We’ve all been there. You’ve spent days or even weeks working on the perfect batch of beer. You have an exciting new recipe that you can’t wait to show off. You’ve been through every step and followed the recipe exactly. You go to taste the finished product after all your time and effort, and your beer tastes like crap! It tastes downright terrible. What happened?
Has this ever happened to you? No? Maybe it’s just me, then, because I’ve indeed had this happen on more than one occasion. Now I admit that I am far from a master brewer. But sometimes, when my beer tastes off, I know that it’s not the recipe or the beer in general. It’s an issue with my brewing process. There are so many factors that determine how the beer will taste and what might be the cause of a bad taste in beer. So let’s talk about why your beer might taste bad and how you can fix it.
- The Hops Are Bad
Have you ever tested your brew and noticed that it smells grassy? This “someone just mowed the front yard” smell (or taste) is a clear sign that the hops have spoiled. Bad hops can make isovaleric acid which in turn creates this signature smell. Even if you don’t smell anything unusual, you might discover a noticeable taste. I’m not complaining about the smell of fresh-cut grass, but it doesn’t exactly belong in my beer. This grassy taste or smell happens when the hops aren’t stored correctly. It can also occur as the hops begin to go stale or from using too many hops in your brew. How do you avoid it? Don’t dry hop too long. A week is the maximum amount of time you want for dry hopping. Also, make sure that you are purchasing fresh, high-quality hops and storing them correctly.
2. Poor Sanitation
Poor sanitation is one of the more common reasons that beer doesn’t taste good. This can happen both at the bar serving your beer or at the brewery. Draft lines or any tubing used in brewing can become infected with bacteria if they aren’t regularly cleaned. This can make the beer taste sour, spoiled, or downright disgusting. The vile taste and smell come from butyric acid being put into the beer by the bacteria. You can usually also smell these types of problems even before you take the first sip.
Sour beer, on its own, isn’t always a terrible thing. When you try to brew an intentionally sour beer, you deliberately encourage specific bacteria to sour your beer. This is typically going to be a Lactobacillus (think yogurt or sourdough). Unintentional souring is an entirely different thing altogether. Also, accidental sourness typically involves the wrong kind of bacteria, which can be quite dangerous.
While the best of us can have an occasional misstep while brewing if sourness is cropping up over and over, it is time to check your plastic equipment. Plastic can easily harbor bacteria, and it can be much harder to keep sanitized. This is because plastic scratches so easily, and these scratches can be microscopic. Soaking the hoses in sanitizer could eliminate the problem, but being proactive and replacing them occasionally isn’t a terrible idea.
Also, remember that while most brewers are well aware of how essential regular cleaning and maintenance is, it’s not exactly unheard of for bars or restaurants to cut corners on deep cleaning. Sanitation problems can crop up anywhere. The last time I got a beer from an infected line, it was at a pretty upscale restaurant.
3. Rushed Fermentation
While some beer styles might be designed to have fruity undertones, no one typically expects their beer to be fruity or sweet. However, if fermentation is rushed, the beer might be left with a fruity taste from acetaldehyde. This ester gets produced naturally during fermentation. Also, it typically clears up entirely once the yeasts finish doing their job. However, if the brewer rushed the fermentation process, some of this chemical can be left behind. Fixing this can involve adjusting your yeasts, or it might even be as simple as giving fermentation some more time.
4. Metal Equipment
Discover a metallic taste to your beer? While some of these other “off” flavors might occasionally be used intentionally, no one ever wants to taste pennies in their beer. So, what causes this?
Vary rarely your malt is the problem. Also, if you are using well water, you need to filter it because it could contain a lot of iron. Neither of these issues is likely to be the real culprit, though. When my beer tastes metallic, I’ve found that the actual problem is as simple as metal touching the brew.
Even the best-maintained equipment is going to have some metallic components. Of course, when you shell out the big bucks for the pricey top-of-the-line stainless steel pieces, you don’t expect them to be much of a risk. Typically, stainless steel does a fantastic job of protecting your beer from the effects of metal, but you still have to make sure that you care for your stainless equipment properly. If you neglect it or mistreat it, then you’ve spent a bunch of money and gained very little. Don’t use bleach (or any other harsh sanitizer), and be careful of abrasive brushes that can scratch the surface.
Of course, if you are as cheap as I am, you opted for a more affordable option. That typically means using aluminum or porcelain enameled steel. There is no reason you shouldn’t watch your budget, but if your beer starts tasting like pennies, be sure to check out these components. Aluminum should be “seasoned,” and enameled pots should be frequently checked for cracks or exposed steel.
5. Chlorine
If you find that your beer is tasting like plastic, you might be like me and assume that something is wrong with a line or plastic part somewhere. You might even drive yourself nuts trying to figure out which plastic piece is the culprit. It makes sense, right?
Well, before you go crazy replacing a bunch of tubing, let me tell you that you likely have a chlorine problem. Chlorine and yeast don’t like each other, at least not when it comes to brewing beer. You see, during fermentation, yeast likes to make phenols, and when those phenols find chlorine, it makes chlorophenols. Those taste like plastic, although they can also have a medicinal taste. So how is chlorine getting involved in your process so it can screw with your yeast? It’s most likely coming from your water. Most tap water is chlorinated at some point. Sometimes it can have a considerable amount of chlorine. The good thing is that there is a straightforward fix. Just use bottled water. If you are already using bottled water take a look at your sanitizers. It’s never a good idea to use chlorine-based sanitizers (like bleach).
6. Not Aging Enough
The yeast’s work doesn’t end just because fermentation is done. Even if you think the yeast has finished its job and nothing is happening, it is still working hard to condition your beer. That is why aging so important.
Not allowing enough time for aging can cause some brews to taste “yeasty.” Some brews eliminate the yeast faster than others, so if you find that your yeast hangs around a tad bit longer than you expected, you might consider switching yeasts. Don’t rush it. Taste your brew and give it all the time it needs before you move on to the next step.
7. DMS
I don’t know any brewers trying to make a beer that smells like cream corn or cabbage. However, these smells can easily happen when dimethyl sulfide (DMS) gets into the batch. Dimethyl sulfide is part of the brewing process and is even needed to make some styles of beer. Malts are usually responsible for this off-taste or smell when it shows up. Dark malts are roasted, which gets rid of all of the DMS. However, when you make pale ales (or similar styles), you do want a little of the DMS to stick around, and you use a lighter malt. Ensuring that you use the proper malt for the right style is the easiest way to fix this problem.
8. Light-struck
There is absolutely nothing I hate more than a “skunky” beer. Skunky has recently become a general description for a bad tasting or smelling beer. However, skunky describes a specific problem. It’s the result of UV rays causing a chemical reaction in the brew, which we call light-struck.
Light-struck beer is typically a packaging issue, but it can also be a storage issue. Choosing the wrong type of bottle/container for the brew style can make a craft-brewed beer susceptible to becoming light-struck. Brown glass blocks a lot of the light, and cans block 100% of it. If you want to avoid this problem, you will need to steer clear of clear glass bottles.
9. Fermentation Temperature
Since brewing is all about achieving specific chemical reactions between the ingredients, the fermentation temperature is a critical part of brewing beer. So naturally, problems with fermentation temperature can have a significant impact on taste.
If beer is fermented with a temp that is too low, the yeast can’t fully react, which can lead to “yeasty” tasting beer. Thankfully this can easily be fixed by addressing the temperature in the room. If the fermentation temperature is too high, there is also an effect. This one creates diacetyl, but it can also make other higher forms of alcohol. These create solvent-like flavors that can overwhelm the beer’s taste.
10. Oxidation
Your beer tastes like paper. How does that even happen? No one pours themselves a brew and says to themselves, “can’t wait for that bland cardboard taste to hit my tongue.” Unfortunately, most homebrewers eventually experience this at least once. So, what exactly is going on here?
It’s oxidation. Oxygen breaks down the alcohol or other substances and transforms them into blander versions of their former selves. Some oxygen during brewing is essential for healthy yeast. But this is only beneficial during primary fermentation. After that, you want to avoid introducing any more oxygen.
That is easier said than done, of course. The oxygen in the air can easily get into your beer every time you move the liquid around, which is why it can be so difficult to avoid. Ever heard the phrase “rack quietly?” It’s classic advice for a reason. The more care you take when moving your beer after primary fermentation, the less oxygen that gets into the beer.
11. Diacetyl
When beer tastes like butter, the problem is diacetyl. This chemical is a natural part of fermentation that should be fully reabsorbed into the brew. Typically when diacetyl hangs around, it is due to temperature issues, but a few other things can also cause it not to reabsorb. I’ve found that removing the yeast too soon is probably the second most significant source of diacetyl in the brew. Just give your brew plenty of time so the yeast can do its job properly.
Also, using the wrong packaging materials can add the diacetyl even if your beer is fermented perfectly. This is because of the alpha acetolactate that naturally exists in some finished brews. Eventually, this compound will degrade, and it, unfortunately, converts to diacetyl. When these beers are exposed to heat, the process happens faster. Storing bottles cold can slow things down considerably.
Finally, sanitation is the last significant source of diacetyl. This is a sneaky one that many people don’t realize is causing their butter beer taste. Typically, that buttery taste gets associated with yeast. However, bacteria can also make diacetyl. If you’ve checked out all of the other possible sources of diacetyl and still haven’t eliminated the problem, then it’s time to check your sanitation practices.
No one enjoys discovering that after all of their time and hard work that their finished brew tastes terrible. But it can be a learning experience. As you learn the art of brewing, you will encounter one or maybe even all of these problems. Learning how to identify what’s causing your bad-tasting beer will help prevent you from making the same mistake next time. This is only going to make you a better brewer.