Skunky beer

[Brewsforlife]

I was hoping for some feedback. I recently brewed a Hefeweizen ale recipe that turned out great at first. I kegged this in a corny keg right after fermentation, chilled and force carbonated it. Smelled and tasted fine for about two weeks. ALl of a sudden the beer has a skunky smell to it. Still tastes fine however it smells bad.

Any thoughts on what caused this and if I can salvage the two gallons that are left?

KO

[hooky]

Are you pouring it in a glass and sitting on your sunny back deck?


Skunky smells are usually a product of light striking the beer and causing a reaction with the hops. I don' t know how it would get light struck in the keg though.

[steveh]

Can you list the recipe for us? It's possible that the aroma you're describing isn't actually "skunky," but maybe a Saaz or Tettnang hop aroma. Many beer evaluators have a problem discerning between these two -- mainly due to sampling too many green-bottle imports and hearing that's how the beer is supposed to taste. Then, when they get a clean bottle, they smell the true hop character and still think it's skunky.

Never experienced this myself, but I've heard others talk about it -- maybe you over-hopped and you're just getting strong finishing hop nose?

Also, is the aroma skunky, or more to a sulphur smell? I've talked with many beer drinkers who mistaken those two as well.

S.

[Brewsforlife]

Here is the list of ingredients

On further research I opened the corny keg last night to see what was going on. There was quite a bit of sediment in the bottom so I am wondering if I am getting some secondary fermentation even though the beer has been at refrigeration temps in the keg all along.

3 gallon recipe all grain

3.25 lb German Wheat Malt
2.7 lb Maris Otter
2.5 oz German Munich Malt

Mashed at 150 degrees for 90 minutes

Boil

1/2 oz aged Hallertauers for the 90 minutes boil

Used whirlfloc and Servyomyces yeast nutrient the last 15 minutes

Used White Labs Liquid Hefe Yeast

Thanks for the help.

[steveh]

Wow, that's not a lot of hops, even for 3 gallons.

If the aroma is more sulfur (rotten eggs) than skunky, I'd blame the yeast sediment in your keg, but the first draw from a keg usually expells that. Then again, it is a Hefeweizen.

BTW -- never heard of "aged" hops. Old hops usually go stale and impart a "cheesy" (yes, as in the dairy product -- you'd know it when you taste it) character to flavor and aroma.

S.

[Brewsforlife]

When I bought them from the beer supply place they were listed as aged. Maybe it is time to discard what is left. I have them in a sealed container in the freezer

I think the sediment is definitely the culprete

Thanks for the help

Ken

[corkybstewart]

Aged hops are used for lambics. They have the antibacterial protection of hops but no alpha acids for bittering. I definitely wouldn't have used these in a hefe.