In the end it happened: after 5 years of homebrewing, my beer got infected.
The problem is that I really cannot understand how and why. I am always careful, almost paranoid with cleaning, but this seems a really strange infection.
I made 2 batches in parallel, a white IPA and a black IPA, partial mash method.
They fermented without any problem, 10 days in primary 1 week in secondary with DH and then I bottled everything.
After 1 month up to about 3 months after bottling I was drinking both beers and they were very good, the black IPA seemed to taste better and better.
Suddenly, in the third month, the flavor has changed strongly in both beers with heavy acetic flavor and now it is practical to throw away (30 liters...).
I'm trying to understand how it is possible, given that:
I cannot explain why everything occured after some time and on both beers. I tasted an infected beer from a friend: it was strange before bottling, and it was undrinkable after 1 month.
Does anyone have any ideas on how this could have happened, so as to avoid mistakes in the future?
Thanks
The problem is that I really cannot understand how and why. I am always careful, almost paranoid with cleaning, but this seems a really strange infection.
I made 2 batches in parallel, a white IPA and a black IPA, partial mash method.
They fermented without any problem, 10 days in primary 1 week in secondary with DH and then I bottled everything.
After 1 month up to about 3 months after bottling I was drinking both beers and they were very good, the black IPA seemed to taste better and better.
Suddenly, in the third month, the flavor has changed strongly in both beers with heavy acetic flavor and now it is practical to throw away (30 liters...).
I'm trying to understand how it is possible, given that:
- I had no problems with fermentation (10+7 days, 20 °C constant temperature, cold crash at 8 °C, clean wort, FG as expected)
- at the beginning the beer tasted really good and the infection occurred after about 3 months, even in the presence of high alcohol (7.6 ABV)
- the infection caused strong acetic flavors, lots of foam, but no strange residue on the surface of the bottles and very clear beer (white IPA)
- the infection concerns both batches (of course I used the same stuff in brewing and bottling)
- I used my own hops, in wort and in dry hop (not the first time)
- I used for the first time Mangrove Jack's M44 yeast in both batches
- the infection is present in all the bottles (carefully cleaned)
- the bottles were in cellar, at cool temperature (14 °C) all the time
I cannot explain why everything occured after some time and on both beers. I tasted an infected beer from a friend: it was strange before bottling, and it was undrinkable after 1 month.
Does anyone have any ideas on how this could have happened, so as to avoid mistakes in the future?
Thanks