Not sure if my Great Lakes Pale Ale Recipe Kit soured on me?

[CajunChuck]

Great Lakes Pale Ale Recipe Kit Yeast Options: Fermentis Safale US-05 (Dry) bought from AIH. Nothing special or different in the brew. Clean my big mouth bubbler very well and sanitize with Star San. Hit OG 1.054 and FG 1.015 after 2 weeks. It was fermenting for a week around 68 and the second week around 62. Had a soured-funky smell to it and a taste like a pale-bitter and almost an offset grapefruit/citrus taste but decided to keg it anyway. Has the slight vinegar funk smell and still has the taste above but still barely drinkable. After a few beers, this is drinkable. Anyone else experience this? Did I mess something up or is this just the profile of that beer kit?

 

[JonM]

Acetaldehyde is sometimes described as vinegary (that's what it tastes like to me, anyway.) It might just need more conditioning time which can clear up problems with acetaldehyde.

 

[CajunChuck]

So even though you hit your FG, you leave it in the fermentor until it settles out?

 

[RM-MN]

So even though you hit your FG, you leave it in the fermentor until it settles out?

I think there are two issues here. If you have acetaldehyde, that is left over from incomplete fermentation. Often, warming the beer for a few days after the initial fast part of the fermentation is over will allow the yeast to clean up this intermediate product of the fermentation. Your fermentation temperature control is backwards. You want to start the fermentation at the low temp, then let it warm up for the second week, not cool it down.

I only bottle and I don't like a lot of sediment in my bottles so I leave the beer in the fermenter for 3 weeks or more so there is plenty of time for the suspended yeast to settle out there instead of in my bottles. You are kegging so that extra yeast that settles in the keg only means that you may have to pull a second pint to clear it out before you get clear beer.

I'd suggest you pull your keg out of the cooler and let it sit at room temp for a few days to see if the yeast will clean up the acetaldehyde for you, then chill it again.

 

[CajunChuck]

It was sitting overnight at 39 degrees. Do I still pull out or do I just dump it

 

[RM-MN]

It was sitting overnight at 39 degrees. Do I still pull out or do I just dump it

Do you gain anything from dumping it? I'd pull it out and let it warm for a few days to see if it could be salvaged. If you got it contaminated with acetobacter you will increase the vinegar flavor and that will tell you to dump it and sanitize everything well.:rockin: