Jester King Announces Fearless Traveler Ropiness Mouthfeel Issue

From Jester King:

We recently discovered that Fearless Traveler — our farmhouse ale brewed with Merkén and refermented with prickly pear cactus fruit in collaboration with Cervecería Granizo — has developed some “ropiness”.

Ropiness refers to the beer developing a slick or viscous mouthfeel. In our experience, it has little to no effect on flavor or aroma, but is not particularly pleasant when it comes to mouthfeel. It can be a product of wild fermentation from time to time.

The slickness in the mouthfeel is most likely attributable to the lactic acid producing bacteria Pediococcus. According to the Milk the Funk Wiki, Pediococcus may cause ropiness due to the production of exopolysaccharides, which mostly effect mouthfeel and appearance. Brettanomyces (which is contained in our mixed culture) has the ability to break down exopolysaccharides over time.

The good news is that in our experience, ropiness typically clears up after a few months of aging at cellar or room temperature. If you have a bottle of Fearless Traveller, we recommend aging it for another 3-4 months before drinking. If you’d prefer, please bring your bottle(s) back to Jester King and we’ll exchange it for a bottle of equal value.

Off-flavors can be subjective, however ropiness is not something we enjoy and is not up to our standards for a Jester King beer. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail [email protected]. Cheers!