My first batch with malt extract. Steralized everything, slight odor of vinegar

[Johnny m]

I made my first batch with Muntons malt extract, added water corn sugar and safeale 05 yeast. I steralized everything with starsan.
Airlock has been very active for 7 days. I took a sample and noticed a slight odor of vinegar, and it tastes slightly like vinegar. Is it bad or is my imagination making me paranoid.

 

[Sansnom]

I'm sure the people here can help you pinpoint the issue, but we'll need some info:

Recipe/details about the batch in question
Type of sanitizer used
Was this your first batch ever? Or have you done all grain before?
What does it taste like?

 

[Johnny m]

I made my first batch with Muntons malt extract and I added water corn sugar and safeale 05 yeast. Steralized everything with starsan. The airlock has been very active for 7 days. I took a sample and noticed the slight odor of vinegar and it tastes similar. Is this batch bad or is my imagination making me paranoid.

 

[Sansnom]

It's entirely possible that it's infected, it's hard to say. If the extract was old or poorly handled prior to you getting it, you might be
experiencing "extract twang". Was the extract pre-hopped? I would let the batch sit for another week and see if it gets worse, if it's infected it will only get worse. If something starts growing on top, then you'll know for sure.

 

[ncbrewer]

I hope your imagination is making you paranoid, because if it really is like vinegar, it's probably infected. I agree with sansnom - give it another week and see what it's like.

 

[Johnny m]

It's entirely possible that it's infected, it's hard to say. If the extract was old or poorly handled prior to you getting it, you might be
experiencing "extract twang". Was the extract pre-hopped? I would let the batch sit for another week and see if it gets worse, if it's infected it will only get worse. If something starts growing on top, then you'll know for sure.

Thanks for the tip, I'll let it sit another week. What is your opinion of a bacteria test kit?

 

[Johnny m]

Thanks for the tip, I'll let it sit another week. What is your opinion of a bacteria test kit?

After the 1st 24 hours of fermentation I noticed that I didn't have a good seal. I corrected the problem. Was that enough time for contamination?

 

[mredge73]

Acetic acid bacteria drink alcohol and pee vinegar. They tend to build a film over the top of a fermentation vessel to keep oxygen from the yeast so that the yeast make more alcohol for them to drink. They are everywhere, they especially like apples and are found abundant on apple skins. Sanitation must be up to par to keep these guys away.
Check it later, if it really is vinegar you now have plenty to to cook with or use as a marinade. You can test the PH if you like: Beer PH is 3.9-4.5, Vinegar PH is 2.4-3.0.

 

[Sansnom]

I haven't had experience with any bacteria test kits so I can't really say. Do you have a link to one?

After the 1st 24 hours of fermentation I noticed that I didn't have a good seal. I corrected the problem. Was that enough time for contamination?

Unless the lid was open enough to let bugs like fruit flies in or even dust, it's unlikely. If the lid was just sealing poorly, it probably wasn't an issue. What kind of fermentor do you have? Was it brand new? What was the experation date on the can of extract? How much sugar did you use?

 

[balrog]

A week is too early.
Also, I agree with @Sansnom, more info is needed. Recipe, boil time, etc.

Edit: lid seal during active fermentation and creation of CO2 rarely will allow anything in as the positive pressure is blowing CO2 out.

 

[Johnny m]

I

I haven't had experience with any bacteria test kits so I can't really say. Do you have a link to one?



Unless the lid was open enough to let bugs like fruit flies in or even dust, it's unlikely. If the lid was just sealing poorly, it probably wasn't an issue. What kind of fermentor do you have? Was it brand new? What was the experation date on the can of extract? How much sugar did you use?

I used a brand new fermonster and sanitized it with starsan. I used 4.5 cups of corn sugar. The Muntons malt extract was dated Jan 2019

 

[Sansnom]

I guess the only thing to do is let it ride out and see what happens. My very first batch ended up turning into 23L of malt vinegar. It happens, don't let it discourage you if it really is infected.

If the malt extract wasn't pre-hopped, what kind of hops did you use?

 

[mr_stout]

Sell it as the world's first vinegar flavored beer.