Fruit Tingle Taste In Wort

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Jacksporadic

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I got a stuck sparge while brewing the other night, decided to just let the esky drain into the boil kettle, go to bed and boil it in the morning. When I got to it next day there was a slight foamy head on the wort. I tasted it and there was a slightly sour "fruit tingle" taste, it was not offensive and the wort smells fine.
I know I did a few things wrong- the grain was crushed a week before (had surprise weekend things to do) and I left it longer than expected to drain. Would it be likely to be ok? Or is it better to chuck it and chalk it up to experience?
Also, was this taste most likley a bacterial infection? Or was it more due to the cracked grain having to sit around before mashing it?
 
It could be an infection just starting. It wouldn't hurt to boil it as the hops should hopefully cover up any sour flavours.
Just give it a go.
 
You left wort in an open container all night?

The wild yeast at your house obviously had a field day.

Do you still have it or did you boil it up straight away?
 
I left it maybe for about 7 hours - temp in Adelaide was about 5 degrees overnight so like a fridge I thought. Boiled it for 2 hours and added hops as per recipe. The tangy taste today is slight and the fermenter is bubbling away as normal.
 
I left it maybe for about 7 hours - temp in Adelaide was about 5 degrees overnight so like a fridge I thought. Boiled it for 2 hours and added hops as per recipe. The tangy taste today is slight and the fermenter is bubbling away as normal.

See how it goes. Remember, wild yeast doesn't conform to laws of the brewing yeasts we all know and love. If you boiled it for 2 hour, it would have killed most things. See how it goes, but maybe get a new fermenter for your next brews :D

Remember for next time, brew earlier! :beer:
 
He boiled it, go for I say, might get sour but drink fast if it does!!

:icon_offtopic: Everyone always gets rid of their infected beers. I'd really be curious to taste an infected beer after about 5-7 years in the bottle.

If it's shit jack, put a couple of bottles aside for 5 years and give it a crack. It could be interesting :icon_cheers:
 
:icon_offtopic: Everyone always gets rid of their infected beers. I'd really be curious to taste an infected beer after about 5-7 years in the bottle.

If it's shit jack, put a couple of bottles aside for 5 years and give it a crack. It could be interesting :icon_cheers:

+1 You never know you may discover a wild yeast strain that takes a few years to condition... an Aussie Lambic.
 
:icon_offtopic: Everyone always gets rid of their infected beers. I'd really be curious to taste an infected beer after about 5-7 years in the bottle.

If it's shit jack, put a couple of bottles aside for 5 years and give it a crack. It could be interesting :icon_cheers:

Had any brew days lately Dave?
 
If it's happily bubbling along and you don't need the fermenter space, just let it go and see what you get. Worst that could happen is you get a drain-cleaner, and you never know, it might just be one of those "special" brews... :)
 
Sounds like you could have started a culture of the microbes which were indigenous to the grain. Grain based cultures are sometimes used for brewing.
I won't tell you what to do with it lest I incur the wrath of some of the experts on here. :lol:
 
Or you get someone suggesting to either phrase your advice in a way that makes sense or base it on actual experience and knowledge (and make it clear that it is so) rather than vague extrapolation and waffle.
 
Its just a mild lacto infection - malt is covered in lactic bacteria and if you leave things unboiled overnight there is a damn fine chance that those lactic bugs will take off. All you did was make an accidental sour mash.

If you have since boiled it, the infection is now gone and all you have is a beer with a slightly lower than usual pH, and a little bit of a sour lactic taste.

It might be great, lousy or anywhere inbetween, once its all fermented out, if the initial sournes was not too much, theres a good chance you wont even notice it.
 
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