Why so....foamy?

[GoatyBeer]

Well, I think I screwed up somehow. When I racked the stout kit from primary to secondary, I was amazed at the amount of tan foam/slime on top, and the extremely sour smell. I tasted the bit I pulled off for hydrometer reading, and it tasted quite sour as well. I know it's supposed to age for another month or so, but I'm thinking...infection?

 

[flars]

How long was the beer in the primary before you moved to the secondary? I ask because this looks like normal krausen and yeast rafts before it has completely dropped. At least another week in the primary would have allowed the krausen to drop. What you tasted was probably wort not completely fermented, which will taste quite different from the finished beer. what was your OG? What was the SG before racking?

 

[JohnSand]

May be infected. But tan foam does sound like krausen, and yeasty beer tastes tart. Have you ever baked bread? Smells like that maybe? In any case, there is nothing you can do now. Just wait and see, and don't worry about it.

 

[GoatyBeer]

Beer was in the primary for about 10 days before racking. Bubbles were coming about one every 90 seconds or so. Don't quote me on the OG and FG because my notes are piled away somewhere right now (my brewing area seats about 45 for Christmas), but I think it was around 1.055ish OG and 1.002 when I racked it. Seemed like normal numbers anyway. I just found a picture of someone else's Belgian that looked suspiciously familiar, but none of the other beers I've tried so far had looked like this at this point. The beer tasted pretty sour, and honestly smelled more like wine. Then again, like I said, it's supposed to have another few weeks in the secondary, so maybe I'm just being really paranoid. "But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon trying to eat your face." I think you guys might be right, and maybe I'm worrying too much. Nothing to do at this point anyway, so maybe I'll relax and have a homebrew

 

[RM-MN]

I made a saison and even at bottling it tasted bad, bad enough that I thought about dumping it, 6 months later I'm glad I didn't.

 

[GoatyBeer]

I made a saison and even at bottling it tasted bad, bad enough that I thought about dumping it, 6 months later I'm glad I didn't.

Great point....my Irish Red that I overcrushed and my piss-tasting cider has been getting better with age.