What to do with infected Chocolate stout.

[nickster51]

I've come to the conclusion that my chocolate stout is infected for three reasons: When transferring from the primary to the secondary, there was a gunky top layer on the beer ( I racked under this into a secondary, a film did not appear in the secondary or bottles). The taste of the beer has been off. When tasted at bottling, and after 3-4 weeks in the bottle the beer tastes notably sour. Finally, the beer has not carbonated and has a very thin taste (no body). This is my second stout and this one is as thin as the light ale I've brewed. These three things and the article here : http://www.ratebeer.com/Story.asp?StoryID=462 make me think I have infected beer.

Would you conclude the same thing? Is there anyway that I can use this beer?


Thanks for the help guys!

 

[greencoat]

Cook with it!

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

Post your recipe. The gunk at the top could have been ingredients floating at the top, especially since they didn't appear in the secondary or in the bottles. Also infections tend to lead to over carbonation, not under carbonation.

 

[Snotty]

[hijack]Ooompa! lol, where in CO are you again?[/hijack]

Off flavor could be from under carbing as well. I had a beer that did the same thing. The last "infected" beer that I had, made me feel like I had spent a week a Mexico drinking bad water for a week straight.

 

[weirdboy]

I'm pretty sure you can't get a sour off flavor from under-carbonation.

If it's really sour, then that is most likely an infection.

 

[Batinse]

What temperature did you ferment at? I'd suspect high fermentation temperatures to be a more likely culprit to sour flavours than infection.

 

[nickster51]

@greencoat
Any good recipes?

@Oompa Loompa:
My reason for thinking an infection caused the lack of carbonation:
"In other beers, however, acidity is almost always a sign of infection. Essentially, unwanted bacteria have infected the beer and are chewing up the remaining sugars. The intent of the brewer was that the yeast still in suspension would eat these sugars gradually in a process known commonly as bottle fermentation. Instead, the bacteria (which tend to move faster than the yeast) have gotten to the sugars first. The by-products of the yeast are alcohol and carbon dioxide. The byproducts of the bacteria are acids. The result is sour beer." (From Ratebeer.com article listed above)

@Batinse
Fermented in an unfinished basement between November and Christmas in Kansas city, MO so 55F-65F with Safale-05.

@snotty
first bottle of homebrew I've dumped out. The sourness and is intolerable.

Thanks guys.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

@Oompa Loompa:
My reason for thinking an infection caused the lack of carbonation:
"In other beers, however, acidity is almost always a sign of infection. Essentially, unwanted bacteria have infected the beer and are chewing up the remaining sugars. The intent of the brewer was that the yeast still in suspension would eat these sugars gradually in a process known commonly as bottle fermentation. Instead, the bacteria (which tend to move faster than the yeast) have gotten to the sugars first. The by-products of the yeast are alcohol and carbon dioxide. The byproducts of the bacteria are acids. The result is sour beer." (From Ratebeer.com article listed above)

.

Interesting. I've still yet to hear of an infected beer undercarbonating, but based upon the statement above I suppose it is possible. Your temps are definately where they should be. Guess your best bet is give it a month or 2 then try it again. Otherwise I'll bet it would be a good meat marinade, or make an interesting addition to a chili.

Snotty: I'm in the Springs.......you're Snotty from Co4x4 right? I haven't been there in ages.......though i did have beers with sTEPSIDe a few days ago.....no strippers involved.