First Lager tastes like dirty sock water

What might have gone wrong?

Brewing extract version of AHS american lite lager.

Followed all instructions that came with the kit. Been lagering in my fridge with controller at 40 degrees F for 2.5 weeks now. Did a taste test today and it tastes absolutely horrible. Like there is a strong vinegary aftertaste, but does not finish sharp and hot like vinegar...finishes very mineraly, like dirt.

A few concerns I have at this point:

1. I used Wyeast American Lager. The smack pack did not swell. I pitched it anyway. (Probably where my mistake is, but I need to hear it from someone else.) When I opened the smack pack, the yeast nutrient pack was broken. Not sure if I broke it or not because the pack did not swell. Fermentation definitely occured as OG was 1.036ish, SG is now 1.002. The krausen formation was very small, not like all the ales I brew. Is this normal for lagers?

2. Has the beer just not aged enough? Will the off flavor age-out, or is this batch done for?

3. It took about 48 hours for fermentation to begin. At this point I put the carboy in the fridge and brougt to lager yeast temp which took another 2 days (roughly) for krausen to form and airlock to start bubbling although bubbling was never vigorous. Might I have developed a bacteria during this time?

4. This taste was present when I racked the beer from primary to secondary. I assumed this was normal of typical BMCish beers and that it would go away with the lagering process. Should this flavor not have been present at all?

leave it alone for a few more weeks and you'll be AMAZED at just how much the flavor changes!

Never tasted dirty sock water, but I assume is bad

Honestly, it sounds like an infection. Vinegar = acetobacter. Chances are that you batch is toast.

Almost certainly infected. I've left two batches in fermenters for about a year, their airlocks dried out and the resulting beer smelled just like that -- sour, dirty sock water. Good on ya for the fortitude to taste something that smells so foul...

I've only poured one batch down the drain...and this sounds like this might be your first. If you don't need the fermenter space, keep it around for a while and see what happens, but it doesn't sound good. Flavors change, but its kinda rare that they go from outright disgusting to a delicious beer. No matter how much time you give it.

afraziaaaa said:

What might have gone wrong?

Brewing extract version of AHS american lite lager.

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For all the disrespect BMC beers get, this is one of the most difficult beers to make. There's nowhere for the mistakes to hide... vinegary definitely sound like some kind of bacterial condition. Drink up :9

bottlebomber said:

For all the disrespect BMC beers get, this is one of the most difficult beers to make. There's nowhere for the mistakes to hide... vinegary definitely sound like some kind of bacterial condition. Drink up :9

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Funny, I was just going to answer, "What might have gone wrong?" with, "You brewed an american light lager."

So its two and a half weeks in the fermenter? Finish fermentation, lager in the bottle if you prefer but give this beer a chance, lagers ferment much slower than ales due to the lower temps and unless you know for sure what you are tasting you should never give up on a batch this early. It might be done for or it may just be the ferment but give it a chance.

If it's at 1.002, I strongly suspect infection. Unless you purposely added some enzymes to have the beer finish that low, that's not at all where it should end up. The low FG, the terrible taste, the gross underpitching of the yeast and the long lag time (even at room temperature), makes me believe this batch is infected.

Yooper said:

If it's at 1.002, I strongly suspect infection. Unless you purposely added some enzymes to have the beer finish that low, that's not at all where it should end up. The low FG, the terrible taste, the gross underpitching of the yeast and the long lag time (even at room temperature), makes me believe this batch is infected.

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Ok, it is probably infected! I pitched the yeast as soon as the wort was cool enough, and it was the wyeast pack that came with the kit. With only a 1036 OG, how could this be underpitched? Is it possible that the yeast pack was bad?

I am just trying to figure out where I went wrong so it doesnt happen again. Thznks for all the feedback so far everyone.

Dirty sock water... lol.

I almost spit my drink out on the keyboard when I read that. How did you come up with the comparison? Wait. No, I don't want to know

Best of luck, I hope a little time helps turn it around for you!

Jsmith82 said:

Dirty sock water... lol.

I almost spit my drink out on the keyboard when I read that. How did you come up with the comparison? Wait. No, I don't want to know

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Have you read the worst commercial beer thread? "Tastes like it was fermented inside a hobos colon" was one that stood out recently...

You were obviously fine with the yeast even though the pack didn't swell. The fact that it took 48 hours to start much activity is okay. How long did you let the pack sit after smacking it?

bottlebomber said:

Have you read the worst commercial beer thread? "Tastes like it was fermented inside a hobos colon" was one that stood out recently...

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My drink is on the keyboard. Thanks.

afraziaaaa said:

Ok, it is probably infected! I pitched the yeast as soon as the wort was cool enough, and it was the wyeast pack that came with the kit. With only a 1036 OG, how could this be underpitched? Is it possible that the yeast pack was bad?

I am just trying to figure out where I went wrong so it doesnt happen again. Thznks for all the feedback so far everyone.

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Lagers need significantly more yeast cells to have a healthy fermentation. The Mr. Malty pitching rate calculator recommends pitching 2.6 liquid yeast packets or one packet with a 3.47 liter simple starter for a 1.036 lager. With an ale at that gravity, the same calculator recommends a 1 liter starter or 1.3 packs or liquid yeast.

jwplessner said:

Lagers need significantly more yeast cells to have a healthy fermentation. The Mr. Malty pitching rate calculator recommends pitching 2.6 liquid yeast packets or one packet with a 3.47 liter simple starter for a 1.036 lager. With an ale at that gravity, the same calculator recommends a 1 liter starter or 1.3 packs or liquid yeast.

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Right. And even though you left it at room temperature, the fact that it took 48 hours to show signs of fermentation isn't good at all. (I know, I know- we say let it take 72 hours before worrying!- but that's not for underpitched lagers!) If it took 48 hours at room temperature, and then two days until krausen, that was WAY too long.

For a lager, you need to pitch cool and with enough yeast. While it was waiting to take off, some wild bug (brett? Lacto?) took off and did its magic.

+1. Pitching cool is a bus I'm fully on. At low temps, lager yeast seem to be far more active than spoilage microbes. A lag of 2 days at 10ºC is way better than a single day at 20ºC, IMO. Plus, esters and diacetyl are suppressed.

dime1622 said:

You were obviously fine with the yeast even though the pack didn't swell. The fact that it took 48 hours to start much activity is okay. How long did you let the pack sit after smacking it?

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Roughly 4 hours. I took it out of the fridge and let it warm to room temp for about 4 hours prior to smacking as well. Normally they swell within 2 hours.

Yooper said:

Right. And even though you left it at room temperature, the fact that it took 48 hours to show signs of fermentation isn't good at all. (I know, I know- we say let it take 72 hours before worrying!- but that's not for underpitched lagers!) If it took 48 hours at room temperature, and then two days until krausen, that was WAY too long.

For a lager, you need to pitch cool and with enough yeast. While it was waiting to take off, some wild bug (brett? Lacto?) took off and did its magic.

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Oooooohhhhh. Lightbulb...:rockin:

Time to toss this one and try again! Thanks for the help everyone.