Simonh82
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2015
- Messages
- 85
- Reaction score
- 10
I brewed a golden ale a week or so ago and I think it has gone sour. I think it's a lacto infection but don't know enough about this style of brewing to be sure. I want to know if i should just dump it or whether it is worth bottling.
The recipe is here and I think an infected starter is to blame. I was reusing yeast from overbuilt starters. This was probably the 4th reuse and it had been sat in my fridge for quite maybe two months between brews. When I made the starter i noticed a slight tart note reminiscent of green apples but put it down to acetaldehyde as it was only on the stir plate for 24h. Also it was the first time I'd used a stir plate and I'd heard the constant agitation can lead to pretty nasty tasting starters.
Anyway the beer fermented out OK and has stabilized at 1.012 but when I tasted the sample from the trial jar it has the same slightly sour tart note. It isn't overpowering but is definitely there. To confirm, I also took a pH reading and it was 3.88, which I think is low for a normal beer.
Given that I didn't find the beer totally disgusting, could I bottle it anyway, or is this asking for trouble? I'm chilling the beer down to see what it's like cold.
If I do bottle it will the bacteria continue to ferment the residual sugars leading to bottle bombs? Is the flavour profile likely to continue to change, or is that only an issue with Brett? I don't fancy tying up my equipment for months waiting for it to ferment the last bit of sugar so if that's necessary then I think it's heading for the drain.
Any advice gratefully received.
The recipe is here and I think an infected starter is to blame. I was reusing yeast from overbuilt starters. This was probably the 4th reuse and it had been sat in my fridge for quite maybe two months between brews. When I made the starter i noticed a slight tart note reminiscent of green apples but put it down to acetaldehyde as it was only on the stir plate for 24h. Also it was the first time I'd used a stir plate and I'd heard the constant agitation can lead to pretty nasty tasting starters.
Anyway the beer fermented out OK and has stabilized at 1.012 but when I tasted the sample from the trial jar it has the same slightly sour tart note. It isn't overpowering but is definitely there. To confirm, I also took a pH reading and it was 3.88, which I think is low for a normal beer.
Given that I didn't find the beer totally disgusting, could I bottle it anyway, or is this asking for trouble? I'm chilling the beer down to see what it's like cold.
If I do bottle it will the bacteria continue to ferment the residual sugars leading to bottle bombs? Is the flavour profile likely to continue to change, or is that only an issue with Brett? I don't fancy tying up my equipment for months waiting for it to ferment the last bit of sugar so if that's necessary then I think it's heading for the drain.
Any advice gratefully received.