Leaving a sour cake in Carboy. How long?

[Rugrad02]

Hey everyone,

I bottled a sour a week and a half ago. It was fermented with ECY-20 and Id like to hold on to the cake. At this point, the cake remains in my 5 gallon Carboy, airlocked and with about an inch of beer on top. Is it too late for me to transfer to a mason jar? How long is too long for it to sit like this in a Carboy? Could I keep it like this until I'm able to throw a fresh beer on top along with some fresh Sacch?

Thanks everyone.

 

[secondbase]

I would be worried about acetobacter taking hold with all that headspace. I wouldn't dump it unless it smells/tastes like vinegar. When the time comes, make an anaerobic starter, decant and taste/smell for any off flavors/aromas.

 

[burninator]

Got a quart jar handy you could store it in?

 

[Biobrewer]

I would be worried about acetobacter taking hold with all that headspace. I wouldn't dump it unless it smells/tastes like vinegar. When the time comes, make an anaerobic starter, decant and taste/smell for any off flavors/aromas.

If OP has acetobacter in that cake and didn't pitch anything that specifically contains acetobacter (I don't believe ECY020 does), OP has a sanitation issue. If there is a slight acetic character, that could easily be created by the Brett having access to oxygen.

I'm pretty sure it's fine, and you can go ahead and transfer to a mason for longer term storage OP. If you're at all concerned, conduct a mini fermentation with some of it in ~0.5-1 gallon of wort. That will give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

[Rugrad02]

Thanks!

 

[MileHighBrewer]

Toss a tiny bit of starter wort in there and put the airlock on, it'll produce CO2 and put a blanket over the cake. How long are you trying to store it?