Non Sour Beer with slight sourness

[Owly055]

I've been drinking a brew with an IBU of 22, and corn, rice, and two row. The hops bill for a 2.5 gallon brew is an ounce in total, 1/4 ounce each of Willamette and Crystal at 30 min, and half an ounce of Crystal @ 15 min. The corn taste is very evident (to me), and there is a slight sourness or tartness you pick up on the side of your tongue, as opposed to bitterness. I'm thinking this comes from the Crystal hops (which I had not used before).
Note that this beer showed no signs of being "infected" in any way, nor is the sourness the sort of sourness you get from lacto or acetobacter. It's more of a citrusy fruity sourness, like a hint of lemon. It bears zero resemblance to the sourness you expect in a "sour beer" at all. It's not at all unpleasant, but quite unexpected. The Crystal Hops seem to me the most likely source. These are last year's crop green hops directly from a nitrogen sealed foil bag.

Note that I brewed a 4.5 gallon ale "hyper hopped" batch Saturday using using a LOT of crystal, just to see what It would do. 30 min boil, Bittered with magnum at 30 min, I used 2 ounces of Crystal at 5 min, whirlpooled two more ounces, and plan to dry hop with two more. 6 ounces of Crystal Hops in 4.5 gallons of beer qualifies as "hyper hopped" I would say. (IBUs 47)

I look forward to the resulting brew, though I may have made a mistake taking the IBUs to 47. It may mask the sourness, or go to war with it.

H.W.

 

[didinho]

yeast?
some strains, like Belle Saison, give a little citric/sourness

 

[Owly055]

yeast?
Some strains, like belle saison, give a little citric/sourness

us-05

 

[zmanzorro]

I don't have much experience with Crystal hops, but the Hop Union website describes them as "mild, spicy, and floral", and their pedigree is very European, so they shouldn't be very citrusy. Magnum has similar characteristics as well.

 

[johnhenryrolf]

I'm a newbie, and use us-05 as well, but I've read that this yeast strain can leave exactly what you're describing as far as taste goes...trying to narrow down a similar sensation as well.

 

[Owly055]

I'm a newbie, and use us-05 as well, but I've read that this yeast strain can leave exactly what you're describing as far as taste goes...trying to narrow down a similar sensation as well.

-05 is my go to yeast when I'm not shooting for a specific yeast flavor profile. I've found it pretty neutral. It's cheap, reliable, pretty rapid, and gives good flocculation and attenuation. I've brewed many times with this yeast, and have never encountered this before.


H.W.

 

[johnhenryrolf]

I agree with the cheap, and have had good luck with it as well. Glad to know that I AM using a quality product after all! Thanks

 

[RM-MN]

Sometimes there is a little residual acetaldehyde that is described as green apple which would be a little tart. There is little in this beer to hide an off flavor so it wouldn't take much. It will probably go away given a bit more time.

 

[brewbama]

Just to be sure, I'd disassemble all the valves and ensure I don't have a little build up somewhere. You won't sleep at night until you do. Once you know everything is clean, the beer will taste 10x better.

 

[GuldTuborg]

I use a lot of crystal hops. I get some lemon citrus notes from them, but nothing approaching sourness. Definitely look elsewhere.

 

[Owly055]

Sometimes there is a little residual acetaldehyde that is described as green apple which would be a little tart. There is little in this beer to hide an off flavor so it wouldn't take much. It will probably go away given a bit more time.

RM:
This sound about right, though I pitched a good healthy strong pitch, which should have cleaned things up. I can where promoting acetylaldehyde might be useful brewing tool.

H.W.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Did your water profile change? Change in mineral content would have a different residual alkalinity which could impact pH

 

[Owly055]

Did your water profile change? Change in mineral content would have a different residual alkalinity which could impact pH

I'm on the same well I've used for 25 years........ superb water. Brews on either side of this one do not exhibit this flavor.


H.W.

 

[RM-MN]

RM:
This sound about right, though I pitched a good healthy strong pitch, which should have cleaned things up. I can where promoting acetylaldehyde might be useful brewing tool.

H.W.

Temperature control may have a lot to do with it if it really is acetaldehyde. You might try warming the beer up to the upper 70's to see if that makes it go away. It probably would take less than a day and might be worth a try. Give us a report if you do this and it helps. That info can be part of our arsenal of hints.

 

[Owly055]

Temperature control may have a lot to do with it if it really is acetaldehyde. You might try warming the beer up to the upper 70's to see if that makes it go away. It probably would take less than a day and might be worth a try. Give us a report if you do this and it helps. That info can be part of our arsenal of hints.

Too late....... My neighbor polished off the last of it last night. I'll remember that trick if it happens again and try that approach.

H.W.