[KathrynPorterDrapeau]

Check out the most recent Zymurgy Online Extra - Oxidation: Good Beer Gone Bad to learn what you need to know about tasting and, more importantly, preventing oxidation in your homebrew. http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/zymurgy/online-extras/oxidation-good-beer-gone-bad

Cheers!

[scooter2374]

Great info! Here's a question though. I just had a DFH Worldwide Stout from '07 at their brewpub and it had a tawny port quality to it, does that mean it was close to it's end? Or being such a big beer (18% abv) would it still have plenty of life left in it?

[denny]

AFAIAC, big beers like that benefit from oxidation.  It mellows and melds the flavors while adding other inter sting notes.

[scooter2374]

Thanks for the quick info Denny. It would be a shame if the glorious beer came to untimely end, lol

[dannyjed]

nice article..I recently had a keg of IPA go bad (oxidize) after a week. I think I forgot to purge the keg before I transferred the beer into it.  The beer's flavor changed completely and became basically undrinkable

[tschmidlin]

'07 WWS better not be getting to it's end . . . I've got cases of that going back to 2004!  Every year my dad goes and gets me a case when it goes on sale, then keeps it in his basement.  Then every few years he drives from NJ to Seattle and brings it out to me.  It's a great birthday present.

We did a tasting of '04-'07 last summer, they were still great.  People had their preferences, but none of them were bad.

nice article..I recently had a keg of IPA go bad (oxidize) after a week. I think I forgot to purge the keg before I transferred the beer into it.  The beer's flavor changed completely and became basically undrinkable

Undrinkable?  Are you sure it was oxidized?  Even without purging a keg it shouldn't be that bed.

[jeffy]

nice article..I recently had a keg of IPA go bad (oxidize) after a week. I think I forgot to purge the keg before I transferred the beer into it.  The beer's flavor changed completely and became basically undrinkable

I also doubt that oxidation happens so fast to make an IPA undrinkable in a week.  Transferring beer to a keg that hasn't been purged seems unlikely to cause immediate staling.  I quietly siphon beer into the bottom of unpurged kegs all the time. 
Could it have been something else that caused the off-flavor?

[dannyjed]

The beer had a harse, bitter taste and almost cardbord.  I know IPA's are supposed to be bitter, but this was different.  I also racked this beer to free up a fermenter and dry hop and I think this might have contributed to the oxidation.  The beer tasted great for the first week and definitely changed.  I am probably my own worst critic because my friend thought it was OK and finished off the keg after a couple weeks.  So, the beer was undrinkable for me when I had others that were much better around to choose from.  At least I don't forget to purge the keg anymore