Problem with latest brew

[Toastie]

Hi guys, im relatively new to brewing, still on the basic kits but am now starting to play around with steeping grains and some hop additions as well and the last 3 that ive done have come out really nice.

Anyhow, the batch ive currently got in the fermenter doesn't smell right or taste right. Its been in there just over a week now, and the fermentation has been a lot different to all other brews ive done.

Here is what ive made:

Coopers Real Ale can + kit yeast
1kg Light Dry Malt
200g Cara Amber & 300g Light Crystal, steeped in 2L hot water for 30 mins then boiled for 30 min

I put the steepings in the fermenter & added the LDM, 1.5L boiled water & Real Ale can, everything well mixed in & water topped up to 23L, temp was 22 degrees & pitched the yeast. OG was 1043 before adding the yeast.

After 24 hours it had the largest krausen ive ever had, at least 4 inches thick. I don't have temp control but its been cold here & temp gauge showed the wort being around 18 degrees.

After 48 hours krausen completely subsided, I thought this was a bit weird as I had used a Coopers Aust Pale Ale can for the previous brew which had similar temps and took prob 6 days for the top krausen to subside.

Its now been in the fermenter for 9 days, and I thought id check the gravity, which was around 1012. I know its green, but it did not smell right or taste right. I took the lid off for a stickybeak & ive added a pic of what it looks like. You can see theres a big clump of what I assume is dead yeast there which is something I haven't seen before.

So is this an infection? Will it improve with more time in the fermenter? I normally leave it in the fermenter for 2 weeks, should I leave it for longer? Or is it rooted?

 

[Dogshampoo]

Not sure , is it just clumps of LDM not mixed in right?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

This is like the hardest question to ask really. You know your beer. The best cracker beers I've made tasted good or at least acceptable or intersting in taste tests from OG to FG. You should pick a ditch beer it will smell like stale winey spoiled stuff.
I think there is a PhD for stuff like this.

 

[wereprawn]

Looks normal .

 

[manticle]

Looks fine. Keep the lid on and take a sample into a tube from the tap.
Is it sour? Medicinal? Vomit-like? Baby poo/nappy like?

If none of the above it is likely all good. If it tastes like green apple, pumpkin skin, synthetic paint, honey or buttered pocorn, leave for a few more days at 18 or so degrees.

 

[Toastie]

I did try the sample, hard to describe the taste but if anything it was sour. Compared to every other brew I have done (this is #8) all the others tasted good at all stages asides from obviously tasting green at bottling time. Im in no rush to bottle so it can have another couple of weeks in the fermenter & ive read a lot of similar posts on this forum where people have stuck with a questionable brew and its turned out fine but im still a bit worried it needs to be tipped. I guess ill just try another sample in a weeks time & see if its improved.

That lump couple be a clump of LDM but it was all stirred in pretty well.

 

[manticle]

Sour like vinegar? Off milk?
A lot of people confuse sour and bitter.
If it is genuinely sour it's a tipper. Won't improve.
However wait and see.

 

[Rocker1986]

I'll throw out a guess that the lumpy looking stuff is a bit of leftover krausen muck. It looks a bit like the shit stuck to the sides of the FV.

Everything else has been covered there by other posters.

A bit O/T, but regarding the comment about sticking with questionable batches, I had a batch of lager once that had a lump of mould about the size of that thing in the pic in it, only hours after pitching the yeast. Turned out to be an infected yeast starter, but I fished the mould out of the FV and decided to wait it out and see how it went. The beer turned out perfectly fine in the end. I was worried I'd have to tip it initially though.

 

[Mr B]

I must admit that I have prematurely freaked out before, was glad in the end that I used some patience to see how things progressed.

Don't tip in anger

Don't tip in fear

Tip when you have exhausted all avenues of optimism (or its really rank).

I had one questionable brew, that turned out different to expectation. Not nice, there was something going on, but in an interestingly not as good as the others way. Kind of like probing a bad tooth really.

 

[Mr B]

P.s. The pic looks pretty normal, I wouldn't worry about that.

Pps. Krausen can do funny things. I have had batches fermenting side by side with the same beer and same yeast, and the krausen has behaved differently - gone much earlier on one batch sometimes. I had a double batch recently with a krausen that persisted during a week of cold crash on both batches. Interestingly perplexing.

 

[Brewsta]

hey toastie, how did this one turn out? did you keep it or turf it?

just a comment on the steeping of your grains, (more experienced brewers please correct me if i'm wrong), but i think you may need more water?

"200g Cara Amber & 300g Light Crystal, steeped in 2L hot water for 30 mins then boiled for 30 min"

after a 30min boil of 2ltrs i would imagine you'd be left with something very concentrated which could catch on the bottom of the pot. could this be contributing to the flavours you were talking about?

i ussually steep in about 3.5 to 4ltrs of water for 500gms of grain, and probably lose about a litre from the boil.

​interested to know how you went…

 

[wynnum1]

Kit yeast are 7 grams useing two does work better then one and reuse in next brew could be infection if tastes off.

 

[Toastie]

I bottled it today, I ended up leaving it in the fermenter for longer (so its been in there for nearly 4 weeks) hoping it might improve (it has a bit). I figure ill just see how it goes.

Brewsta you might be on to something, this is my 3rd brew steeping grains & its all very new - I didn't think to add more water to the boil, just used the same amount that had worked well before. You are right that there wasn't a huge amount left at the end of the boil, I wasn't really thinking that it would affect the taste. I really don't think it would be an infection, i'm pretty particular with sanitizing everything.

We will see what happens in a couple of weeks!

 

[manticle]

I eat lots of vegetables and don't smoke.
I still sometimes get a cold.

 

[Brewsta]

good to hear you didn't turf it mate, and thumbs up for leaving it in the fermenter for longer too…i've got my fingers crossed for you, but if you are anything like me it's got to be a pretty bad beer not to drink it.

good luck...

 

[Toastie]

Cracked one the other day, still a hint of a strange taste there but its come a long way and certainly drinkeable, glad i kept it