SPThirtyThree
Member
Hey guys,
So I brewed my first maple syrup beer last month. A buddy working on a syrup farm in the northeast shipped some grade C stuff (darker than anything in stores) and I added it after primary (because I wanted to minimize the amount of maple syrup flavor lost in fermentation bubbling), but I assumed I didn't need to boil the syrup first.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way - probably during the syrup addition - I infected the beer. I first became suspicious when the second fermentation lasted almost three weeks with a steady 2.5" krausen cap, but when the krausen fell and left splotches of milky white on top, I was sure something was wrong. Checking the gravity confirmed my suspicion: the gravity went from 1.047 to 1.012 in the first round of fermentation (4.5% ABV - normal), and then from 1.044 all the way to 1.007 in the second fermentation. I'm no zymurgist, but I'm fairly certain there are no ale yeasts that can achieve 90% attenuation (since the adjusted OG would be ~1.079).
The beer is actually wonderful right now - woody, maple, roasted nose, and a toasted flavor full laced with hot esters and fusels, but I'm worried it will continue to sour and end up tasting too vinegar-y or phenolic or some other dominant off-flavor.
My questions:
1. Any guesses as to what bug got into the beer? Maybe Strepto?
2. Can I stop wild bug activity using practical means? I don't have a filter and I wouldn't dare boil the beer, but I was hoping a temperature drop or a "magical" additive could do the job. Thoughts?
Thanks!
So I brewed my first maple syrup beer last month. A buddy working on a syrup farm in the northeast shipped some grade C stuff (darker than anything in stores) and I added it after primary (because I wanted to minimize the amount of maple syrup flavor lost in fermentation bubbling), but I assumed I didn't need to boil the syrup first.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way - probably during the syrup addition - I infected the beer. I first became suspicious when the second fermentation lasted almost three weeks with a steady 2.5" krausen cap, but when the krausen fell and left splotches of milky white on top, I was sure something was wrong. Checking the gravity confirmed my suspicion: the gravity went from 1.047 to 1.012 in the first round of fermentation (4.5% ABV - normal), and then from 1.044 all the way to 1.007 in the second fermentation. I'm no zymurgist, but I'm fairly certain there are no ale yeasts that can achieve 90% attenuation (since the adjusted OG would be ~1.079).
The beer is actually wonderful right now - woody, maple, roasted nose, and a toasted flavor full laced with hot esters and fusels, but I'm worried it will continue to sour and end up tasting too vinegar-y or phenolic or some other dominant off-flavor.
My questions:
1. Any guesses as to what bug got into the beer? Maybe Strepto?
2. Can I stop wild bug activity using practical means? I don't have a filter and I wouldn't dare boil the beer, but I was hoping a temperature drop or a "magical" additive could do the job. Thoughts?
Thanks!