Nooooo!!!! First sour smelling batch!!!!!!!!

[retardedsloth]

The stuff smells sour, I let it sit in the secondary fermenter for almost 2 month.
Doesn't taste all that bad, but I am wondering if I should just throw this one out. Does anyone know whether you can get sick from drinking sour smelling beer? I don't mean sick because you drink too much.
Toss or Keep?

 

[Spunkmeyer]

Toss or Keep?

If it tastes OK, keep it. The smell may change entirely during bottling/refrigeration.

 

[Pogopunx82]

I wont hurt you. Keep it.

 

[unionrdr]

Did you see anything like stringy snots or the like floating on top? Exactly what does this "sour" taste really seem like? The Belgians make sours. Is it like that,or something else you're perceiving as sour?

 

[retardedsloth]

It smells sour maybe even a little acidic. I don't really have anything to compare the smell to maybe sour milk, but I haven't smelled any in a long time. This is the batch that blew the lid off the bucket, so I suspected problems which is why I left it in the fermenter that long. There were no strands or anything in fact the beer is very clear and looked just like a regular batch.

 

[unionrdr]

How long after it blew it's top did you clean,re-sanitize,& reinstall the lid? Maybe it sat too long,& got some wild yeast in it?

 

[retardedsloth]

It blew up in the middle of the night, so it sat until the next morning. Our house is very clean and we don't have any pets/pests though.

 

[Germelli1]

Nothing in a sour beer can make you sick that wouldn't be in unsour beer (like allergies to ingredients). You will never know if the beer is good if you dump it, but you will get ot find out if you bottle it and try it!

 

[cmoon]

One trick I used with a souring beer was keg hopping it. This made it drinkable for another week or so but then the sourness took over again. Ultimately ended up dumping it.

I understand the general brewers principle of not throwing away bad beer (and there are plenty of cases where I would consider blending or re-pitching), but if the taste ruins your enjoyment of it, I would just dump it and put all your energy into your next amazing beer.

 

[retardedsloth]

WOW, I had some of this stuff yesterday evening, the sour smell is gone and it tastes good. Amazing what 24 hours of conditioning in a refrigerated keg will do. Thanks for the input!