Slight vinegar taste in IPA...

So my first IPA is (according to the schedule) ready to enjoy...I cracked my first last week as a tester, and noticed it was way too sweet, so I waited until tonight to give it a 3-week "conditioning try". I noticed right off the bat that it had a noticeable, but not overwhelming, vinegar scent to it (but the sweetness was pretty much gone).

I took a good look in TCJOHB, and noticed that I didn't sparge after cooling the wort (which I've honestly never done ). I also had to pitch at around 80F since I couldn't cool the wort down fast enough (almost 1 1/2 hours...I've since bought a copper cooler).

Any thoughts?

Well, if it really is vinegar, you got an acetic acid bacteria infection. The only way to tell is if the beer turns more vinegary over time.

I'm not sure what you are getting at about sparging after cooling the wort. Are you doing all grain or extract? Sparging is a step in All Grain brewing where hot water is used to rinse the sugars off of the grain after the initial mash water is drained out. If you are doing extract, you wouldn't be doing a sparge. A long cooling period isn't ideal if you don't have a safe way to store the wort. Before I had a chiller, I'd cover the pot with sanitized foil and stick it into an ice bath.

scrambledegg81 said:

I took a good look in TCJOHB, and noticed that I didn't sparge after cooling the wort (which I've honestly never done ).
Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Do you mean perhaps you didn't oxygenate after cooling the wort? This step is important to help initial multiplication of the yeast colony.

As to vinegar, if it gets more vinegary than as Edcculusstated you may have an acetobacter infection. Hopefully the smell subsides and it was just some funk from the high pitching temperature.

Could it also be described as green apple or fresh cut pumpkin? My guess is it is still green. I've seen quite a few people on here say you shouldn't even try to diagnose an off flavor until at least 6 weeks in the bottle. I know it sucks to wait.

Edcculus-it was a partial mash, but (noobiness shining through here...) I thought sparging was separating the solids in the wort prior to fermenting? Then again the pictures in TCJOHB are a bit misleading...

What you are referring to is just straining out the trub (hot break, cold break and hops). There are constant debates on whether to strain. While that debate can rage on, I will tell you that it wouldn't cause a vinegar taste in your beer.

Ahso grandmaster. Had 2 more since last night and neither have that off-taste. Thinking it might've been a single bottle issue....thanx.