Pages: 1
infected????
i have been fermenting my wheat beer now for over 2 weeks in the primary and it is nearly done according to the hydrometer. it has taken an awful long time to ferment and someone said this could be a case of infection. i have tasted the beer whilst taking readings and i will agree it doesnt taste brilliant, it has a sort of slight sour taste to it, but maybe this is due to me adding orange peel to the boil. the smell is not unbearable (not exactly brilliant though) that could be due to citrus smell overpowering.
when an infection hits is it the smell and taste just simply unbearable?
i am also thinking just bottling it and hoping it is alright in the future, or is it not worth it?
kirky
Can you place it in a secondary for a while? I did an experimental wheat with Agave nectar and lime that just kept SLOWLY fermenting, was in primary two weeks and secondary four weeks. I had to bottle it to free up space for my next batch and it had a bit of what I thought was an off flavor to it but turned out VERY good after bottling. I'd give it some time either in a secondary or bottle and let it condition for a month or so. Good Luck!
I also had a similar taste in a wheat ale I brewed. It wasn't really sour, but there was some unwanted acidity, that I thought was because of added orange essence, but was probably a mild infection. They tasted great at first, but as they matured in bottle, it got worse.......that's just me though....
Unfortunately most infections I have had haven't produced an overwhelming change in flavor or aroma. Only once in ten years did I open fermenter and say "Oh my god". I tasted that one too and it was tart as it could be. Nasty stuff.
If the hydrometer says its done, then go ahead and bottle it up and start drinking it. If it is infected time will let you know, the caps will start to crown and it will get overly carbonted. Any late activity that you are currently seeing in the airlock could be escaping CO2 from the beer as the temp changes in the carboy.
I wouldn't count it out yet. If it tastes good then right now its fine. It takes some time to be able to taste a problem with ingredients/recipe vs a subtle infection. Just be super clean with your sanitation next time.
If it's not done fermenting in two weeks, you're either brewing a lager at really cold temps or you've got a stuck fermentation. But all in all, I agree with Brewchez: for the most part an infection won't be too overpowering. It's probably just a green flavor that will mellow out with a little aging.
By the way, orange should produce a bitter or bitter-sweet flavor not a sour flavor. The only thing that I know of that can produce a sour flavor is bacteria or Brettanomyces or perhaps acid malt, but it doesn't sounds like any of those were added to your brew.
My local brew wizard who runs the only brew shop in town has told me (after a friends failed attempt at a honey wheat which was sour-tasting) that wheat malt tends to produce a sour/tart flavour when used with an ale yeast.
Anothere friend told me that he had had the same problem, but then got his hands on a yeast being sold as a "wheat yeast". Apparently, that solved all his problems of sour flavours! I've never seen it though...
Pages: 1
Search Home Brewing Knowledge Base
Custom Search
|