So I've decided to dump it

So ive never had an infection before. My delicious new red ale that i brewed for my brother is sour. The hyrometer reading that i took yesterday tasted awesome, so i racked to my corni, set it to 30 psi and stuck it in the fridge. Today when i tapped a sample to check the carbonation, it was completely sour, no malt taste at all. But it doesn't smell bad?!?!?! So i'm gonna dump it and rack the other half from the ten gallon batch.

So the infection is there, in the keg, the lines, and maybe the auto siphon. I'm pretty sure the iodaphor isn't gonna take care of it. So what can i use that is easy and handy?

You don't get sour, infected beer overnight. IMO, you would be very foolish to dump this beer.

Nurmey said:

You don't get sour, infected beer overnight. IMO, you would be very foolish to dump this beer.

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I agree...I would leave it be for a few weeks, months and re-visit it. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Read the stories in here and see, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

I don't get it though, it's like someone dumped some vinegar in it. Completely different from the delicious flat beer i sampled yesterday.
And it taste very similar to the previous ipa that soured in the same keg.

You sure you didn't just get some left over trub in the bottom?

you may be tasting co2 or carbonic acid which can at times be bitter and percieved as sour. I have had beers taste wonderful at racking and taste like $h!t a few weeks later. The beer is still green, its still conditioning, meaning the flavors are still melding together.

Read Revvys post about patience, i know it saved my first batch.

you may be tasting co2 or carbonic acid which can at times be bitter and percieved as sour. I have had beers taste wonderful at racking and taste like $h!t a few weeks later.

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Could it have something to do with me hooking up the gas to the liquid side to help carb it during the initial pressurizing?

wcarter1227 said:

The beer is still green, its still conditioning, meaning the flavors are still melding together.

Read Revvys post about patience, i know it saved my first batch.

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It has been in my closet for 2 months and tasted ready to be racked.

You sure you didn't just get some left over trub in the bottom?

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None, I rinsed and checked all that before sanitizing.

Nurmey said:

You don't get sour, infected beer overnight. IMO, you would be very foolish to dump this beer.

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+1 The source must be in the beer line or tap and possibly in the gas line or regulator. It does not make sense that the beer would go sour overnight and to the degree you describe. I would clean the beer line, tap etc then rack the beer to another keg if you have one and test it again before deciding to dump it.

its crazy how a beer will taste one way,then later it will be a different beer. And then later it will be a whole new beer again. dont dump it. just let it do what it wants to do. And later if its nasty,then you can dump it

It is also possible that you are tasting the carbonic acid, which like most organic acids, tastes sour. I'd crank the regulator back down to serving pressure and wait two weeks.

So i dumped it and rebuilt and cleaned all keg parts with PBW this time. When i unhooked the gas line to get it soaked, i smelled the cause.
Apparently the gas line got some back flow from me turning down the regulator at one point or another. It was a horrible stench!! So i blew that nasty vinegar beer co2 gas all through the beer.

Your air lines need just as much attention as everything else.
!Lesson Learned!

TheCarnie said:

So i dumped it and rebuilt and cleaned all keg parts with PBW this time. When i unhooked the gas line to get it soaked, i smelled the cause.
Apparently the gas line got some back flow from me turning down the regulator at one point or another. It was a horrible stench!! So i blew that nasty vinegar beer co2 gas all through the beer.

Your air lines need just as much attention as everything else.
!Lesson Learned!

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The gas line, disconnects and the regulator itself are often overlooked sanitation wise. I am convinced that these are a common source of contamination/infections. Good to hear you found the source.

TheCarnie said:

...
Apparently the gas line got some back flow from me turning down the regulator at one point or another...
Your air lines need just as much attention as everything else.
!Lesson Learned!

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TheCarnie said:

Could it have something to do with me hooking up the gas to the liquid side to help carb it during the initial pressurizing?

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Stop doing that! The bubbles rise to the top of the keg so fast that the additional "exposure" to the beer is trivial at best. You are experiencing the downside of hooking your gas line up to your liquid post.

camiller said:

Stop doing that! The bubbles rise to the top of the keg so fast that the additional "exposure" to the beer is trivial at best. You are experiencing the downside of hooking your gas line up to your liquid post.

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IMO, it won't make any difference which post you connect to if the gas line is contaminated.

Catt22 said:

IMO, it won't make any difference which post you connect to if the gas line is contaminated.

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Yes but it is less likely to get contaminated in the first place if you avoid the potential of liquid going back into the gas line. My point is to avoid getting the gas line contaminated don't hook it to the liquid post in the first place. then you only get back flow if you overfilled to the point that the end of the gas in post is submerged.

camiller said:

Yes but it is less likely to get contaminated in the first place if you avoid the potential of liquid going back into the gas line. My point is to avoid getting the gas line contaminated don't hook it to the liquid post in the first place. then you only get back flow if you overfilled to the point that the end of the gas in post is submerged.

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Yes, but it would still be prudent to clean and sanitize the gas line and connector on a regular basis. I don't hook up the gas to the out post, but I still manage to get some beer in the connector now and then. I think it happens when I move the kegs around and the gas dip tube gets wet. It's easy to spot a problem if you look up into the gas disconnect. Any beer residue is easily visible against the gray plastic of the connector. Clear gas lines are also helpful as you can immediately see if any beer has backed up. It's a bummer to discover it after the fact as the OP has.

Lesson learned: rapid force carbing ruins beer.

malkore said:

Lesson learned: rapid force carbing ruins beer.

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This is simply not true. I have never had any problems that I can trace to rapid force carbonation.

malkore said:

Lesson learned: rapid force carbing ruins beer.

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C'mon really, at least read all the post before saying something completely untrue like that.

I do believe Malkore was being somewhat facetious.