Purple Berliner Weisse

[Benedetto]

anyone ever make a purple beer before? I have no clue how or why this happened. My minimally educated guess is that it has something to do with the pH.
It was my 2nd attempt at a Berliner Weisse. Sour-mashed for 4 days, fermented with US-05.
Super sour, like Warhead candy in liquid form. Purple like melted grape lolly pops. Tastes kinda like yogurt.

 

[burninator]

What kind of vessel did you ferment in?

 

[Benedetto]

a glass carboy

 

[bkboiler]

did u add lacto from a blueberry yogurt?!?

 

[Yeroc]

I had a cider turn purple on me after bottling a few years ago. Sorry, I have no idea why.

 

[oldstyle69]

cool. did it change color after fermentation or was it fairly purple as wort? did you use any fruit? thoughts about O2 causing oxidation color change?

 

[Chanoc]

Fcuk me standing...
Please take better motes.
That is a result worth repeating.

 

[Benedetto]

the only introduction of lacto was from the raw grain I added to the sour mash. Let it sour for 4 days at 110 degrees (last time I did only 2 days and the sourness was insufficient).

I boiled 15 minutes. The color of the wort going into the fermenter was that of a very light hefeweizen. At bottling time, the color was different than it was before fermentation, but it ALWAYS is, so that didn't bother me. And I didn't notice any purple. I only noticed the purple after 3 weeks conditioning in bottles.

It also didnt carb very well at all, which is why I think it's a low pH problem. Perhaps it was too acidic for the US-05 to survive and carbonate the bottles.

No fruit at all. 3lbs barley 3 lbs wheat, light on the hops. US-05. Star San.

and yeah, it IS kinda cool that's it's purple. I've never seen a purple beer before. And particularly cool that it occurred naturally. But still, it'd rather it be normal color. Purple turns off most people Ive given this to.

 

[Benedetto]

the plot thickens:

not EVERY bottle of the batch is purple. most are, but occasionally I will encounter a light hefeweizen colored one. I presume that would be the berliner weisse-colored berliner weisse.

 

[burninator]

Are the normally colored ones any better carbonated than the purple ones?

 

[RevKev]

Makes me think the bottles could be the cause...

 

[bkboiler]

yeah, honestly, this sounds like some of the bottles didnt get sanitized that well...yuck

 

[burninator]

I am going to go with the Monster Mill. I think those look the best to me. Any of the major brands will do a more than adequate job.

I'm leaning toward oxidation.

 

[BrewerTom]

I had the same thing happen to two of my Berliners; they turned the same purple color. Both were both a beautiful straw/golden color when I transferred them out of the carboy and the samples tasted great. However after a week, they were purple with the oxidized wet cardboard taste.

I kegged both of mine and the changed happened within a week. I was extra careful on the transfers so as to minimize any chance of oxidation. Never really did pinpoint why it happened so quickly, but it has to be some sort of rapid oxidation, the color and taste point right at that. Odd that it happened so rapidly though. Haven't had an issue with my Berliners since.

 

[Benedetto]

Yeah, it's bizarre! I don't get it.

No, the carbonation is the same for the purple and the normal bottles. Maybe there was some interaction between my star san and the low pH??

MOST of the bottles are purple and only a few are regular. The purple in this case is the rule rather than the exception. And I was as conscientious about sanitation as a normally am. I don't taste any oxidation cardboard taste. But I DO taste yogurt...