Brew day went okay. 10lbs of grain, 1/2 lb of crystal, 1/2 pound of Munich. 70% efficiency, a little low but equaled a 1.05 OG. 4 oz of assorted hops. Wyeast London Ale yeast.
Then the problems started. A very slow fermentation. After 10 days a faint sour smell coming from carboy. After two weeks gravity was still well over 1.02. So I racked to a secondary and waited. Finally after a month a FG of 1.02. But the beer smells and tastes sour, a little like alcoholic orange juice.
I've done half a dozen extract brews, with no infections. A more experienced brewer friend suggested I bottle, just to see if the taste settles. I'm not optimistic. I bottled tonight, and I expect to be dumping this beer in a month.
I don't know why the fermentation went so slow. My basement temp is a steady 70 degrees. A liitle warm but okay for ales. But I think the slow fermentation allowed bacteria to grow, creating the sour beer.
Luckily my Oktoberfest beer is fermenting vigorously, so my next batch should be fine (knock on wood). But is there any chance my sour ale will be drinkable?
Then the problems started. A very slow fermentation. After 10 days a faint sour smell coming from carboy. After two weeks gravity was still well over 1.02. So I racked to a secondary and waited. Finally after a month a FG of 1.02. But the beer smells and tastes sour, a little like alcoholic orange juice.
I've done half a dozen extract brews, with no infections. A more experienced brewer friend suggested I bottle, just to see if the taste settles. I'm not optimistic. I bottled tonight, and I expect to be dumping this beer in a month.
I don't know why the fermentation went so slow. My basement temp is a steady 70 degrees. A liitle warm but okay for ales. But I think the slow fermentation allowed bacteria to grow, creating the sour beer.
Luckily my Oktoberfest beer is fermenting vigorously, so my next batch should be fine (knock on wood). But is there any chance my sour ale will be drinkable?