any further queries. I'd phone the brewery and a discreet word. Bottle number 3 is almost certainly "ropiness", basically an infection usually down to poor housekeeping and bad hygiene, a familiar problem with novice homebrewers. Don't have time to explain it, but google should answer any further queries. I'd phone the brewery and a discreet word.

]]> By: Darren Turpin http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-756 Darren Turpin Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:39:27 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-756 @Pete , @Stuart - Thank you very much indeed for imparting the technical know-how there, just the sort of info I was hoping for. And I will indeed drop the brewery a line, just to let them know and in case it's a batch issue that they can check for in their remaining stock. Cheers all! @Pete , @Stuart - Thank you very much indeed for imparting the technical know-how there, just the sort of info I was hoping for.

And I will indeed drop the brewery a line, just to let them know and in case it's a batch issue that they can check for in their remaining stock.

Cheers all!

]]> By: Stuart http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-753 Stuart Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:23:05 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-753 Both infections sound like Lactobacillus. Acidic flavours and in the case of #3 ' silky turbidity' are characteristic of these organisms. They are the most common spoilers of beer as they are anaerobes. As a brewer the fact that you have micro contamination is all you need to know. You have then to clean up your act. There are a number of expensive time consuming tests that can be done to guarantee that you don't have an infection in the batch but they are often beyond the means of a micro. Both infections sound like Lactobacillus. Acidic flavours and in the case of #3 ' silky turbidity' are characteristic of these organisms. They are the most common spoilers of beer as they are anaerobes. As a brewer the fact that you have micro contamination is all you need to know. You have then to clean up your act. There are a number of expensive time consuming tests that can be done to guarantee that you don't have an infection in the batch but they are often beyond the means of a micro.

]]> By: Pete Brissenden http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-750 Pete Brissenden Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:59:25 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-750 It is a sad thing when this happens, and it only takes one batch like this to ruin the reputation of a new microbrewer forever. My only suggestion for bottle 3 is that when the beer is run out of the fermentation vessel and put into a conditioning tank finings are added to the beer to let it clear before bottling. Normally you would then let the beer clear overnight and transfer it via CO2 pressure, gravity or pump into a seperate tank which the bottling machine is attached to. Either the beer wasn't transferred, saving time and effort (but lazy and risky) and a load of finings were sucked through from conditioning tank to the bottling machine and into your bottle, or the force used to push the beer into the bottling tank was too great and stirred up the finings letting it end up in the bottle. If that is what has happened, it is a schoolboy error which deserves a slap on the wrist. Not only should the beer been treated more gently, cutting corners like that always leaves quality issues. The bottles should also have been observed and tested while they were in storage eliminating any chance of this happening. If I were you, a friendly, constructive call to the brewery in question wouldn't go amiss! It is a sad thing when this happens, and it only takes one batch like this to ruin the reputation of a new microbrewer forever.

My only suggestion for bottle 3 is that when the beer is run out of the fermentation vessel and put into a conditioning tank finings are added to the beer to let it clear before bottling. Normally you would then let the beer clear overnight and transfer it via CO2 pressure, gravity or pump into a seperate tank which the bottling machine is attached to. Either the beer wasn't transferred, saving time and effort (but lazy and risky) and a load of finings were sucked through from conditioning tank to the bottling machine and into your bottle, or the force used to push the beer into the bottling tank was too great and stirred up the finings letting it end up in the bottle.

If that is what has happened, it is a schoolboy error which deserves a slap on the wrist. Not only should the beer been treated more gently, cutting corners like that always leaves quality issues. The bottles should also have been observed and tested while they were in storage eliminating any chance of this happening.

If I were you, a friendly, constructive call to the brewery in question wouldn't go amiss!

]]> By: Darren Turpin http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-748 Darren Turpin Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:10:57 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-748 Cheers Dave. Anyone genuinely interested in improving their product ought to, oughtn't they? Still no idea what the problem actually was though - any diagnostic suggestions out there? Cheers Dave. Anyone genuinely interested in improving their product ought to, oughtn't they? Still no idea what the problem actually was though - any diagnostic suggestions out there?

]]> By: WoolpackDave http://www.blogobeer.com/2009/11/16/when-beer-goes-bad-a-couple-of-questions/comment-page-1/#comment-747 WoolpackDave Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:35:41 +0000 http://www.blogobeer.com/?p=2831#comment-747 I'd suggest the brewery would welcome constructive and sensitive feedback. I'd suggest the brewery would welcome constructive and sensitive feedback.

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