It became a trend in recent years when many people decided to brew their beer. With the advanced tools and equipment, you can easily set up a brewery in your basement or garage. However, it is essential to learn more about the process to be able to create a fine beverage. Also, some mistakes might lead to poisoning, which means that it is crucial to follow the receipt with all instructions related to ingredients and their proper amount. The main feature of craft beers is that they have much better taste and quality than those from massive production lines. Moreover, if you want to taste some of the best craft beers in Italy, visit birre online.
For beer lovers, having the ability to brew your type is remarkable. Still, there is plenty of space for mistakes if you don’t have enough knowledge and experience. Still, practice is the best way to improve your brewing skills. However, it is essential to learn how to determine if there is something wrong with it, and stop the process on time. Here are the best ways that will help you to spot if your homemade beer has gone bad.
1. Popcorn Taste
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There are various natural ingredients and bacteria used in the brewing process. In that matter, you will have to know how to determine the right amount of compounds, and to allow the bacteria to ferment properly. In case that something goes wrong, you are not risking just a bad taste of beer, but also health issues if you drink such a beverage. One of the ingredients used a lot in the process is diacetyl. When used in the right way, it will improve the taste of beer. However, there is also a chance that this ingredient might affect the infection of bacteria, which will lead to the smell of popcorn of the beer. In that case, you will need to get rid of it and start over with the process.
2. Unpleasant Odor
One of the easiest ways to determine if there is something wrong is in case you notice a strange smell. Different types of smells can be produced by the compound, and some of them are part of the natural process of fermentation.
However, if it gets really unpleasant and unbearable, you probably made some mistake during the brewing, which caused the infection of ingredients, and you will have to throw away the compound. It is essential to pay attention to proper heating, light, and oxygen. For example, exposure to light will most likely cause an infection of bacteria, and the same is with oxygen.
3. Taste of Apples
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It is not dangerous as other issues in this list, but you should know that beers with an apple smell haven’t passed a proper process of production in the distillery. The main source that is causing this aroma is acetaldehyde, which represents a regular ingredient in beer. However, when you don’t pay enough attention, there could be increased levels of it, which can cause this issue. There is no way to correct even with additional aromas. Also, keep in mind that if you get such beer in some pub, you should switch it to some other option.
4. Stuck Fermentation
Another indication that you should start over with the whole process is related to issues with fermentation. In case that the beet simply stopped fermenting, you made a mistake, and there is not the way to correct it. Many important factors can influence this problem, such as improper level of ingredients, poor safety, oxidation, sunlight, and more.
On the other side, if the fermentation stopped in the early stages, there might be some ways to correct it. For instance, you can try racking it. When the process ends, you can store the beer if the taste is fine. In some cases, even if it is not what you expected, there is no need to get rid of it, unless it has really bad taste.
First of all, you should never get too disappointed if you have issues with the compound. Proper brewing requires years of experience and a lot of knowledge. Also, you should always look for a solution to fix some issues with the fermentation or the taste before getting rid of it. The only reason for throwing it away is in case of an infection. Also, some small issues and wrong moves won’t completely ruin the beer. Therefore, be more patient and learn from your mistakes.
5. The Beer Taste Like Cardboard
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If you notice that your homemade beer has a taste with some strange aroma like paper or cardboard, it doesn’t mean that you should throw it away. However, you can expect a shorter expiration time and a poorer taste than what you expected. It is very important to keep the beer away from the oxygen, and any contact with air will lead to this problem. Also, you should keep the beer in the proper position while being packed, to decrease chances of getting in touch with air.
Conclusion
This is a very interesting hobby that is becoming more popular. We can notice the huge difference in prices between craft beers and those made in production lines. The reason for that is related to a much higher quality of the first option. However, you will need advanced knowledge and practice to create a quality beverage at your home. Before you even start getting the equipment, learn more about recipes and the process of brewing. Also, invest in high-quality equipment and follow every instruction.
Tasting your homemade beer is an amazing experience, but many factors might cause problems. It is not a big issue if the taste is not as good as you expected, especially if you are a beginner. However, determining an infection on time is crucial. In most cases, it should never be an issue to notice any of these infections since they are causing an unpleasant smell of the beer.
