accidentally made a sour, any ideas?

[chibrewer]

I just tasted my third batch and I'm a bit concerned. I made a dunkelweissen kit from Brewers best, followed my normal brewing procedures, let it sit in primary for a little over three weeks at around 67 degrees and bottled with the prepackaged corn sugar. I cracked one open last night after about two weeks in the bottle (a little early I know, but I was curious) and the beer has a distinctly sour taste. For reference it actually tastes a lot like the sour winter seasonal that Magic Hat has out right now.
Was this a sanitation issue? If so should I just let it mellow for a while?
Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated.

 

[TipsyDragon]

right off hand i would say its an infection. i had a similar problem with a batch i made a while back. i would let them sit for a while and try another one. if its still sour then i would say you inadvertently made a lambic.

 

[FireNightFly]

If you had a white film on the wort prior to bottling or you didnt properly sanitize your bottles it may have been infected. If its not an infection and just a sour taste, id say either let it go for a while in the bottles so they merry the flavors or do what I do ... if tastes off, I grill/cook with it ...

Good luck tho, hope it turns out well.

 

[dantodd]

Patience will be rewarded. Give it time to settle and try again in 2 more weeks. Then post to let us know if it has lost the sourness or gotten more sour, or stayed the same. 2 weeks in the bottle is a little too early to know anything. Do note the carbonation level and how much more sour it tasted than on bottling day though. This will be good to know for later comparison.

 

[chibrewer]

Thanks guys, I'll give it some time and then check back. Now I just have to figure out what to brew in the meantime.

 

[Zen_Brew]

There is at least a chance it is infected. Many poeple like the complexities a souring bacteria imparts. If it turns out to remain sour, but you like the effect, than you can just drink it. If it remains sour and you find it interesting but too strong, you make try to make another batch of the same thing and blend the two to reduce the souring effect.

If you don't like it, well then I guess it's down to give it away or throw it away.

 

[pjj2ba]

.............If it remains sour and you find it interesting but too strong, you make try to make another batch of the same thing and blend the two to reduce the souring effect.

If you don't like it, well then I guess it's down to give it away or throw it away.

I had some issues with lactobacillus infection last winter. Luckily I enjoy sour beers. If you find it a little too tart for your tastes, put a little maraschino cherry juice (< 1 tsp) in the bottom of a glass, then pour the beer. I guess it is sort of a poor man's Kriek. The fruit flavor and sugar in the juice helps to mellow out the tartness a bit. You can buy bottles of just the juice without the cherries if you like it.

 

[chibrewer]

After another two weeks I cracked open another one and it is definitely still sour. I'm not a huge fan of sour beers but I will drink them every once in a while, so I think I'll just keep some of these around and tell my friends that I made an Oud Bruin.
I may try out the maraschino cherry idea, maybe that will make the batch a little more palatable.
Thanks again.

 

[artguy]

I have a robust porter that had the white film on the wort, and it definitely ended up soured: drinkable, but not exactly my favorite, so I'll be using it mostly in cooking from here on. I know a lot of off flavors will mellow with age, but this sourness shows no sign of mellowing after more than 2 months in the bottle. Oh well!

 

[knappster]

I'm in the same boat with you guys. Brewed a partial mash dunkelweizen that took a few days to start fermenting and it has that sourness too. I can't bring myself to dump it, so I generally drink a good beer first, then the sour beer, then wash it down with another good beer, lol.

My biggest concern is whether my next couple beers will be infected since I racked with the same hose. I'll find out this weekend when I crack the first one open.

 

[phasedweasel]

Keep an eye on the bottle carbonation - it's my understanding an infection can ferment sugars that yeast cannot, and this could lead to over-pressuring the bottle and a bomb in the fridge.

 

[pjj2ba]

After another two weeks I cracked open another one and it is definitely still sour. I'm not a huge fan of sour beers but I will drink them every once in a while, so I think I'll just keep some of these around and tell my friends that I made an Oud Bruin.
I may try out the maraschino cherry idea, maybe that will make the batch a little more palatable.
Thanks again.

The maraschino cherry juice will really soften the tartness. I'm going to try mine with some grenadine this weekend.

 

[MikeG]

Have you let the beer sit out long enough to de-carb and get a gravity reading?

I had a double simcoe recipe that was sour but my gravity had not gone down eliminating the thought it was infected. I'm trying to appreciate it for what it is, grapefruity and sour.