Infection? Help

[msehler]

Okay,
So my last brewing foray was an Austin Homebrew Anniversary Pale Ale extract kit. I don't remember the specifics (nor does Forrest probably want me posting it), but my details are as follows:
Full boil extract brew in Keggle
I put wort chiller in during boil to sanitize
After chilling ~70*F, I transferred via ball valve to sanitized (star san) ferm bucket. [I'm relatively new to star san and have used the powdered easy clean in the past.] I then pitched the dry yeast (dry -- not reconstituted)
It was left in primary for ~1 month and bottled (it looked fine--maybe some small specs of floating bits that appeared to be yeast).
All of the bottles now have a somewhat cidery or sour taste. Not remotely close to the pale ale I was expecting.

Does this sound like infection? I think I pitched at a cool enough temperature (I used the temp gauge on my keggle for my ~70*F temp), and I didn't remotely oxidize any of the beer AFTER fermentation (it was well agitated as it was entering the bottling bucket).

If so, will soaking my bucket and all plastics in bleach work to remove this? Or do I need to replace? I want to get this worked out as I have some more expensive beers ready to brew (Pliney the Elder clone) and don't want to get more bottles of really hoppy sour cider.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[ColoHox]

The flavors you are describing are not usually associated with oxidation or fermentation temps. They sound like contamination, but:
Could the cidery flavor be acetaldehyde? It may mean your beer is young and still needs time to condition. Which is perfectly normal.

The sour flavor on the other hand...is usually bad news. That acidic/sour flavor usually gets stronger if it is contaminated. Occasionally, a film can form on the surface of the beer in the bottles, they may become and stay cloudy, some may explode.

On the other hand, if your bottles survive, a sour pale can be a pretty tasty beer.

 

[msehler]

They've now been in the bottles for roughly 2.5 months (I think I brewed on or around Kentucky Derby weekend -- May 4 + one month in primary). I will check one tonight for taste as well as clarity.

Will soaking all my plastic in bleach "cure" an infection? Or do I need to replace?

 

[ColoHox]

Soaking your plastic in bleach will only prevent an infection if that was your source of infection, you also run the risk of making your beer taste/smell like chlorine.

Unfortunately, contaminating bacteria could have come from anywhere. You can try the bleach (I wouldn't), but make sure you rinse the mother-lovin' heck out of it.

Taste one and report back. 2.5 months should be long enough to tell what is going on.