Something strange happened

Sir-Hops-A-Lot · Sep 29, 2013

Okay so my first all grain batch of Old Bitter Bastard got an infection. I think it was the bacteria that turns beer to vinegar. It was a small infection that killed the flavour of the beer.
I went ahead and put 15L into the keg and another 5L in bottles.
The bottles developed a white pasty ring in the neck. The keg beer still has an off flavour after 2 weeks that makes it flavourless. Not offensive just not something you'd seek to drink.
Anyways, I opened a bottle that was 2 weeks old..... and it tasted quite good. I suspect that the dextrose used for priming kicked the yeast back in shape and they cleaned up the off flavour from the infection.
So I opened my keg, dropped a cup of dextrose in there, shook it, and put it in the warmest place I could find. I am hoping that a similar process will take place.
Is this interesting or what?!?
SHAL

eastoak · Sep 29, 2013

it might have just developed a better flavor with time regardless of the dextrose, this is not unusual.

Sir-Hops-A-Lot · Oct 3, 2013

I don't think that it was just a matter of maturation. The beer had a small amount of infection so that you could taste the vinegar off flavour that made it so you can't even taste the hops. But the bottles developed nicely while the keg which was forced by the CO2 tank stayed the same crappy beer.

eastoak · Oct 6, 2013

it is very unusual for beer infected with an acetic acid bacteria to just clear up on it's own, in fact i would claim it's impossible. having said that your original post is very confusing as to what is actually happening with your beer.

brewmax25 · Oct 6, 2013

eastoak said:
it is very unusual for beer infected with an acetic acid bacteria to just clear up on it's own, in fact i would claim it's impossible. having said that your original post is very confusing as to what is actually happening with your beer.

I'd agree. Acetobacter is an aerobic bacteria. If it was exposed to air at all and your beer was mishandled you'd have yourself a nice batch of vinegar. You may not have an aceto infection, prob something else especially if it is "clearing up".

pdxal · Oct 7, 2013

Infections don't "clear up". Perhaps they can stay the same if you pasteurize them or cut off food/oxygen, but the taste won't go away.

RM-MN · Oct 7, 2013

I think you tasted the cidery or green apple flavor of beer that isn't done fermenting yet. This is the acetaldehyde that is an intermediate product of fermentation and is sometimes confused with a vinegary flavor. Given time in the bottles at temperatures that the yeast would not be dormant would clear it up but if you chilled the keg, the yeast wouldn't have been able to consume it. Take your keg out of refrigeration for a couple weeks and then chill it again and see it that doesn't clear up the off flavor.