5 replies to this topic

[chadm75]

I took a chance recently and pitched some 1272 dated with a mfg date of 8/11. My smack pack swelled nicely and the beer fermented fine. My OG on this beer was 1.046 and fermented down to 1.011. From the primary (nine days), I racked and gel'd it to a secondary in my chest freezer. After two weeks, I kegged it. It was crystal clear heading to the keg. I carbed it and went in for a taste yesterday....puuuuuuuhoooo-ahhh! Awful! Tasted like cardboard. Undrinkable. Five gallons about to be dumped...My question is this. If I would have pitched say a packet of US05 bought last week, instead of a 10 month old smack pack. How much would that have affected the actual flavor of this beer? The beer did ferment great so I have to think my yeast count was still good. Did the yeast mutate to create this off flavor? There were no oxidation issues and it wasn't infected. My process was the same as I've been doing for five years! Thoughts from the board?!

Edited by chadm75, 25 July 2012 - 01:17 PM.

[Big Nake]

That's a tough one. I usually decide that a yeast is good or not when I make a starter and get it on the stirplate. It helps if it's a Wyeast Activator and the pack swells. But I actually had an old pack of 1272 myself and when I poured it into the starter, the yeast was very dark and had an unusual aroma. I ended up not using that yeast because the smell coming from the starter was not good. But this yeast of yours wasn't really THAT old and if the starter behaved fine and the yeast looked and smelled okay, could it have been infected? Cardboard usually suggests oxidation... any clue there?Ps. How did the beer smell during primary? Everything else went normally... primary fermentation temp was kept low and all that?

Edited by KenLenard, 25 July 2012 - 01:28 PM.

[djinkc]

Cardboard is a dinger for oxidation. I've used well stored smackpacks that old before successfully.

[Mya]

I recently used an 18 month old WL tube, with a very large starter, succesfully

[chadm75]

That's a tough one. I usually decide that a yeast is good or not when I make a starter and get it on the stirplate. It helps if it's a Wyeast Activator and the pack swells. But I actually had an old pack of 1272 myself and when I poured it into the starter, the yeast was very dark and had an unusual aroma. I ended up not using that yeast because the smell coming from the starter was not good. But this yeast of yours wasn't really THAT old and if the starter behaved fine and the yeast looked and smelled okay, could it have been infected? Cardboard usually suggests oxidation... any clue there?Ps. How did the beer smell during primary? Everything else went normally... primary fermentation temp was kept low and all that?

I don't think it was an oxidation issue. I cannot think of a time in the process where that could have occured. And I think my fermentation temp was in the upper 60's. The only think I can think of is there was no airlock activity during the primary suggesting to me that there was a leak in the top of the bucket. It's possible that there may have bugs gotten in that way? Even with small leaks, the CO2 is escaping pushing anything that would try and get in, out.

[Big Nake]

I agree with you that it seems weird but if the top wasn't secure, maybe bugs got in before active primary fermentation began. If the fermentation was chugging away and something happened like the airlock was filled with yeast and you had to clean it and replace it... should be fine because a churning primary is not a good spot for bugs to take over. But in the early stages when nothing (or very little) is happening... could be a possibility, right?