Infection signs in taste?

[Krougar]

I've just recently started brewing and for a little "ease" I'm using a plastic first fermenter. I've done my best to clean and sanitize according to general rules and, with the help of my wife, am pretty confident that I can continue to brew with my current equipment safely.

I transfered my first 5 gallon batch to my glass carboy yesterday, at which point I took a little taste test with the sample I pulled out. I was suprised to find that, to my not yet highly educated palate, it tasted better than most beers I buy at the store after only a week of fermenting and with no carbonation (and at 70 deg.). Can this be misleading at all? I know oxidization usually takes time to show any ill effects in beer that I would notice. Will a tasting like this usually be a good way to look for initial mistakes that might have been made due to sanitization and cleaning? I fear that I won't truly know of any important mistakes til a few weeks later when any possible infection has had time to grow, but I want to be able to pin them down as fast as possible in the future should they occur.

Thoughts? Links that I haven't seen about "staged" examination of the beer for signs? Keep in mind I -am- going to be using the plastic fermenter til I have a reason not to that's better than just being able to see the fermenting beer to check Krausening, etc...

[toneyc]

Whoa, slow down, take a deep breath, relax, have a beer...

It is usually a good sign when the beer tastes good at racking. But it does change, usually for the better during carbonation/aging.

The plastic fermentor will be fine. Millions of homebrewers use them. I haven't seen any sort of documentation on infected beer. Honestly, I think that as long as you are meticulous about cleaning and sanitation, infection is a very rare occurrence. It has been noted on this board several times that it is very hard to ruin a batch of beer.

:)
Toney.

[Tweek]

Aye, relax man. If it tastes good, then it is good. So from now on just continue to be careful with your sanitation, as I am sure you are if your beer tasted good, and you will be fine.

Cheers

[Krougar]

Thanks guys. I didn't mean to sound too overly stressed... but this is my first batch and I do want to learn the signs of a brew gone wrong as soon as I can.

We'll be cooking again tomorrow when supplies come in to the local store and if possible, I hope to pick up the same ingredients from our first batch and produce that again as our third; compare the bottle conditioning times (we're gonna drink it too early this time...it's our first, c'mon), see how different our SG readings are (if any), and hopefully enjoy a consitent quality beer again since I -do- have high hopes for this one after the tasting.

As far as infection documents, I will have to look a couple of them up and use links in future posts. There are some VERY meticulous online guides (even more so than John Palmer) that give good check points for times like when the first fermenter is opened and the specific characteristics of the sediment left at the top of the foam from the Krausen(?) and how that can lend a brewer to suspect certain -specific- types of infections.

You're right...I'll have a beer, look forward to cooking tomorrow and bottling a week or so from now.

[Tweek]

with any luck you will never have to learn what an infected beer tastes like, though you probabally will. It is not somehting to worry about until it happens. Keep up with your sanitation and all will be well!

[DreamWeaver]

I think if ya get an infected beer, you will know it. I don't think I have had one yet but I think all beer has some kinda microbe in it. The severity of it is what spoils the taste. Usually if a brew ferments, it has beaten the bad microbes for the sugar. I think yeast is only one step above algae in the living micro-organism class. And then from then on it's the brewers fault for sanitation. Relax-Don't Worry & Have A Homebrew!
-DRWeaver- http://www.borg.com/~lubehawk/kingdms.htm

[Magnew]

Although I will say that I just recently had an infected lager (I think I used old bleach water to sterilize my wine thief). It tasted okay, but it wouldn't stop fermenting after 4 weeks in primary and 3 weeks in secondary. The target FG was .012-.014. My final reading was below .010. That batch went on the compost.

[69HawkI]

Right now I am playing Infection Roulette. It seems that a few of my bottles or caps didn't get sanitized 100%, Or the person doing the capping for me didn't get his hands clean before he started. I know that this is where the infection cam from because 2-3 bottles will be fine and then 1-2 will be absolutly terrible. Hopefully I end un with more good beers than bad beers.

[evilredlight]

I love that game... Infection roulette?

I am fairly clean but I don't get too overly worked up about it
esspecially after reading the last few pages in the the book
"sacred and healing beers" by stephen harrod buhner
In the back their are a rule book for brewing herasy's
it is hilarious esspecially after reading and discussing issues on this board. I highly recomend it, If just for a good laugh.
I don't believe everything from that book as I don't believe everythbng I read here
It is a great resource, but not as good as experience.

And this board is much better as everything is constantly changing, including opinions.

[toneyc]

I really think we need to put a gallery of pictures up, of beers that really are infected. I mean, in the section title, it says "Or how to tell if you have an infected beer" or something like that, and we don't even have any good descriptions! Are infections really obvious, or are they hard to spot? Can a beer look great and still be infected? Can a beer be infected and still taste great?

:confused:
Toney.

[tyesai]

Just to throw in my 2 cents. People worry to much about this stuff. Yes it does happen but in the year and half that I have been doing this it has yet to happen to me. I use a bleach soak for everything, rinse thoroughly, spray down counter tops with bleach and wipe off well and make sure it is dry and just go at it baby. I am not one of the most meticulous brewers by any means, but I have yet to mess up a brew. Remember we are trying to sanitize the equipment not sterilize, sterilization is impossible. Just remember keep things clean, that is the appearance of your equipment, sanitize the best you can, and have a beer or twelve. It is much more fun this way.

[davesarman]

Just to relay off that as well...I've been brewing about 4 years now and have only had one batch go bad. And believe me there was no mistaking that it was bad. The smell took over the entire house and just about made me gag when I disposed of it.

[MrMethane]

Originally posted by toneyc Can a beer be infected and still taste great? I had a bottle of my Christmas ale get infected and it didn't taste bad at all, just different. I only noticed because I had been drinking it for about a month. If that bottle had been the first bottle of the batch I tried, I would have still been pleased with the results. The infected beer tasted just a little sour, but since I had spiced this beer and, for lack of a better term, "dry hoped" some orange peel, the sour taste seemed to fit. The only reason I didn't drink the bottle is because it didn't carbonate well, probably for the same reason it got infected, loose cap.