Signs of Bad Beer
The earliest recorded evidence of beer is in Mesopotamia on a Sumerian tablet dating to 6,000 years ago. Indications of people enjoying beer and beer recipes reach back deep into history. The evolution of beer making is a constantly growing process in the effort to make the perfect beer. While there are many different styles and tastes to suit every beer lover, occasionally something will go wrong during the fermentation process that makes for a beer no one would love. Chemical reactions between the different constituents of beer can cause problems that you should be aware of. Does this Spark an idea?
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Bitterness
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Beer bitterness typically comes from the hops used in the recipe, and occasionally from roasted barley. Some beers are intended to raise the bitterness level. Some beers can become intensely bitter due to a brewing flaw. Overactive yeast within the bottle can over attenuate the malts, which can cause the natural bitterness of the beverage to skyrocket and leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Floaters
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Sometimes you will see chunks of solids floating within the beer. A few vintage breweries brew their beers to include this, but this is usually not a desirable trait. There are two kinds of floating anomalies that may reside in a beer. The first is protein. While essentially harmless, floating protein can be a death knell for a brewer as was the case with Schlitz in the 1970s when floating protein caused their market share to plummet. Floating solids can also occur in beer that has extended its shelf life and gone bad.
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Sour Hour
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Sour beer can make you regret that last sip. Sour hour is not the same as happy hour. While beer styles such as Lambics and Berliner Wiesse are notable for their very sour taste, bacterial infections can occur in beer that will make it go sour. Components called fusel alcohols can ruin the taste of a beer as well as bring on unwanted health problems if consumed. This generally occurs during the fermentation process when the temperature is too warm, causing the yeast to create oily fusel alcohols.
Skunkiness
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Lightly colored or green glass can increase the chances of skunkiness in beer. Skunkiness is caused in beer after the bottling process and is sometimes determined by the color of the glass used in bottles. Dr. Malcom Forbes, professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina, explains that "historically, beer has been stored in brown or green bottles to protect hop-derived compounds from light in a process we call photodegradation." Lighter glass bottles that allow more ultraviolet light into the beer are more susceptible to this over time.
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References
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