Reader Problem - Too Many Sour Beers!
By jason on Jan 16, 2008 in Featured, Messages to Readers
I recently received the following email from a somewhat despondent reader:
I’ve just read your article on bottle conditioning on Brew Basement.
I wondered if you had any advice/comments on the storage of bottle
conditioned beers.
Perhaps I’ve just been unlucky, but from the few dozen of these I’ve
drunk in the last couple of years, 40-50% are very sour. Some have been
totally undrinkable. Far from improving the quality of the beer, my
experiences have been so negative to make me think about avoiding them
altogether. They’ve just not been value for money.
I’ve bought bottles off the shelf and online from an assortment of
brewers/retailers and had the same problems right across the board.
There surely can’t be such widespread problems with contamination can
there?
Some beers I’ve drunk straight away and some I’ve left for a few weeks
(in a cool garage). The result is often the same - sour to undrinkable
beer in a far too high number of cases.
I’m despairing that I’ll ever get reasonably consistent results which
will allow me to continue buying them.
I’ve written him back asking for a little more information on the exact conditions under which he’s cellaring these beers, but in the meantime, I’m throwing this out to you all. Has anyone here had or heard of anyone having a similar problem with contamination in their cellared beers? What has been your experience with souring beers?
Hopefully we’ll be able to figure this out, I don’t like the thought of somebody not being able to cellar if they want to!
Jason
jason@brewbasement.com
www.brewbasement.com
It depends on the beer he’s trying age as well. For all we know, he could be aging saisons.
Do follow up with more info here though. It could be the type of yeast used in those beers, the carbonation level of the beer prior to aging (the more carbonated, the more likely the buildup of carbonic acid over time, or could be a bacterial infection caused by anything from an improperly sanitized bottle and cap to improper temperature or light exposure. Remember, bacteria can lay dormant until the right conditions awake it. Also, check on the beer you’re aging before you let it sit in the basement for years. Some brewers intentionally add bacteria to get a certain flavor characteristic. When consumed within a reasonable time frame, it’s fine. Over time, you may just get a very sour beer.
techcommdood | Jan 17, 2008 | Reply