A sour tale

[Wyrmwood]

So I have drank 14 batches of home brewed beer (and a few wines, a mead and even some root beer), and have 2 in the pipeline. Up until now, I have had very controlled fermentations, including some experiments with open fermentation that went very well. I'm pretty good about sanitation; I wash after use and sanitize before use, though I've definitely had a few times where I questioned whether or not something went in the bucket with sanitizer before use (I am in my 40s...).

So, in hindsight, I vaguely recall when I went to put yeast into my last ESB (that really turned into an English IPA), smelling something "off" in my yeast wash. I've been washing yeast since about the 4th or 5th batch and rarely buy yeast anymore. Anyways, I normally smell it to see if it has survived the time in the fridge. I distinctly remember smelling this wash a few times before going ahead and putting it in. Again, in hindsight, probably not a good idea.

Anyways, come bottling day about 4 weeks in, I noticed something sour when I was racking the beer to my bottling bucket. I took a hydrometer reading and it was right at expected FG. I decided to drink the sample instead of returning it (hydrometer had been sanitized, so could have put it back).

Oddly, although it was definitely sour, I really liked the taste. It reminded me of NB's La Folie or Clutch; even more of AC Golden's Cherry Sour, even though there are no cherries or fruit of any kind in the beer.

Now, I'm going to consider this a mistake, since it isn't what I intended and is likely the outcome of not properly sanitizing the jar the yeast wash went into (pure speculation), but, because I liked it, I washed this yeast (and Labeled it Whitbread SOUR....)

Now, after sanitizing everything with star san and very hot water (may have ruined another hydrometer in the process...) I started a new batch, an oatmeal stout (very close to the clone brew version of Samuel Smith's, minus the rice hulls, LME instead of DME, breiss crystal 60L instead of Simpson's 55, UK chocolate and added 8oz lactose).

My question is, am I going to have difficulty avoiding sour beers in the future? Not that I don't enjoy them, but I would like control over when I actually make them. Do I need to get a new fermentation bucket? Other supplies need to be replaced? What kind of luck do you think I'll have with the yeast wash? Is this even repeatable?

 

[COLObrewer]

Most people who brew sour beers maintain separate equipment that they use solely for the sours, one thing you can do is place a symbol on any equipment that has been used for sour, like an S or X or some such to keep track of it. On the other hand, I do not keep track of this, If/when I do happen to have an accidental sour, I either feed it to a sour that is currently going, or make a new sour.

 

[Wyrmwood]

Most people who brew sour beers maintain separate equipment that they use solely for the sours, one thing you can do is place a symbol on any equipment that has been used for sour, like an S or X or some such to keep track of it. On the other hand, I do not keep track of this, If/when I do happen to have an accidental sour, I either feed it to a sour that is currently going, or make a new sour.

I probably should have posted BEFORE I made the stout. I used a new smack pack of 1084, so no yeast wash on this one. If it turns out sour, I'll definitely quit using the bucket. I prefer the glass anyway, it's just a little harder to measure the top up and not as easy as dumping from kettle to bucket. In hindsight, I think I'll save the bucket specifically for sours and just use the carboys for the rest, plus it's nice to see what's going on during primary fermentation

Thanks!

 

[jtejedor]

I have read it is very hard to get bugs out of plastic so yeah that bucket might be a bust. Also might want to be careful with the other batch you mentioned you bottled it. Bugs (ie infections and such) can super attenuate beers so at best you might have some gushers, at worst you might have nice little bottle grenades waiting to happen. Although this might not even be an infection, how long was the batch in the bucket for? Usually infections take some time to really do their thing so there just might be something else causing a sour flavor.

 

[Wyrmwood]

It was in the primary for 3 and a half weeks before bottling. I did not secondary. Without a doubt, the "smell" in the yeast wash is what was pronounced in the primary when I bottled. I have a few theories, the one I think is the most plausible is that I forgot to sanitize the mason jar I put the yeast wash in, and it is also probable that I used a jar (washed but not sanitized) my wife had made yogurt in. I am guessing that's where the "bugs" came from. The yeast wash was in the fridge for a couple of months before I used it in the EIPA.

 

[bruin_ale]

Aside from the bucket, you should probably replace tubing that you used for transferring the sour beer.