Has my beer gone bad?!
- Thread starter AdamAli
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It could be a pellicle, caused by some bacteria or other microorganism.
Could very well have been brought in with the dates.
Can you post the recipe, so we know what else is in your "beer?"
Could very well have been brought in with the dates.
Can you post the recipe, so we know what else is in your "beer?"
OP
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AdamAli
Member
It is only dates and water!
So what is the process and what stage was the photo taken at? I've never made a date beer so it's hard to know what I'm looking at (or for). Besides, I'm curious.
kev211
Well-Known Member
My understanding of date beer is that it is just dates and water. No yeast added which suggests that the fermentation is completely reliant on wild yeast and bacteria. So yes, based on that you're beer is "infected", but it seems like its a good infection as thats what the idea of date beer is. I suggest riding it out...
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AdamAli
Member
The recipe is from my studies in Ancient Greek medicine. It is simply dates mixed in water. The water should be heated and then the dates added which will quicken the process.
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hotbeer
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If it's fermented and alcohol was produced then it's probably not toxic any more than is the alcohol itself. It might taste nasty as crap. But wild yeast and wild bacteria will do that to a beer.
My first search hit on Date Beer suggest that dates were used to enhance the beer being made in ancient Egypt. Not that beer was made exclusively from dates.
https://vinepair.com/articles/can-make-beer-dates/
Ancient Egypt did have barley. And made bread from it. And their beer is said to be made from stale bread. As well as barley itself.
https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/38042/Luoma.pdf?sequence=3#:~:text=The bread would be crumbled,but would be strained first.&text=combination with barley or sugar.
The reference to fermenting just dates and water for medical use might be because that'll produce a more pure mix of water and ethanol with less impurities. Which I'd think a good thing for medical use.
I wouldn't call it beer though unless it contains barley. But if you are just using the term loosely, I'm okay with that.
My first search hit on Date Beer suggest that dates were used to enhance the beer being made in ancient Egypt. Not that beer was made exclusively from dates.
https://vinepair.com/articles/can-make-beer-dates/
Ancient Egypt did have barley. And made bread from it. And their beer is said to be made from stale bread. As well as barley itself.
https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/38042/Luoma.pdf?sequence=3#:~:text=The bread would be crumbled,but would be strained first.&text=combination with barley or sugar.
The reference to fermenting just dates and water for medical use might be because that'll produce a more pure mix of water and ethanol with less impurities. Which I'd think a good thing for medical use.
I wouldn't call it beer though unless it contains barley. But if you are just using the term loosely, I'm okay with that.
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If it’s only dates and water shouldn’t it be more of a wine, rather than a beer?
Did you add commercial yeast or are you relying on wild yeast?
Where are you located?wild yeasts are different (and produce different tastes) in different countries. Ancient Greek wild yeast is different than Nnorth American wild yeast.
What does it taste like?
Did you add commercial yeast or are you relying on wild yeast?
Where are you located?wild yeasts are different (and produce different tastes) in different countries. Ancient Greek wild yeast is different than Nnorth American wild yeast.
What does it taste like?
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If no yeast was added, you’re doing a wild fermentation. That means you’re allowing whatever wild yeast and bacteria to convert the date sugars into alcohol and other byproducts of fermentation. This is exactly what I’d expect to see. It’ll probably get even funkier looking.
What’s your desired outcome? Are you looking for something along the lines of beer or wine strength alcohol content or are you looking for an herbal medicine type drink? If you didn’t smash up the dates, I’d expect a lot of the sugars to be inaccessible and contained within the dates. Subsequently, it’ll likely be a low ABV beverage.
What’s your desired outcome? Are you looking for something along the lines of beer or wine strength alcohol content or are you looking for an herbal medicine type drink? If you didn’t smash up the dates, I’d expect a lot of the sugars to be inaccessible and contained within the dates. Subsequently, it’ll likely be a low ABV beverage.
hotbeer
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I'm not sure where others see bad stuff. I just see bubbles between what I assume are broken pieces of dates. Though I've never seen what a date looks like other than dried.
Bubbles will be from the fermentation of course.
Though I agree with the comments that if this is wild fermentation, then who knows what took hold first. So whether it will taste good or bad is a toss up for me. Perhaps dates like grapes tend to carry favorable yeasts for taste.
Pulverizing or whizzing the dates up first seems as if it would have gotten more sugars exposed to ferment better. Though I don't know if given enough time the majority of sugars will get consumed from the somewhat whole pieces of fruit or not.
If it is nasty tasting, I suppose the OP could opt to distill it into spirits. That's further down the main page of the forum.
Bubbles will be from the fermentation of course.
Though I agree with the comments that if this is wild fermentation, then who knows what took hold first. So whether it will taste good or bad is a toss up for me. Perhaps dates like grapes tend to carry favorable yeasts for taste.
Pulverizing or whizzing the dates up first seems as if it would have gotten more sugars exposed to ferment better. Though I don't know if given enough time the majority of sugars will get consumed from the somewhat whole pieces of fruit or not.
If it is nasty tasting, I suppose the OP could opt to distill it into spirits. That's further down the main page of the forum.
When using dates for mead it is better to chop rather than blenderize. Presumably to avoid pectin haze (dates are half to three percent pectin) or being unable to separate the liquid from the ingredients
Does anybody use dates? Have experience?
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AdamAli
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Thanks for all the comments, shows a lot of knowledge in this forum. I’ll answer some of the comments above.
As it’s dates, it should be called wine, however I learnt some conditions have to be met for it to become ‘wine’ such as leaving for a long time after which it would become crystallic pure. I used the term ‘beer’ to loosely describe the fermented date beverage.
The aim is to drink this after around 4 weeks as it would be more stronger. the benefits are if anyone is familiar with humoral theory that is creates blood so beneficial for those with a cold temperament.
I opened the dates so water could penetrate as some have mentioned perhaps blending would work even better.
Taste is I’m not quite sure, a little sweet and more sour. Leaves a strong feeling in the throat. Not really fussed about the taste as am using for medicinal purpose.
As it’s dates, it should be called wine, however I learnt some conditions have to be met for it to become ‘wine’ such as leaving for a long time after which it would become crystallic pure. I used the term ‘beer’ to loosely describe the fermented date beverage.
The aim is to drink this after around 4 weeks as it would be more stronger. the benefits are if anyone is familiar with humoral theory that is creates blood so beneficial for those with a cold temperament.
I opened the dates so water could penetrate as some have mentioned perhaps blending would work even better.
Taste is I’m not quite sure, a little sweet and more sour. Leaves a strong feeling in the throat. Not really fussed about the taste as am using for medicinal purpose.
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AdamAli
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Here is a short video of the drink. You can see a lot of sediment, I also noticed some of it rising to the top, which probably shows continued fermentation in the glass?
hotbeer
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I'd differ with you on calling it wine too. By definition wine is made from grape juice.
People today are getting loose with terminology. Partly because we have more to do than just read encyclopedias and dictionary's because the internet now keeps us entertained.
People today are getting loose with terminology. Partly because we have more to do than just read encyclopedias and dictionary's because the internet now keeps us entertained.
kev211
Well-Known Member
Disagree. Wine is most commonly derived from grapes, but wine by definition is derived from agricultural product with natural or added sugar. That’s why mead, sake, etc are considered wine
worlddivides
Well-Known Member
The thread has devolved into a semantic argument, but there is an actual right and wrong and, no matter what you say, it doesn't change how the word is actually used. Without specification, "wine" refers to an alcoholic beverage made from grapes, but if it is preceded by another word, it is an alcoholic beverage made from that substance. For example, gooseberry wine, plum wine, elderberry wine, currant wine, blackberry wine, rice wine (which is technically produced more like how beer is produced, but "rice beer" would be an incorrect way to refer to it due to the way "beer" is used), and on and on.
Hell, even the English Wikipedia article for "Wine" isn't limited to grapes: "Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without any qualification. Even so, wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops, including plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and elderberry."
Or from Merriam-Webster dictionary, definition 2, "the alcoholic usually fermented juice of a plant product (such as a fruit) used as a beverage
blackberry wine"
Beer, however, is specifically made from grains and not fruit (though it can, of course, include fruit).
A bit more on topic, it's hard to say from that photo, but it could be a bacterial infection, sure.
Hell, even the English Wikipedia article for "Wine" isn't limited to grapes: "Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without any qualification. Even so, wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops, including plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and elderberry."
Or from Merriam-Webster dictionary, definition 2, "the alcoholic usually fermented juice of a plant product (such as a fruit) used as a beverage
blackberry wine"
Beer, however, is specifically made from grains and not fruit (though it can, of course, include fruit).
A bit more on topic, it's hard to say from that photo, but it could be a bacterial infection, sure.
