bcp
poפ ɹǝǝq
- Joined
- 6/9/09
- Messages
- 583
- Reaction score
- 16
This is my first real failure.
Brewed a hefeweizen - good efficiency, OG 1.052 and tasted fine going into the fermenter. Had an old test tube of #3068 (over 12 months old kept in fridge) - added wort to the test tube, then up to about 200ml, 500ml on a stir plate. I didn't think I observed a lot of activity in the 500ml, but since we were going away for a week, I pitched it because i'd run out of time. I use a paint stirrer, so conditions were fabulous even though I realised i was underpitching. #3068 in wheat is usually a monster.
8 days later (because i was away).
temp: constant 17c to 18c.
Gravity: 1.042.
Taste: 'Smells like burnt brown sugar' (my wife's description) a little sweet and a little tangy, a tad sour. Sorry, i'm no BJCP judge. Overall, certainly not nice.
Look: Very little krausen activity. When I gave it a light stir, that 'krausen' looked a little waxy in part.
Actions: i had an old packet of cooper's yeast that i've thrown in. I'm not spending $11 on a liquid yeast if it's already dead. I'll see what happens, but i'm not sure i'll bottle it. "Life's too short for bad beer" (Ross)

LESSONS
1. I assume it was firstly under pitching. But the yeast did give a bit of krausen in the first two steps, so I assume it was viable, I just failed to step it up sufficiently(?) Or perhaps my test tube was also infected or not really viable. I couldn't really tell by taste at the time.
2. Is that an infection? If so, what? And how radically will I need to clean that fermenter?
3. Anything else I should think about?
Brewed a hefeweizen - good efficiency, OG 1.052 and tasted fine going into the fermenter. Had an old test tube of #3068 (over 12 months old kept in fridge) - added wort to the test tube, then up to about 200ml, 500ml on a stir plate. I didn't think I observed a lot of activity in the 500ml, but since we were going away for a week, I pitched it because i'd run out of time. I use a paint stirrer, so conditions were fabulous even though I realised i was underpitching. #3068 in wheat is usually a monster.
8 days later (because i was away).
temp: constant 17c to 18c.
Gravity: 1.042.
Taste: 'Smells like burnt brown sugar' (my wife's description) a little sweet and a little tangy, a tad sour. Sorry, i'm no BJCP judge. Overall, certainly not nice.
Look: Very little krausen activity. When I gave it a light stir, that 'krausen' looked a little waxy in part.
Actions: i had an old packet of cooper's yeast that i've thrown in. I'm not spending $11 on a liquid yeast if it's already dead. I'll see what happens, but i'm not sure i'll bottle it. "Life's too short for bad beer" (Ross)

LESSONS
1. I assume it was firstly under pitching. But the yeast did give a bit of krausen in the first two steps, so I assume it was viable, I just failed to step it up sufficiently(?) Or perhaps my test tube was also infected or not really viable. I couldn't really tell by taste at the time.
2. Is that an infection? If so, what? And how radically will I need to clean that fermenter?
3. Anything else I should think about?