1 Year Old Brew

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Just Curious as to opinions of potential results here.

Last year I had a sudden move from Melbourne to Sydney. All happened in about a week. Packed up our stuff. Packed up about 10 boxes of beers, Planted my hops at my Sisters House and moved.

That was April Last year.
The move was for a project I was running and my small amount of spare time dissapeared completely.
In May, I attempted a brew (I think it was a Coopers Sparkling). Just a kit as i dont think I had any fresh hops or grains.....blah blah blah.

After about 8 days, I decanted and stuck the fermenter in the brew fridge in the garage.

Things seemed to really accelerate with the project and my hours were stretching from about 5AM to 9PM.

A month past and I kept chiding myself to make the time to get some bottles cleaned up and bottle it.

2 months went past and I had prettymuch fogotten that the brew was there.

After about 3 months, I decided I better get rid of it. When I opened the fridge therewas this beautiful hoppy sweet aroma. I was gobsmacked!!!
I was also pretty past the point where I thought it would be worth bottling it.

Now over a year has past and I have left the fermenter in the fridge (~8oC) all that time, occasionally glancing in and haveing a wiff. This was more out of curiosity than anything.

There is no sign of any growths and absolutely no sign of any fould odours. Just that beautiful hoppy sweet aroma.


Now I am curious. What does everyone think would be the result wre I to bottle this brew? :unsure: :icon_vomit: ???

 

[clatty]

Just Curious as to opinions of potential results here.

Last year I had a sudden move from Melbourne to Sydney. All happened in about a week. Packed up our stuff. Packed up about 10 boxes of beers, Planted my hops at my Sisters House and moved.

That was April Last year.
The move was for a project I was running and my small amount of spare time dissapeared completely.
In May, I attempted a brew (I think it was a Coopers Sparkling). Just a kit as i dont think I had any fresh hops or grains.....blah blah blah.

After about 8 days, I decanted and stuck the fermenter in the brew fridge in the garage.

Things seemed to really accelerate with the project and my hours were stretching from about 5AM to 9PM.

A month past and I kept chiding myself to make the time to get some bottles cleaned up and bottle it.

2 months went past and I had prettymuch fogotten that the brew was there.

After about 3 months, I decided I better get rid of it. When I opened the fridge therewas this beautiful hoppy sweet aroma. I was gobsmacked!!!
I was also pretty past the point where I thought it would be worth bottling it.

Now over a year has past and I have left the fermenter in the fridge (~8oC) all that time, occasionally glancing in and haveing a wiff. This was more out of curiosity than anything.

There is no sign of any growths and absolutely no sign of any fould odours. Just that beautiful hoppy sweet aroma.


Now I am curious. What does everyone think would be the result wre I to bottle this brew? :unsure: :icon_vomit: ???

you might want to try tasting it, works for me

 

[leiothrix]

It smells good, so that's a good start.

Does it look ok? Meaning no bubbly white film on the surface, nothing that looks like big clumps of snot in it? That should make it stink anyway.

Other than that, taste it. If it tastes like beer it'll be fine.

It sounds like it's been kept in a reasonably temperature stable environment with no light or airflow, so as long as your sanitation was up to scratch it'll probably be fine.

You might possibly have some oxidation (apparently cardboard or sherry like flavours) due to oxygen permeating the fermenter (assuming it's plastic that is), but the only way to find out is to taste it.

Rob.

 

[Bandito]

If there is no growths of mould or foul smells when you open the fermenter, bottle it. Me and a mate once had a brew in a fermenter for just as long at high temps back in 1998, but it wasnt good, and the airlock had been dry for 9 months, so we decided to ditch it rather than drink something so grosse.

So either bottle it, or soak the fermenter for a week in cleaners, then start a new one.

 

[petesbrew]

Take Hydrometer sample.
Raise to mouth.
Taste.
Can it be any simpler?

 

[StewTurner]

If ATOMT does bottle this brew, should he add some fresh yeast for carbonation? I have no experience of this, but I would guess that after a year, the yeast might have died.

Stew

 

[Nick JD]

I'm not sure exactly what a fridge costs to run per year - but you probably could have just gone out and bough 23L of Coopers PA for less.

 

[Pennywise]

I think you would have some serious autolysis going on to say the least, but like others said, have a taste. I wouldn't get my hopes up though

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

I'm not sure exactly what a fridge costs to run per year - but you probably could have just gone out and bough 23L of Coopers PA for less.

True true, but it is also the second freezer.

Regards the other comment, Tasting is the next step and ultimately spending a bit of time in the bottle, but I was more curious to what people though would have happened over the year.

Autolysis is one answer although the effect on taste I am not sure about.
Will there stil be alcohol after a year???

I am also curious about the health of the yeast.

Anyway, I will give it a taste and report back tonight.

If you dont hear from me again.....you know it didnt go so well.

 

[felten]

Nothing toxic to humans can survive in a beer environment AFAIK, the low pH, lack of oxygen, lack of nutrients, alcohol content and co2 in solution prevent a lot of microbial growth. That's not to say that you won't puke everywhere if it tastes bad though

Wouldn't you probably be able to smell autolysis? like a Vegemite type aroma or something.

Hop compounds esterise and alcohol compounds oxidise or whatever, and can morph into different flavours over time, so it might not turn out to be too bad at all.

 

[leiothrix]

After about 8 days, I decanted and stuck the fermenter in the brew fridge in the garage.

I don't think that autolysis will be too much of a problem.

Rob.

 

[QldKev]

I think you would have some serious autolysis going on to say the least, but like others said, have a taste. I wouldn't get my hopes up though

Yep agreed,

The O2 blanket should have kept it from going off; just the Vegemite may have kicked in.

Give it a taste; if you don;t post back we know if wasn't too good :icon_vomit:

QldKev

 

[mwd]

After a year I doubt there would be any CO2 blanket unless the fermenter was sealed up very well.

Notice to put on your headstone: 'I told you that beer was bad'

 

[QldKev]

After a year I doubt there would be any CO2 blanket unless the fermenter was sealed up very well.

Notice to put on your headstone: 'I told you that beer was bad'

Why would the fermentor have to be sealed up very well???
CO2 is heavier than air; and this was stored in a wind free area

QldKev

 

[manticle]

I have been told that the CO2 blanket doesn't hang around for ever. CO2 does dissolve out of solution and into the atmosphere depending on pressure. I can't get any more technical than that due to the chance of revealing I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I have also been told some people have aged beers in a plastic fermenter for up to a year (reduced headspace though I think) so who knows what to believe?. I have a sour in plastic which seems to exhibit no oxidation. Probably been in there at least 4 months. I will be racking it to a glass demijohn when I can afford another.

All this stuff is moot anyway - you won't know till you taste it.

 

[raven19]

Will it taste of vegemite sitting on the yeast cake for that long?

(I presume some trub is present even after racking after 8 days as per the OP).

As per other resonses...

Taste, if ok bottle. :icon_cheers:

If it tastes like a dud, ditch it. :icon_vomit:

 

[QldKev]

I have been told that the CO2 blanket doesn't hang around for ever. CO2 does dissolve out of solution and into the atmosphere depending on pressure. I can't get any more technical than that due to the chance of revealing I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I have also been told some people have aged beers in a plastic fermenter for up to a year (reduced headspace though I think) so who knows what to believe?. I have a sour in plastic which seems to exhibit no oxidation. Probably been in there at least 4 months. I will be racking it to a glass demijohn when I can afford another.

All this stuff is moot anyway - you won't know till you taste it.

love it!!! I cracked up on the floor after that one..

I'm not really 100% sure either, I would have though CO2 being heavier than air it would be ok, but honestly I don't know. Also I though the permeability of plastic was only an issue under pressure.

QldKev

 

[QldKev]

Will it taste of vegemite sitting on the yeast cake for that long?

(I presume some trub is present even after racking after 8 days as per the OP).

As per other resonses...

Taste, if ok bottle. :icon_cheers:

If it tastes like a dud, ditch it. :icon_vomit:

Yep, although the autolysis would be reduced from racking, yeast cells are still highly present in the secondary batch.

QldKev

 

[enoch1973]

Just read this thread... Sounds like a great experiment... even if it's not on purpose
You have to to tell us how it tastes...
Even if it's bad it's still worth knowing... Please?

 

[manticle]

love it!!! I cracked up on the floor after that one..



QldKev

ssssshhhh. I don't want anyone to know.