How do you know if a beer is bad?

[Glenn L.]

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I

drink

it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs that a
batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look, taste.
What are the most common characteristics?
Pete

You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself - the alcohol content and
pH will kill anything that can do any real harm.

The most contamination will do is make the taste unbearable. Some signs of
contamination are a ring inside the bottle at the liquid level, excessive
gushing when you open the bottle and just a general nasty taste. These can
mean other things. For example, the gushing may just mean that you
over-carbonated.

Give it a taste and you'll know.

[J V]

From my bad batches, I've learned that any taste giving me goosebumps is
bad. That cidery/sour flavor is worse than candied beets.

J V

--

Post by Glenn L.

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I

drink

it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs that a
batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look, taste.
What are the most common characteristics?
Pete

You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself - the alcohol content and
pH will kill anything that can do any real harm.
The most contamination will do is make the taste unbearable. Some signs of
contamination are a ring inside the bottle at the liquid level, excessive
gushing when you open the bottle and just a general nasty taste. These can
mean other things. For example, the gushing may just mean that you
over-carbonated.
Give it a taste and you'll know.

[Peter Deneff]

What about smell, odor?

Post by J V
From my bad batches, I've learned that any taste giving me goosebumps is
bad. That cidery/sour flavor is worse than candied beets.
J V
--

Post by Glenn L.

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I

drink

it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs

that

Post by J V
a

Post by Glenn L.

batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look,

taste.

Post by Glenn L.

What are the most common characteristics?
Pete

You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself - the alcohol content and
pH will kill anything that can do any real harm.
The most contamination will do is make the taste unbearable. Some signs

of

Post by Glenn L.
contamination are a ring inside the bottle at the liquid level, excessive
gushing when you open the bottle and just a general nasty taste. These

can

Post by Glenn L.
mean other things. For example, the gushing may just mean that you
over-carbonated.
Give it a taste and you'll know.

[Brett Hetherington]

Pete, the worst rating you can get in a beer contest is "drinkable". If
there's something in your beer that's going to hurt you, it will stink so
bad you would never consider putting it in your mouth.
Generally, if it smell like rotten eggs or shizz (enteric) it's not a good
idea to drink it.
On the other hand, if it has a tang of sour milk, horse sweat, or leather,
you may have brewed an incidental lambic!

-Brett

Post by Peter Deneff
What about smell, odor?

Post by J V
From my bad batches, I've learned that any taste giving me goosebumps
is bad. That cidery/sour flavor is worse than candied beets.
J V
--

Post by Glenn L.

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale.
Before I

drink

it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs

that

Post by J V
a

Post by Glenn L.

batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think
mine

is

Post by J V

Post by Glenn L.

contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look,

taste.

Post by Glenn L.

What are the most common characteristics?
Pete

You don't have to worry about poisoning yourself - the alcohol
content

and

Post by J V

Post by Glenn L.
pH will kill anything that can do any real harm.
The most contamination will do is make the taste unbearable. Some signs

of

Post by Glenn L.
contamination are a ring inside the bottle at the liquid level,

excessive

Post by J V

Post by Glenn L.
gushing when you open the bottle and just a general nasty taste.
These

can

Post by Glenn L.
mean other things. For example, the gushing may just mean that you
over-carbonated.
Give it a taste and you'll know.

[tmac]

Post by J V
From my bad batches, I've learned that any taste giving me goosebumps is
bad. That cidery/sour flavor is worse than candied beets.
J V

I'm disappointed that you say that - you probably wouldn't like the
next batch I'm making. It's Oktoberfest Candied Beet Beer.



tmac

[Ryan Anderson]

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I

drink

it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs that a
batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look, taste.
What are the most common characteristics?
Pete

You want to contact:

John Misrahi (***@sprint.ca)

He is the newsgroup expert on bad batches at this point.
As far as I can tell, he has had just about everything
conceivable go wrong from the posts he makes.

I saw a few weeks ago on this newsgroup he even
posted that he got a bad batch of vinegar . . .

Mister Giggles

[John Misrahi]

Post by Ryan Anderson
He is the newsgroup expert on bad batches at this point.
As far as I can tell, he has had just about everything
conceivable go wrong from the posts he makes.
I saw a few weeks ago on this newsgroup he even
posted that he got a bad batch of vinegar . . .
Mister Giggles

Hmm.... Look who has resurfaced .. Well Giggly, I'll take that as a
compliment. At our club meetings I wear those failures as a badge of
honour - trial and error, you know. I kicked ass the other night with my Oud
Bruin, so at least I have a good one every now and then ;-)

And yeah, the vinegar disaster cracked everyone up ;-p

john

[John 'Shaggy' Kolesar]

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I drink
it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs that a
batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look, taste.
What are the most common characteristics?

There is nothing which can hurt you that will survive in beer. At the
worst it will taste bad or maybe give you gas. There's no way you're
going to kill yourself by drinking homebrew, or anything even remotely
like that. If it tastes terrible... it's bad. If it doessn't... it's
good. It's that easy.


John.

[Peter Deneff]

Should I taste it before I waste my time bottling it? Just in case?
Pete

Post by John 'Shaggy' Kolesar

I'm a making my first home brew. It's an English Pale Ale. Before I drink
it, I want to make sure I don't poison myself! What are some signs that a
batch might be bad from contamination. I don't personally think mine is
contaminated because I was very cautious about cleaning and
sanitizing....but I want to be sure. Is there a funny smell, look, taste.
What are the most common characteristics?

There is nothing which can hurt you that will survive in beer. At the
worst it will taste bad or maybe give you gas. There's no way you're
going to kill yourself by drinking homebrew, or anything even remotely
like that. If it tastes terrible... it's bad. If it doessn't... it's
good. It's that easy.
John.
--
*** John P. Kolesar ***
*** Valley Mead Brewery ***
***********************

[John 'Shaggy' Kolesar]

Post by Peter Deneff
Should I taste it before I waste my time bottling it? Just in case?
Pete

You can, just be aware that beer will taste different after it has had
some time to age. It may not taste as good the day you bottle it as it
will after a couple weeks and with some carbonation to it.


John.

[ET]

Post by John 'Shaggy' Kolesar

Post by Peter Deneff
Should I taste it before I waste my time bottling it? Just in case?
Pete

You can, just be aware that beer will taste different after it has had
some time to age. It may not taste as good the day you bottle it as it
will after a couple weeks and with some carbonation to it.
John.

Yup, I've tasted some of my beer before kegging and it didn't exactly taste
good... mostly though it's the "yeasty" taste that I know will go away.

[Danny Williams]

Post by Peter Deneff
Should I taste it before I waste my time bottling it? Just in case?

I like to take a hydrometer reading before bottling to see if it's
changed any since transferring to secondary. I could either pour that
sample down the drain or drink it!