sour beer

[hoptasty]

hey guys

so this is my first post! ive been on the site for hours at a time the last couple of weeks but have had little input myself because i am a newb! i have a question regarding the aftertaste of my beer. i brewed about 3 1/2 weeks ago and the beer has been bottled for about a week now. i got inpatient last night and decided to give one a try. to my delight it smelled DELICIOUS [it is a citra IPA], although the taste was mediocre. the initial flavors were great but it left a long lasting, not particularly strong but definitely noticeable sour taste in my mouth. my immediate thought was "INFECTION!" but i realize that most newbs freak out about this. i settled down and realized that the beer tasted fine, and that there were just some off flavors that were persistent.
so finally to my question: will the sour after-taste most likely fade with time or should i just get used to it and try to be more careful next time?

thanks
matt

 

[MichaelsBrewing]

hey guys

so this is my first post! ive been on the site for hours at a time the last couple of weeks but have had little input myself because i am a newb! i have a question regarding the aftertaste of my beer. i brewed about 3 1/2 weeks ago and the beer has been bottled for about a week now. i got inpatient last night and decided to give one a try. to my delight it smelled DELICIOUS [it is a citra IPA], although the taste was mediocre. the initial flavors were great but it left a long lasting, not particularly strong but definitely noticeable sour taste in my mouth. my immediate thought was "INFECTION!" but i realize that most newbs freak out about this. i settled down and realized that the beer tasted fine, and that there were just some off flavors that were persistent.
so finally to my question: will the sour after-taste most likely fade with time or should i just get used to it and try to be more careful next time?

thanks
matt

Hey Matt,

Welcome to the glorious adventures that home brewing has in store for you. Most people would tell you RDWHAHB or something like that but I'm going to say congrats on the first batch. The sour taste you are detecting will most likely go away. If not, did you take good notes in the process? If not, get into a habit of that as its a big help to improve your craft and product. Was this an extract batch or all grain? Can you provide us with more info?

Cheers!!

 

[CBMbrewer]

It could be infected. Chances are its just young. Give it more time.

 

[hoptasty]

Thanks for the input guys. So it is an extract kit from morebeer (citra ipa). The possibility exists that it is infected because I forgot to put alcohol/starsan in the airlock (beginner mistake I did not realize I had made until I was bottling). Are there certain qualities of an infected batch that make it obvious it has been infected (cloudiness, aroma, strange films on top of beer etc) ? I don't particularly think this is the problem because the initial taste is pretty decent (fruity and hoppy) but the sour is what is left 5-10 seconds after taking a sip. Thanks for the help guys, I was worried someone would just tell me to go find a relevant thread

Matt

 

[spoo0oon]

Thanks for the input guys. So it is an extract kit from morebeer (citra ipa). The possibility exists that it is infected because I forgot to put alcohol/starsan in the airlock (beginner mistake I did not realize I had made until I was bottling). Are there certain qualities of an infected batch that make it obvious it has been infected (cloudiness, aroma, strange films on top of beer etc) ? I don't particularly think this is the problem because the initial taste is pretty decent (fruity and hoppy) but the sour is what is left 5-10 seconds after taking a sip. Thanks for the help guys, I was worried someone would just tell me to go find a relevant thread

Matt

I recently brewed my second batch, a pale ale, and tasted the same thing after a week in the bottle. I gave it three more weeks and it's gone now!

 

[Qhrumphf]

If it's a green apple sort of flavor, which I could see perceived as mildly sour or tart, it could be acetaldehyde, and should go away with age.

I did water in the airlock for a long time and never had a problem. Not to say it isn't possible (and I've used Star-San for a long time since I learned better), but I wouldn't worry about it.

Give it some time. If the sour character gets worse, then put the remaining bottles in the fridge, if you can, or at least put them somewhere where if they blow they won't hurt anything. But it's very possible it's just green beer you're tasting.

 

[GoodOleDave]

I have noticed the same thing with both of my last 2 ales. I have noticed it with Oktoberfest or stouts.

 

[dcp27]

Are there certain qualities of an infected batch that make it obvious it has been infected (cloudiness, aroma, strange films on top of beer etc) ?

all of the above. the most telling sign is a pellicle

when you say you didnt put alcohol/starsan in the airlock, do you mean it was empty or you just used water?

its too early to make judgement on it yet, give it a few more weeks and see if its still there.

 

[beergolf]

It is probably just young beer.

It actually is harder to get an infection than you think. Water in the airlock is fine. The nasties are not Ninjas and cannot crawl through an airlock. If you sanitized I seriously doubt that you have an infection. Also they usually take more time to show up.

Let the brew sit for another couple of weeks and report back. I think you will find the flavor has improved.