I just realized that one of my screwups turned out great...

[Andris]

This took me about month to figure it out but here it goes - 29.08.2010 - I started a batch of amber ale using Coopers Traditional Draught and can of amber malt extract, added some nice hopping and put it down into fermenter... during the nigh it went a bit chilly so the heating kicked on and my beer was fermenting at 28C because it was sitting on the heated floor. It did ferment out nice, down to 1.011 from 1.040 but OH BOY did it smell MEAN when I bottled it - was like pear cider died in there and then the gnomes that went to bury it, got drunk and drowned in it - in few words - sour, pear cider and very fusely/hangover smell and boy was it bitter... I almost dumped it.

 

now, a month later this is my favorite beer - I mean, I cant get enough of it - its like slurm from the futurama - you sample, then you sample some more and try to figure out the taste - it has fruits, very nice malts and something from the IPA - that hop bitterness in the end... and I have only 16!!! bottles left out of 44.

 

and just today it hit me that the mix contained ale + lager yeast and should have been fermented at somewhat way lower temps.

 

Oh well, I hope I can replicate conditions because I'm really considering making that batch again and will allow it to ferment at 28C again, just to get that pear skunk smell again in hope that it will mellow down to the beer I have now because I just cant get enough of it. My wife declared it undrinkable from the start but now even she is starting on it... its like rare species - about to dry out!

 

one of the speciments left:

[GeorgeB]

Well, I'm glad it worked out for you. [joyful] I've had similar experiences too. That said, when I go to bottle, if the FG is where it should be but the beer is stilly kind of fizzy - then I know I've got a stinker. [pinched] The recipe sounds interesting, somewhat similar to one thats making the rounds on another Aussie homebrew forum that uses Centennial and Amarillo hops. Great stuff!

[StuartC5]

Nice! I am inspired to try.

[Andris]

Here is exact recipe I used:

 

1x coopers traditional draught (selection)

1x coopers liquid amber malt extract

15g hopsteiner hallertauer 5min boil (whole hops, not pellets)

5g hopsteiner hallertauer instant boil (whole hops, not pellets)

kit yeast

23l tap water

 

OG was 1.040 - not sure as temp was not taken, presume 26C

FG was 1.011 - about 23C

 

I think you can get NZ version of hallertauer hops if german ones aint available, should be close enough.

 

as for hitting 28C mark - I think beer was in that stage on a second day probably for some good 12 hours and I did reduce temperature to 23C ambient leaving brew at 25-26C mark on the fermenter - that might be an average temp of that brew while it was in active stage.

 

the point of whole post actually was to encourage people not to dump beer if it looks ok, not infected, but tastes a bit off - time and yeast may cure lot of things in beer - just put them in plastic bottles if you are afraid of bombing accidents and let it live there for few weeks before trying :-)

 

Im actually considering to adding this as "house" recipe :-)