Will the off flavors from oxidation get worse as a beer ages? Both of my last beers; a lager and a pale ale seem to be showing sign of oxidation very young. I suppose it’s the wet cardboard flavor that I was likening to sweaty socks prior. I have never had this issue before and am annoyed as sh$@! >:(
Unfortunately, it’ll most likely get worse over time (assuming that’s what’s happening). If the beers are pretty young, give it time to let the yeast clear out completely and flavors to come together before you pronounce them oxidized. But, wet cardboard generally means oxidation. Hope that’s not the case.
Thanks Jon. I just want to be prepared for dumpers. I only notice it every once a while in the pale ale underneath the hops. I first noticed it would after having a commercial IPA then moving on to homebrew.
If it is showing signs of early oxidation, then start drinking quickly!
Are you sure it’s not an infection? Early oxidation that extreme sounds unusual unless you drastically changed your process.
I am not sure about the APA yet. The lager has been in the keg for about a month now. I thought the off flavor was dissipating but that doesn’t appear to be the case however it isn’t getting worse yet either.
Are you simply picking up muted malt aromas/flavors in the beer, or is it more intense along the lines of a funk?
I found in my 2nd batch that the old caps I used I soaked in sanitizer and did not use them all. But the beers in the second batch that I capped with the old color caps had showed early oxidation. Anything new in your process?
I am getting more of the wet cardboard, musty kind of thing. Both beers are still drinkable so we shall see how the continue to develop. I have had infected batches but never this.
It’s harder to detect in the pale ale because of the hops but I notice it.
I haven’t changed my process but have become overly obessed with visually checking the fermenters. I think that would be the explanation for the beers getting more exposure to oxygen than usual.
If it smells like wet cardboard/paper then that is most definitely oxidation. I pick up on that pretty quickly in beers. Some styles can handle it, while others don’t fare so well.
Thanks. I get it more in the flavor. Well I will just expect the worst and hope for the best.
Did you dry hop the pale ale? I’ve had papery oxidation from whole hops before, even new unopened packages.
3 oz pellet hops in the keg
Drinking the APA now and it’s really hard for me to tell what’s going on. Comet makes up 1/3 of the hop and I have read that it can provide some “wild” notes. When the beer was young and pungent I was getting some savory notes but not necessarily garlic or onion. I am hopeful that this is maybe leftover from that.
I realize that onion, garlic or savory is not wet cardboard or whatever is normally associated with oxidation but my palate is not the best so I would be surprised if it is is a combo of things.
I am pretty sure the lager is oxidized but right now it isn’t bad. Tastes kind of like an imported Czech lager that maybe wasn’t stored in the best conditions but not light struck.
Sorry for being annoying. I get it.
Card board, skunk, sulfur, butter scotch, corn are all easy to talk about on the forum but not always the easiest to be sure what your tasting. Throw in the variety of flavors you get from young beer and things can get really confusing for me.
I more often get weird caramel notes from oxidized beer than I get wet cardboard.
Same here, Denny.
Glad I’m not the only one! But it’s also why I’m puzzled when I hear effects of oxidation described as “malt thinness”. I get the opposite.
Maybe not malt thinness but body thinness. The beer just seems to turn watery. I could be mistaking the effects of gelatin for pulling down too many malt proteins instead of oxidation though (if that is what you’re referring to in my statement).
I get a dull and muddled malt flavor. Crystal malts get a toffee flavor. Hops can get dull in the flavor, and the catty ribes go up. Honey in a light colored lager’s aroma is oxidation - I don’t buy many German lagers due to this almost always being in the aroma here. Big beers can take on dark fruit notes. Dark malts oxidize to the leather and sherry notes IIRC. Cardboard is one of the end products of oxidation, there are many tell tale signs along the way.