Belgian Dubbel came out a bit...hazy & sour?

[odie]

Recently tapped a keg of Dubbel….not what I expected. Exact same recipe as last time (which came out really nice). The only difference is the yeast...It's the exact same yeast, T-58, just re-used. I did a Dubbel a year ago and it was great. I saved the yeast from that batch and used it on a Belgian Tripel (yet to be tapped). I saved that yeast and pitched into this Dubbel.

Well tapping the keg and it has a very pronounced "sour" taste. But it was also VERY hazy compared to the last Dubbel (same exact recipe). I figured the bottom of the keg got a little disturbed. But several days later and a few sample pours the hazy and sour never got purged from the keg. So I pulled the keg and added some gelatin (dissolved in warm water) and shook the keg real good and now a couple weeks later it has only cleared slightly and the sour is still there...but perhaps not as strong...

I hate to dump it... I guess I should "drink my shame" as a "lesson" just as I once scolded another here to do :O

 

[Pappers_]

Could be the same cause for both the hazy and sour taste - a wild yeast innoculation.

 

[odie]

It does make me think of a Lambic...

 

[odie]

well now my pumpkin ale and honey brown I just tapped have the same thing going on??? 3 different beers with the same unwanted characteristic showing up...makes me think I have a process problem...

all were in different fermenters and those always get the spigots removed, disassembled, cleaned and replaced every time. Same with my kegs, full break down and cleaning.

All these beers used harvested yeast slurry. But several months old, not a couple weeks...

So I'm thinking my yeast harvest and storage methods need closer scrutiny...

Or just go back to fresh yeast every time...

For now I plan to just dump all my jars of yeast and start over from scratch...

 

[Dr_Jeff]

it could be all sorts of things, all the way down to the tubing you use to transfer from the fermenter to the keg or any of the fittings along the way, virtually anything on the cold side between chilling and transfer to the keg.

It really sucks when that happens, on several occasions, I dumped 6-8 kegs on one day. Time to super clean everything, boil the hard items and replace the soft items, was my usual solution.

 

[odie]

well the honey brown mellowed out pretty nice after the gelatin treatment. The guys last night were hitting the keg pretty hard so I guess they are happy.

the pumpkin was pretty much avoided by the brew crew :O

 

[odie]

Update...

Finally threw in the towel on the beers. Dubbel actually got drunk down to about 1 gal left and I pulled the keg. The Pumpkin was unceremoniously dumped with 4 gal left. They all were done with harvested yeast.

Honey brown is still on tap but the keg is very light now...I guess that's a good thing.

So I moved the Vienna lager and Kolsch into place. They were also done with older yeast harvests. And all brewed the same week as the Honey brown and pumpkin.

So far the Kolsch and Vienna have been well received by the guys...

either way...all my jars of yeast slurry have been dumped...I will be much more meticulous with my harvesting process.

 

[Snuffy]

They pay extra for that in France.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Update...

The Pumpkin was unceremoniously dumped with 4 gal left.

The best thing to do with a pumpkin beer in my opinion.

 

[Snuffy]

The best thing to do with a pumpkin beer in my opinion.

I wonder if you could get a good enough seal to put an airlock on a pumpkin...

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I knew a fellow that fermented in a pumpkin.

it wasn't good in my opinion

 

[odie]

man you guys are rough....I luv pumpkin beer. Buffalo Bills in Fremont got me started on pumpkin back in 95.

 

[NSMikeD]

I knew a fellow that fermented in a pumpkin.

it wasn't good in my opinion

How did he get inside a pumpkin?

 

[Cyclman]

The savings you may get from using months old yeast is in my opinion not worth the risk. Especially for a beer with an expensive grist. For a little alcohol Pilsner, maybe the risk is lessened because of the cost is lower.