S-04 and sourness?

[TwoGunz]

I'm a big fan of S-04 and have switched all my stouts and porters to it from Notty which I find has way more of a noticeable tart bite to it even when fermented cool.

 

[hector]

It's possible that you have a lot of magnesium in your water. I've never tasted water with a lot of magnesium, but supposedly it can cause a sour taste in a beer if it's in high concentrations.

By my previous batches , I used distilled water ( Mg = 0 ppm ) .

By my last batch , I used bottled spring water ( Mg = 12 ppm ) .

So , as you see , the concentration of the Magnesium Ion is not too high .

Hector

 

[TimTrone]

It's been discussed long in another Thread and the Conclusion was that I'm far away from the Infection , as I described my

sanitizing process and the whole brew day in details .

The Beer is crystal clear in bottles before chilling and there is no ring or any white surface .

Hector

Do your bottles seem overly carbonated? I had a sour beer before, and it was due to a infection.

 

[hector]

Do your bottles seem overly carbonated? I had a sour beer before, and it was due to a infection.

I've never had any over-carbonated bottle .

Hector

 

[TimTrone]

I've never had any over-carbonated bottle .

Hector

Hmmmm. I'm stumped. I don't think it's the yeast, water it fine, and it also sounds like you don't have a infection problem. Hopefully Denny can chime in on this.

 

[hector]

the trick with S-04 is to get the beer of the trub and cake fast. A week in the primary, even if your not at FG.

I've brewed recently a small Extract batch , using S-04 and kept it for 1 Week in the Primary .

I racked it to the Secondary yesterday and tasted a little of it .

The good News is that there were NO SOURNESS which I always had by my previous batches .

I noticed a thin layer of the yeast at the bottom of the Secondary , as I took a look at it today . I think it's been transferred by the time of racking .

Can I leave it so for two Weeks , anyway ?!

Or

Should I rack it again , so that the dead yeast wouldn't give me a sour Beer ?

Hector

 

[DrummoRC]

I wish I read this thread before I made my last three or four batches!!! I hated - Disliked! All three! Sour or Tart what ever you want to call it I don't like it.

I do not have any control over my ferm temp due to the fact that I don't have a temp control frig. I rely on my basement being fairly consistent. if this yeast requires a more controlled temp then I will use US-05

 

[FatsSchindee]

I just stumbled across this thread, wasn't looking for this sour S-04 issue at all... But it made me realize that I too have experienced this! I've only used that yeast twice (rehydrated and fermented in temp controlled chest freezer both times).

The first time was in a double chocolate coffee stout, where I used cold-steeped coffee in the bottling bucket. The beer tasted awesome at first, with a great coffee nose and flavor. But as the coffee mellowed out over time (within the first month or so), I started to notice a sour, almost acidic type flavor coming through. It wasn't too overpowering that I wouldn't not finish the beer or anything, but it definitely made it less tasty than it originally had been. My first though was possible contamination, as I reviewed my process and realized I used an unsanitized coffee grinder to grind the beans before the cold steep. Until I read this thread last night, I assumed that's what it was.

I also have a fresh Pumpkin ESB that I used S-04 in. It bottle carbed up just in time for Halloween last week, and tasted great. I just has another one last night, though, and think that I almost tasted some of that same sour flavor coming out. Was hoping it would get even better by Thanksgiving, but now I'm wondering if it'll just get more sour.

The stout I fermented at 64*F for 12 days, then raised to 68 for 8 days, and then 72 for the last 8 days before bottling (hadn't quite hit expected FG, so raised to try to keep yeast working. S-04 says ideal temp put to 70, but max 75, so I figured it'd be okay...). The ESB I fermented at 60 for 8 days, then raised to 62 for 6 days. Fined with gelatin and crashed at 34 for just one day, then bottled. I aimed for the low end of the range on this one because I didn't want the fruity esters to compete too much with the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin flavor. I'm hoping the fact of the lower fermentation temps and the gelatin binding more yeast out of the beer will keep this one from getting too sour as well. If I remember, I'll report back in a month or so and update...