All-grain saison sour aftertaste

[WeirdPete]

Hi everyone,
I've brewed a few extract batches with varying success and decided to make the step to all-grain and started with a saison. Everything seemed to go well, but last night I tried a bottle that has been conditioning for almost two weeks and it has a sour aftertaste that gets worse as the beer gets warmer. So, did I screw up with sanitation or is this a flavor that will go away as the beer ages a little more?

 

[JonM]

Two weeks is pretty young. Give it at least two more. I didn't touch my last saison for at least 5 weeks and it was great at that point.

Did you use a saison yeast? They throw off a distinctive funky flavor that is characteristic to the style.

 

[WeirdPete]

Yeah, I used wyeast french saison that came with the "Petite Saison d'Ete" all-grain kit from northernbrewer. I did notice a funky flavor lingering in the aftertaste with the sourness too. I hope its just in need of a little more aging, but could it be caused by the water maybe? I used tap water but next batch I'll use a pH stabilizer at least just to be sure.

 

[JonM]

Yep, probably just needs more time.

(Oh, and when I say it has a funky taste, I mean that as a good thing and a distinctive part of why saisons are so good.)

 

[HolidayBrew]

Hi everyone,
I've brewed a few extract batches with varying success and decided to make the step to all-grain and started with a saison. Everything seemed to go well, but last night I tried a bottle that has been conditioning for almost two weeks and it has a sour aftertaste that gets worse as the beer gets warmer. So, did I screw up with sanitation or is this a flavor that will go away as the beer ages a little more?

A homebrewing friend of mine put it this way, when this happened to me early on. "You have to remember that "conditioning" is another fermentation, which is going to introduce some wierd flavors while it's going on. So just wait the recommended time 3 weeks minimum, and the little beasties will clean up after themselves... " It really put it into perspective for me, I just thought I was tasting the brew along the way, which is fine, you just can't expect it to taste right during all points in the process. Hope this helps..