Bit of a strange one this. Just went to keg my latest Kölsch after the first one from a wee while back was a real success.
After racking to my bottling bucket I couldn't help but notice an odd smell. I decided to take a sample test and there was a distinctive appley/peardrop flavour that was rather unpleasant. I did a quick Google for off-flavours and it appears acetaldehyde is the most likely culprit.
This is where is gets a little strange. 10 days into fermentation I took a gravity reading and the beer was at 1.008 and tasted superb, very clean and no signs of apple. At this stage I brought the temperature up to 19c (primary fermentation temperature was at 16c). I had intended to keg the following week but life got in the way and it's ended up being about 6 weeks in total in the primary fermenter.
Now as far as I was aware, acetaldehyde usually only presents itself in a very young beer. So, what's gone on here? Beer spent too long on the yeast cake? Possible infection? Gravity today also 1.008.
After racking to my bottling bucket I couldn't help but notice an odd smell. I decided to take a sample test and there was a distinctive appley/peardrop flavour that was rather unpleasant. I did a quick Google for off-flavours and it appears acetaldehyde is the most likely culprit.
This is where is gets a little strange. 10 days into fermentation I took a gravity reading and the beer was at 1.008 and tasted superb, very clean and no signs of apple. At this stage I brought the temperature up to 19c (primary fermentation temperature was at 16c). I had intended to keg the following week but life got in the way and it's ended up being about 6 weeks in total in the primary fermenter.
Now as far as I was aware, acetaldehyde usually only presents itself in a very young beer. So, what's gone on here? Beer spent too long on the yeast cake? Possible infection? Gravity today also 1.008.