I'll start by saying that I don't want to name names here. But I have to ask if what I'm experiencing is something I simply don't like, or if it's genuinely "bad" in an objective sense. I picked up a bottle of what is apparently a homebrew competition winner, made by a small local brewery. Nothing on the label identifies it at all - no style, no ABV, nothing. A quick glance online reveals it to be a pilsner brewed nearly seven months ago, but there's still not a whole lot of information there. It's a bomber, and I'm drinking out of hotel glassware since it's all I have. I pour a few ounces (they're small glasses), take a sip, and nearly spit it back into the glass. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think dish soap and rotten apples are the tastes I'm getting. I really want to blame the glass, so I go straight to the bottle to take a sip. Not only is it the same flavor, but when I take the bottle away from my lips, it's overflowing with foam. Once I finally get it to a safe place, I realize that well over half - closer to 3/4 - of the bottle is foam, and there's very little actual liquid beer at the bottom. Mind you, this has been sitting in the fridge for several days now, and other beers purchased on the same trip and consumed in previous days have had no such issues with carbonation. So...I'm tempted to think that this is actually a production issue, and not just a really lousy beer. But to be honest, I can't explain why I think that. Homebrewers, people with more beer knowledge than me...am I crazy for thinking this? Or does it sound to you, the more educated, that this beer has suffered from some sort of quality control issue? Thanks for your feedback!
It is possible that the beer is suffering from an infection but you made mention of: “A quick glance online reveals it to be a pilsner brewed nearly seven months ago..” Pilsner beers are best consumed fresh (e.g., less than 3-4 months old). The fresher the better. It is possible that the beer is stale since it is so old (7 months)? I personally make it a point to not buy US craft brewed Pilsners that are over 3 months old. Cheers!
Sounds infected. 7 month old beer shouldn't do that. Might not taste good, but a volcano bottle is a sign of infection
That doesn't seem likely. Stale, sure. But that downright awful? I've had old pilsners before, and none of them have been even close to what this tasted like - nor been so extraordinarily foamy. And yeah, I realize that buying an undated and virtual information-free bottle was a risk. But hey, sometimes you've gotta just experiment with the local flavor when you're on the road.
Was this a beer local to PA? Because I've had this very same problem with a beer that fits that description.
Ha! I just cracked open a pilsner I brewed 18 months ago that was sitting in the back of my fridge. It certainly lost some of its hop character, and was a lilttle more carbonated than I'd like. But it had some subtle bitterness and a nice malty sweetness. It was still pretty good. Extremely overcarbonated and awful taste speaks of poor sanitation. I'd suspect it's infected.
Ohh, and yes this sounds like an infection. Old beer might taste stale - like of cardboard/paper/wood but wouldn't taste like that...
The first words of my post were: “It is possible that the beer is suffering from an infection …” I discussed the aspects of the beer being stale as a secondary discussion topic. I hear you wrt your statement of: “And yeah, I realize that buying an undated and virtual information-free bottle was a risk. But hey, sometimes you've gotta just experiment with the local flavor when you're on the road.” Sometimes you ‘win’ and sometimes you ‘lose’. Cheers!
Well, it's been emailed to the brewery - or at least, the lone email address on the website that happens to also host the brewery's page. Let's see what (if anything) comes of it. Thanks for the replies, everyone.
