Suthrncomfrt1884
Well-Known Member
A few months back, I brewed an Oktoberfest in order to get it ready for a party I'm having next weekend. I used California Lager yeast, but neglected to make a starter since I didn't have time and was in too much of a hurry to wait. I've since decided I don't brew unless I have a starter.
Anyways, my brew didn't start fermenting for close to 48 hours. I sanitized as usual, but after a 3 weeks in primary, I noticed the spigot (I used a bottling bucket) had a little residue on it. Now, I'm not sure whether it just leaked out of my fermentor, or it was there from the last batch. I'm pretty picky about my cleanliness. I should also mention that my fermentation temps were around 68-69 degrees the entire time. This is the extreme top end of this yeasts' range.
When I went to keg the beer, I noticed a few white crusty wax like bubbles on top. This is something I've only seen in pictures of lambics. Mine wasn't near as bad though. I decided I'd let it go to give it a shot. I added Potasium Metabisulfate to stop the fermentation incase it was wild yeast and sealed my keg. This was about 4 weeks ago.
Since I thought it might be bad, I got a little lazy and left the beer in the garage with temp swings from 50-80 degrees. I put the keg in the fridge a few hours ago to get it cold and tried it today just to check it out.
It's got little to no flavor. Somewhat sour, but not what I'd expect a full blown infection to be and not what I'd expect from an oktoberfest. Also, the keg wasn't carbonated. I sealed the keg and let it sit. My first pour from this thing (and I'm not sure if it's because it was still somewhat warm) was insane foam. It sprayed out like a gusher. I immediately thought it fermented more in the keg. So I popped the top to look, but it was nothing by foam in the keg. A few bubbles on top of the foam that, again, looked like crusty wax.
I guess what I'm wondering (since I've never dealt with an infection) is what should it taste and smell like? I'm still not 100% sure it's an infection, just being cautious. I don't want to serve this to people if it's bad beer. Any input would be great.
Sorry about the long post.
Anyways, my brew didn't start fermenting for close to 48 hours. I sanitized as usual, but after a 3 weeks in primary, I noticed the spigot (I used a bottling bucket) had a little residue on it. Now, I'm not sure whether it just leaked out of my fermentor, or it was there from the last batch. I'm pretty picky about my cleanliness. I should also mention that my fermentation temps were around 68-69 degrees the entire time. This is the extreme top end of this yeasts' range.
When I went to keg the beer, I noticed a few white crusty wax like bubbles on top. This is something I've only seen in pictures of lambics. Mine wasn't near as bad though. I decided I'd let it go to give it a shot. I added Potasium Metabisulfate to stop the fermentation incase it was wild yeast and sealed my keg. This was about 4 weeks ago.
Since I thought it might be bad, I got a little lazy and left the beer in the garage with temp swings from 50-80 degrees. I put the keg in the fridge a few hours ago to get it cold and tried it today just to check it out.
It's got little to no flavor. Somewhat sour, but not what I'd expect a full blown infection to be and not what I'd expect from an oktoberfest. Also, the keg wasn't carbonated. I sealed the keg and let it sit. My first pour from this thing (and I'm not sure if it's because it was still somewhat warm) was insane foam. It sprayed out like a gusher. I immediately thought it fermented more in the keg. So I popped the top to look, but it was nothing by foam in the keg. A few bubbles on top of the foam that, again, looked like crusty wax.
I guess what I'm wondering (since I've never dealt with an infection) is what should it taste and smell like? I'm still not 100% sure it's an infection, just being cautious. I don't want to serve this to people if it's bad beer. Any input would be great.
Sorry about the long post.
