When Good Beer Goes Bad

Editor's Notes

• #3: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #4: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #5: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #6: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #7: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #8: On your matts, you’ll see a beer is in the circle marked ‘Control’ The ‘control’ is a fresh beer, with no spike or off-flavour Use this beer as a reference Let’s taste it together. This is Budweiser (describe) You should have a sip of this beer between each off-flavour. That way, when you have the spiked beer, the added flavour will really stand out. We also have water and crackers you can use to clear your palate if you want
• #9: Beer is a delicate beverage. Before we taste the first spiked beer, let’s take a moment to talk about why beers go bad. Beer is always best when it’s freshly brewed. After that, its flavours slowly break down. Some beers – for example high alcohol beers – can be cellared for a few years, but most beer should be consumed within a few months. If this beer isn’t properly stored and served, though, it can develop what we call off-flavours. These off-flavours indicate to the drinker that something went wrong and the beer is “off” As we taste through, you will probably find some of these flavours familiar. Just because they are common, doesn’t mean they’re okay! At least now, when you come across these flavours, you’ll know what they are. This information will give you the ability to provide constructive feedback to the bar owner, if you do come across it again.
• #10: Beer has 4 natural enemies The first one is time, as we discussed earlier, will have its toll on beer and, given enough time, beer will develop off-flavours on its own. The second enemy is heat. If you expose beer to heat, or store them in a warm place, they will go bad a lot more quickly. Some people are worried about changes in temperature and believe that if their beer is warm, cooling it down again can be harmful but that’s not true. Changes in temperature back and forth will not damage beer as much as keeping it in a warm place. Oxygen is another thing that can accelerate the aging process. Think of what happens to an apple once you take a bite and expose the inside to oygen, it quickly turns brown and that part of the apple will get soft more quickly than the rest of the apple. Light doesn’t necessarily speed up aging, but it does damage the beer. We will get into this later. Finally, dirty lines are another way that beer can go bad. That will be the last off-flavour we explore today.
• #11: Here’s our first sample with an off-flavour in it. This off-flavour develops in old beer Old beer is usually described as smelling and tasting like: Green apple or apple cider Sometimes, it is described as ‘grassy’ Let’s take 5 minutes to compare the spiked beer to the ‘control’ sample Feel free to take notes, if you want If you are having trouble finding the off-flavour, warm up your beer by holding the cup in your hands. Warming the beer helps bring out flavour. GROUP DISCUSSION
• #12: CAUSE: This is the flavour that will often appear in beer as it ages. You’ll notice it more in light-flavoured, crisp beers. It usually indicates that a beer is past its prime. As we discussed earlier, aging can be precipitated by heat, so even a beer that isn’t old can develop this flavour quite quickly. You can try putting a fresh beer on a radiator for a week at home and you’ll see it will taste like this! Oxygen can also bring about this flavour – remember we talked about the apple? Oxygen exposure in beer isn’t because of bad storage, it happens at the brewery. If there are packaging problems at the brewery, oxygen can get in the bottles as they are being capped. In this case, all of the beers from that brewery will taste old more quickly Because of this, brewers often use the term ‘oxidation’ to describe the beer aging process. This off-flavour can appear in any beer
• #13: At home, there are two ways you can prevent your beers from tasting old The most important thing is to store your beers in a cool or cold space. If they got hot in the car, on the way home from the store, chill them right away when you get home! Remember: even a well-stored beer will go bad eventually , so drink beers within 1-2 months of purchase. The big exceptions are sour or high alcohol beers. Those kinds of beers can be kept for a year or two
• #15: On this page talk about how oxidation & time effects the spirits Speak about the ill effects that can happen to each of these categories due to the effects of aged & oxidation Oxidation: How it came happen: Oxidation happens not just with heat and light, but also headspace in the bottle (the St. Germain bottle was cited as one particularly badly designed as you get a lot of headspace as soon as you open it), how frequently you open it (as that changes the equilibrium in the bottle- each time the air above the liquid gets exchange with fresh air) the type of closure (corks allow oxidation; screw caps less); pour spouts can have an effect even if you cap your bottles at the end of the night.  Time in which this happens? https://www.wired.com/2015/07/quick-chug-booze-goes-weird/ Oxidation changes flavour: Acetaldehyde from oxidation reaction can be good in small quantities – adds fruity aromas; but in larger quantities it transforms in acetic acid (vinegar). Even if you stored your booze in a temperature controlled, pitch-black cabinet, degradation would be inevitable—because you opened the bottle. That’s because of oxidation—yes, the same thing that’ll rust iron. The Bacardi team replicated the effect with gin. We tasted three cups— one kept at 40 degrees for 11 days - The 40-degree gin tasted fine. one held at 125 degrees - The 125-degree gin tasted like cardboard and one exposed to UV, all oxidized. - UV-gin tasted less intense and smelled like mothball The gas chromatography on the gins showed that they lost citrusy limonene but not camphor, the mothball scent Under similar test conditions, Whisky loses its fatty acids that conveys creaminess and picked up ethyle acetate notes - nail polish remover Rum lost enthanol relative to acetic acid and gains vinegar aromas.  Fortified Wines- Not a magic bulleit Anything Below 21% alc has a limited shelf life Vermouths The Off-Flavor can smell similar to off beer like wet cardboard, I feel it also smells bitter. In flavor- It taste off balance, more herbacous and bitter & less fruit fino-type typically around 15 percent olorosos, amontillados and sweet sherries have higher alcohol content, can last several months after being opened, without refrigeration.) Temperature: Can accelerate aging, oxidation and evaporation. They found that for heat, degradation really occurs at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8C). Things that can effect it- Direct sun, LED light, Light boxes on the back bar, Trunk of the car etc Heat accelerates aging processes including oxidation, evaporation, adds cooked fruit notes to high sugar content liqueurs, affects the flavour of flavoured spirits with low pH, so that's particularly citrus flavours. Heat will speed up the evaporation process Extremes of temperature change the flavor of a spirit. In part that’s because temperature can break down a type of organic molecule called a terpene—including family members like limonene and pinene, which smell the way you’d expect from their names. 
• #16: On this page talk How to prevent the effects of oxidation, temp and time Speak about the ill effects that can happen to each of these categories due to the effects of aged & oxidation Storage Solutions Reduce headspace: to help slow down oxidation cap your bottles at the end of the night.  So to reduce oxidation you should keep precious liquids in small brown bottles with screw caps rather than 1/3 empty bottles with corks. Fortified Wines Vermouth: Buy smaller bottles Keep in the fridge Pump out oxigen Storing Expensive spirits- We recomment you consume them in 1-2years or decant into smaller bottles: The more space in the bottle the more air oxidation will occurs. Keep in dark place- so the light does not effect them Cork Closures: Do not store whisky or aged tequila on its side and will interact with the cork. This could create a bad reactions Temperature: They found that for heat, degradation really occurs at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8C). 40F (4.44C) is the optimal temperature at which to store spirits How Long is too long: Liqueurs: with lower ABV have a risk of turning bad and should be consumed in 1- 3 years. Oxidation can change the color i.e. St Germain bottle, sugar crystalizes, cream so it is best to consume them in 6-8months. Whisky 5 years if 80% full, 1-2 years if ½ full and 3 months if ¼ full .
• #17: Producers and distillers are use things like oxidation, time, heat in a controlled way to create the desired effects they are looking for. Aromatized wines: Spanish Red Vermouths- which are barrel aged sometimes up to 2 years and are oxidized to create incredible complex flavors. Sherry Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado and Oloroso sherries age in a solera system, which is simply a stack of barrels that are each topped with an older reserve from the next barrel, which in turn is replenished with wine from younger barrels. The barrels are never filled to the top, to allow for oxidation, plus, the nutrients in the young wine of a solera system keep the precious flor alive. The Flor dies, Amontillado emerges and an oxidative-savory umami quality.  TALKING ROT: DECIPHERING RANCIO IN WHISKY 22 July 2016 by Dave Broom who summarizes a seminar giving Dave Broom, Ryan Chetiyawardana and Arielle Johnson at Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans, on 22 July 2016. Rancio is the term used to describe the rather bitter smell and taste old cognac obtains from the indented oxidization that happens during extensive aging in oak casks. Rancio often described as a cheesy, nutty flavor a bit like blue chess with dry walnuts Cognac, producers age first in new oak for a short time to build the tannic structure and add flavours such as vanilla. Then they transfer the Cognac to old casks for a more oxidative-driven, long-term maturation. These are the conditions in which the precursors – the fatty acids, the ketones – can finally be triggered The Rancio appears after roughly 10 years of ageing in oak casks. There are four stages of rancio: First Rancio stage: 10 to 15 years Peak of vanilla and oak taste, Flowery, dried rose, nutty, spicy Second Rancio stage: 17 to 22 years Jasmine, Chocolate, Dried, candied fruit, curry, saffron, ginger Third Rancio stage: 30 to 40 years old tawny port, cedar, eucalyptus, cigar box, tobacco, old muscat wine, nutmeg Fourth Rancio stage: 50 to 60 years tropical fruits, passion, lyche wood scents: sandal wood Heat: Can help speed up the effects of time. In warmer temperatures (japan or India) whisky can evaporates at a rate five times higher than it would if it were produced in Scotland. That means a whisky barrel aged for only three years has similar evaporation losses as one aged in Scotland for 15 years. Along with the evaporation, all other chemical processes that give whisky flavor are drastically accelerated. This is also why 2 year old Tequila can taste as complex as 12 year old scotch
• #18: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #19: Our second off-flavour today is called Lightstruck Lightstruck beer is usually described as smelling and tasting like: Skunk Cat litter Sewer gas Take 5 minutes to compare the spiked beer to the ‘control’ sample GROUP DISCUSSION
• #20: Can anyone guess which of the enemies of beer cause the Lightstruck off-flavour? Light, of course! Unlike old beer, this flavour does not develop naturally in beer over time This flavour happens when beer is exposed to light. If the bittering compounds in the beer (from the hops) are exposed to waves of light in the green spectrum, a chemical reaction takes place and the beer develops an unpleasant odour. It smells like a skunk! Clear and green bottles do not protect beer from these waves of light, so it’s these beers that tend to develop a skunky note Fun fact: If you’re sitting outside, enjoying a beer in the sun, your beer can skunk in the glass before you finish your pint!
• #21: At home, you have a lot more control, and probably your fridge doesn’t have a glass door! Still, the best thing to do, if you enjoy beers that are packaged in clear or green glass, is to keep them in the carton when you refrigerate them.
• #23: (Mclarren & Bacardi flavor scientist) Storage location Light impacts spirits too, not just by adding heat. Bottle color Light effects are impacted by bottle color (amber will have the least impact), bottles with more glass exposed (so Angostura bitters with its oversized label would be less impacted than a clear, printed bottle), the type of light source (direct sunlight, LED, fluorescent light) though it's not an easy determination of which is the worst (sunlight is really bad though) because it's the combination of the light's frequency and wavelength, and proximity to the light source. http://www.breakingbourbon.com/24-month-bourbon-storage-experiment.html A seminar at Tales of the Cocktail –Tales seminar at 2015 Mclarren and Bacardi scientist presented A seminar called “ When Booze goes Weird https://www.wired.com/2015/07/quick-chug-booze-goes-weird/ A potentially even bigger problem: light. In another experiment, researchers exposed clear bottles (they call them “flint”) of whisky to ultraviolet light—simulating the sun—for 15 days, and then used a spectrophotometer to accurately measure the color of the liquid. Bourbon lost 10 percent of its color within 15 days. Scotch lost nearly that much in the first 24 hours, dropping 40 percent of its color overall. The team also took spiced rum in both flint and amber (brown) bottles and exposed one pair to the UV setup and the other to direct sunlight. Regardless of the light source, the amber bottles retained 5 to 10 percent more color over two weeks. The gap widened as the exposure continued. You’re thinking, who cares what color the stuff is if it still tastes the same? At the panel, the Bacardi researchers showed the magnitude of that problem with a tasting. In the classic 2001 study “The Color of Odors,” taste scientists gave more than 50 wine experts a flight of white wines and a flight of reds and asked them to describe the flavors of both. Most identified typical white-wine flavors in the first set and typical red-wine flavors in the second, despite the fact that they were actually the same wine, with the “reds” colored artificially. Put simply, color matters, especially for flavor. Ian Burelle, B.Eng Food Engineering. M.Sc. Food Bioprocessing. PhD in progress Answered Apr 19, 2016 Yes. As the other answers have mentioned, the evaporation of flavours and alcohol will occur.  I also want to add that there are also reactions with UV light, breaking down organic compounds and even generating free radicals in some cases. These compounds would likely come from the wood barrel in which the whiskey was conditioned/aged. Those compounds would feel the most effect of sun exposure. If you ever tried alcohol straight out of the distiller without any wood barrel conditioning, then you know why we like to keep those compounds intact (although ageing also plays a role). There is a second set of compounds, those that develop from age. In simple terms, as time goes by the molecules will change their arrangement in order to minimize their total energy. This contributes to older whiskey tasting so much better. Those compounds could also undergo catalysing reactions when exposed to UV light. Although not perfect, glass actually blocks UVB light, but sadly not UVA. So slight sun exposure will not ruin a good whiskey all that fast since only about 0.1% of UV makes it through. But over time, that exposure will add up and ruin it. 
• #24: Our last off-flavour today shows us what beer tastes like when it’s served from dirty lines Beer dispensed from dirty lines beer is usually described as smelling and tasting like: Buttered popcorn Vinegar Stale beer Take 5 minutes to compare the spiked beer to the ‘control’ sample GROUP DISCUSSION
• #25: I think we can all agree that beer is delicious! Unfortunately, bacteria also find beer tasty. Those of you who have worked in a bar will recognize this smell, because if there’s beer lying around, bacteria will jump on it right away. Eventually, they will also infiltrate the beer lines. Once they’re in there, the bacteria will multiply in the beer lines and feed off the beer The obvious solution here is to clean the beer lines. Lines should be cleaned every 2-3 weeks, but not all establishments take good care of their lines. The bacteria that sour beers are already in the pub, everywhere. They’re in vinegar – which is soured naturally. They’re what give a sharp tart taste to cheese and cold-cuts. Although it doesn’t taste great, beer from dirty lines isn’t bad for you. It can’t make you sick
• #26: Probably most of you don’t have draught systems at home. Does anyone here have a keggerator? If you do wipe the tap clean with warm water every time you use it. This way bacteria will stay away Make sure you clean (or replace) the line every time you switch kegs. Give your tap and coupler a good clean 3-4 times a year
• #27: Probably most of you don’t have draught systems at home. Does anyone here have a keggerator? If you do wipe the tap clean with warm water every time you use it. This way bacteria will stay away Make sure you clean (or replace) the line every time you switch kegs. Give your tap and coupler a good clean 3-4 times a year
• #29: Rum lost enthanol relative to acetic acid and gains vinegar aromas.  VERY STRAIGHT BOUBON, RYE AND TENNESSEE WHISKY BEING MADE PRESENTLY IS MADE BY THE SOUR-MASH METHOD.  MOST DISTILLERS USE UPWARDS OF 20% BACKSET / SOUR MASH WITHIN THEIR TOTAL MASH Improves the consistency and quality of the product Controls the growth of bacteria Creates a proper pH balance for the yeast to work Providing the yeast with an ideal medium in which to produce: ALCOHOL CONGENERS (Flavor component) Backset: The thin, watery part of a previously distilled batch of whiskey mash that is added ‒ or “set back” ‒ into the next batch. Also “sour mash, setback, stillage or spent beer.” . By using an established and known fermented "sour", this fermentation process controls the introduction and growth of foreign bacteria and yeasts that could damage the whiskey, and improves the consistency and quality of the liquor, so that every bottle tastes as close to the same as possible. The sour mash process is used for the production of nearly all bourbon whiskey. BARREL AGE COCKTAILS acidic liquids extract more hemicellulose, creating a smoother drink. Spirits tend to be less acidic than wine, so the extraction process takes much longer. With barrel aged cocktails many of the recipes increase the acidity through the addition of vermouth and sherry. The increased acidity helps to increase extraction, resulting in noticeable changes to the flavour of the cocktail in a short period fo time. Obviously, over extraction or aging will create a “;flabby” cocktail, much like wines that are low in acidity. lower alcohol concentrations extract more hemicellulose and its associated sugars: glucose, fructose, xylose, and arabinose. The lower alcohol extraction is significant, extracting five times more at 40% ABV compared to 70% ABV. With a standard cocktail recipe, sans dilution, the ABV would be in the 20% to 30% range, possibly leading to more extraction. Increasing acidity is easily done with wine and vermouth, but fruit juice should be avoid because the juice can become putrid. This is more of an issue in barrel aging techniques versus bottle aging. The trick with increasing acidity is to use a stable, reasonably pure acid. The primary acid in wine is tartaric acid, with citric, malic and lactic acid making smaller contributions. Lactic acid is a good choice for barrel aging, as it is the acid found in Lambic style beers like Geuze and Kriek and both are barrel aged for up to three years. Anyone who enjoys Lambic beers would find lactic acid (Lactart) a useful addition to their ingredient repertoire. The flavour of Lactart is often described as softer and smoother than other acids. Lactart can be used in any application where a sour or acidic flavour is required, and can be used as a unique replacement for lemon and lime juice.An 250ml (8 oz) bottle is sufficient for 50 plus drinks.
• #30: Today, we will sample 3 beers that have been spiked to imitate the flavours that appear in beer when it isn’t treated properly Don’t worry, the spikes used to add these flavours are safe to drink When you taste them, you’ll definitely notice something off. We’ve added enough of each spike so that it really comes through Normally, when you come across these flavours they won’t be as strong When we taste these “off flavours”, we’ll also talk about what could have been done to avoid them so you can keep your beers at home fresh and tasty!
• #39: Good job! That was our last off-flavour Our taste buds have been working hard, now it’s time to treat them to something tasty Enjoy a fresh, non-spiked beer on us! Once everyone has their beer, we’ll have a little quiz to see who was paying attention.