Solvent aroma / flavour

[Linalmeemow]

I bottled an oatmeal pale ale this weekend. At 10 days it smelled and tasted fine. At 20 days when I bottled it, it had developed an overwhelming solvent flavour and aroma - it smelled a LOT like nail varnish remover. The only thing I'd done to the beer inbetween those dates was cold crash. I've read up online and haven't found a definitive answer as to what causes this. It's happened to me once before and the only common factor was a temperature change where in the last case I added a hop tea that I don't think I'd let cool enough but that would have pushed the temperature up rather than down. Has this happened to anyone else, and if so what do you think caused it?

I've bottled it anyway in the hope that the flavour conditions out, but I'm not hopeful.

 

[foxbat]

Do you think it's this one?

 

[Brew_DD2]

Had it recently myself and I'm pretty sure it was a wild yeast infection. It's bloody frustrating.

 

[Sandimas]

Did you cold crash it in the original FV or put in into another one?

I've had this before, and it's been an infection, although it seems a little early for it in your case - usually takes a month or two to really become apparent. I used to transfer my beer to a secondary FV prior to cold crashing and put my infections down to this, as I haven't had any since I stopped doing this, although I can't be sure as I also upped my cleaning regime at the same time.

Let us know the outcome in a few weeks.

 

[Linalmeemow]

Do you think it's this one?

That sounds like it. Hadn't thought about wild yeast - I suppose it was an early August brew so the height of the season for this kind of problem. I'll let you know if it conditions out but I'm not hopeful.

I've also just used the same FV for another beer this weekend. It went through the dishwasher and a good spray down with Starsan first though, so hopefully it'll be OK.

 

[Pavros]

I've had this problem twice now. After the first time, when I asked on here, it was suggested that it was probably due to large temperature fluctuations (ie very hot during the day and very cool at night) which causes more stress to the yeast.

I suspect this is the culprit in my case as I would expect a wild yeast infection to show on the hydrometer readings. My last effort went similar to yours. Fine after 10 days when I dry hopped it, awful smell and taste after 18 days when I was ready to bottle it. This unfortunately coincided with the mini heatwave over the bank holiday weekend. The OG was 1.046 and the readings after 10 days and 18 days were 1.008 and 1.007. I would have expected a wild yeast infection to have chewed through more sugars and lowered the reading further ( but my assumption may be wrong here).

I'm going to deep clean all my fermenters and spoons etc and replace all my tubing to see if this helps. Hopefully, now summer has gone, the cooler weather will help too.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Pavros I'd assumed the same when I had one recently because my FG hadn't dropped any further. In my case I think I ruled pretty much everything else out. Temperature control was definitely not an issue as I used a controlled fridge. I can't think of anything else that could cause that off-flavour.