Uh oh. It smells like vinegar.

Can I assume that if a beer has taken on a vinegar smell in the secondary that it is not going to be good?

It's a steam beer brewed with Wyeast #2112 California Lager Yeast. Had active fermentation for two weeks in primary, has now been in secondary for two weeks, at 66 degrees the whole time.

This isn't gonna go away, is it?

Unfortunately, no, it isn't. Sorry for your loss.

Stinks, hopefully this will be your bad batch for the year

Dump then clean and sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Perhaps throw another Sanitize in and try another batch.

Lager yeasts can generate some really odd smells, so don't dump it yet. If it really has a aceto bacteria infection it will probably get ropy. Keep it away from everything else, just in case.

Taste before you dump.

Brewpastor said:

Taste before you dump.

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Here, here! If it's ruined a little bit longer won't matter anyway. Just carry on, and clear and clean and clear and clean the primary so you can get a headstart on the next one.

Let it finish. I had a porter in secondary that had what I percieved as a vinegar like smell. Now, it tastes great. Don't know what caused that smell, but I'm glad I waited.

Brewpastor said:

Taste before you dump.

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I agree as well. I have had odd smells and sights that made me want to dump, but it always paid off to wait.

However, when you get a batch where the entire bottle contents violently exit the bottle as foam upon opening, you have a drain-brau... (uh, don't ask why I would know that...)

Interesting – sounds like most everything I've read related to brewing – ask two brewers a question and get three different opinions.

I just didn't have the heart to dump it yesterday. It's not in the way or anything so guess I will just let it sit for a while longer.

I did taste it; doesn't actually have much flavor at all. The smell isn't overpoweringly vinegary but it is distinctly there.

The beer is very clear with only a few of the small tan colored “floaters” that all three of my batches have had – yeast and / or bubbles, I assume. No sign of anything ropey nor of any massive ugly stuff like the pictures of infected beer I've seen around the net.

Yesterday, while bottling the batch that had been in primary for two weeks, I did (for the first time) notice a whole bunch of places for nasties to hide on the underside of the bucket lid. If nothing else good comes of this, at least my sanitation procedures will be much improved.

Thanks for your responses.

ahoym8e said:

I agree as well. I have had odd smells and sights that made me want to dump, but it always paid off to wait.

However, when you get a batch where the entire bottle contents violently exit the bottle as foam upon opening, you have a drain-brau... (uh, don't ask why I would know that...)

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Not exactly true. One of my favorites so far did this. I don't know if I had an infection or if I overcarbed(It was before I went over to the dark side and started using a hydrometer), but it was great tasting. PLus I had to drink it all before it exploded, which was kind of cool. I'm so used to saving my homebrews that it was nice to drink them all weekend.

Hey! If we knew exactly what we were doing, someone would be paying us to do it. As I (and others) have said, this stuff is alive and will always surprise you.

If I was to judge my Bent Rod Rye on it's current taste, it would be a dumper, bitter and thin. I know it will get better.