What am I tasting?

So I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong with my beer. I don't think it's infected, since it sounds like infected beers have a very strong sour flavor. My beer IS somewhat sour though. Not a bad taste, but not good either. It's hard for me to try and explain, I've tried using one of those flavor wheels but I still couldn't find the appropriate words. I took a bite out of some buffalo-chicken pizza, and then took a sip of the beer, and it tasted just like Newcastle Brown. So, I guess that means it has a vinegary taste?

The recipe was just not very well thought out, just a basic beer based very loosely on a "bitter". It consisted of 6lbs DME, and 2 oz hops total. I did 60 min of Oregon fuggles and 15 min of Kent Goldings. In retrospect, entirely too much malt and not much hops.

I dunno, what do you guys think? Infected? Is this what "malty" taste like?

I'm not qualified to answer much on this, other than I'm sure more qualified will ask you:


OG and FG?
ferment temps?
yeast used?

Is it finished and bottled? How long have you given it?

5 gal batch I assume? The balance of hops/malt doesn't seem terribly off to me.

As far as infection, it really all depends what got in there. A simple wild yeast might cause a bit of sour flavoring. As a provisional answer, I'm gonna say congrats on your first lambic

OG: 1.042
FG: 1.0.12

It fermented on the warm side, around 80-82F. I used SafeAle US-05.

It's all sitting in bottles, and so far it's been about 4 weeks since pitching the yeast.

I'm gonna say it fermented at too high of a temp and it's still young. But I'm still a noob so I wouldn't go completly off my word.

Definitely on the warm side so some off flavors are probably to be expected. Also, 4 weeks from pitching to tasting is not a very long time either. How long was it in the fermenter and now bottles? If it could have stayed in the fermenter longer the yeast might have cleaned up some of the off flavor. If it was rushed out and went straight to bottle that will take even longer.

At the very least you probably need to give it another couple weeks at room temp to see if any of the unexpected flavors mellow.

Is it carbed yet? 4 weeks from pitching is def very young and I suspect this will change significantly for you after its been bottled for another week or so.

If the worst thing I had to say about my beer is that it turned out tasting just like Newcastle Brown, I'd be pretty ok with the world.

I am no expert but have had what sounds like a similar situation. Had a keg full of brew that was not good tasting after a couple weeks in the keg - had an off-taste to it. I almost decided to dump it. But, I set it aside and forgot about it for several more weeks. Tried it again (cold) and it was like another beer took over. Actually tasted quite good. That keg got consumed happily.
Maybe put your bottles aside and try them again in about a month or two. In my case, it probably took 8 or more weeks after pitching to have a good taste.

Put it away for 2 or 3 weeks and then taste it again - if it's a vinegar (aceto) infection it will definitely get worse in that time, but chances are good that it's just a bit green. I had a recent batch have that same slightly sour flavor but it's since aged out very nicely. I did have one infected batch last year with the same flavor at bottling, but after 3 weeks it was almost pure vinegar.

Here's one I've had lots of experience with lately.

I'm guessing that the taste is fusel alcohol. I was regularly fermenting at about 75 (using WL Calif. Ale), and thought what I was tasting was extract twang. It wasn't. I went to all-grain and it actually got worse. Coincidentally, summer hit just then, and I was fermenting more like 80.

Did you measure temp from the fermometer on the outside of the fermentor, was that ambient room temp, or did you have a temp probe in the wort? If any but the last, you probably fermented 5-10 degrees higher than the 80 you mentioned.

Do a search on fermentation temps. I thought I was the only one until I started doing some research. These threads come up a couple times a day this time of year.

Okay, well I guess definitely not "malty". I'm still a little confused as to what malty taste like, since it can't be sweet. I mean, all the sugar is fermented out, right?

Well, here are more details: It sat in the fermenter for 1 week, then I bottled. The taste has actually got better between week 1, and 2. But from week 2 and now (4) it hasn't improved much.

I kinda left out green beer as a possibility because my first batch didn't taste like this at all.

I wish I could control my ferm temps better, but my mini-fridge is too small.

eightbt said:

I wish I could control my ferm temps better, but my mini-fridge is too small.

Click to expand...

Go to Wal Mart (I hate to go to those SOBs, but they are the only place I've seen them), go back to the isle where they keep the laundry tubs, and buy these huge solid plastic tubs withe rope handles. Put your filled carboy in it, put water in there and daily put in a block or two of those blue ice box ice cubes. Cover carboy with a tee shirt and point a box fan at it. Here's a picture of one (never mind all the pile of junk behind it. I am looking for a place to put it all. Most of it is brew stuff)



For scale that's a six and 1/2 gal glass and upside down is a 5 and 1/2 gal Better Bottle carboy airing out. Inside the tub is grain for a Little Kings clone from Austin Home Brew.