Off Taste - Cidery/sour

[Dextolen]

I sampled my Christmas ale, which has been bottle conditioning for about 9 weeks, and found it unpleasantly cidery, somewhat sour. Not mouth puckeringly sour, just tart. The recipe woked out to about 8.6% abv.

From what I've read, that can either mean infection or a big beer that's not ready yet. I've been cellering it at about 65F for the entire time. I am now storing it in a cold place (my garage - about 35F) because I've read that it might reduce the cidery taste. How long would that process take?

Basically I want to find out if it's infection or simply not ready yet.

[HogieWan]

how long was your primary/secondary? what was the recipe/yeast?

[Dextolen]

Style: Old Ale
1 lb British Crystal 60L (Steep 155 deg F 30 min)
6 lb DME - Amber (60 min)
1 lb Honey (2/3 at 60min, 1/3 at 15 min)
1 lb Dark Brown Sugar (60 min)
1 oz Cluster Pellet 7.%AA (60min)
1 oz Hallertau Pellet 4.5%AA (10 min)
1 tsp cinnamon (5 min)
1 tsp nutmeg (5 min)
1 tsp cloves (5 min)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract (5 min)

Wyeast 1098 British Ale.

Primary was 2 weeks, secondary was 2 weeks.

[bruin_ale]

Did it taste sour before you bottled? I think 9 weeks in bottles should have been enough to bring the beer past "green". I'd say if it wasn't ready yet it would taste harsh (maybe alchohol notes or over-spiced) but not cidery/sour.

Never really had a brew taste sour/cidery though, so I'm not sure.

[Dextolen]

It just tasted 'harsh' at bottle - alcoholic , raw. Not sour/cidery. It's more mellow in terms of alcohol bite, now and the holiday spices are subdued, but that sour apple taste....

[SoxyinMO]

Al's first batch had a very cidery taste to it. Sour Apples is a good description. It was so bad that I could not drink it. He did drink it, but found that if he had more than one a day, he'd spend all the next day in the toilet. :rolleyes:

[Dextolen]

That decided it for me, if this stuff is still cidery after two weeks in the garage, drain pour.

[BrewDog]

Sour could be an acetobacillus (ie, it makes vinegar).

Is there any sign of ropy, gooey strands in there? That's the sure sign of this bacteria.

[Dextolen]

none, thank goodness

[bernman]

Could the sour/cidery taste be from the honey and brown sugar you used? I am in the process of trying to make a honey porter and mine tastes similiar after almost 2 weeks of fermenting. It is only my 2nd batch of beer that i have made so i am still learning and have a lot to learn. I am going to try it again in another week or so. Should i dump mine too? The sour taste is not that strong, but it is there.

[toneyc]

My advice for both of you is just to leave it alone for a while. You gain nothing from dumping it. Leaving it alone *may* improve it.

:)
Toney.

[Dextolen]

That's what the wife said last night. We have it cold storing in the garage. It was funny, this is my first possible bad batch since I started brewing (about 12 batches so far), I was pouting around the house and here she is consoling me like I'm 8 years old and my bike was stolen.

Meanwhile my batch after that one is damn tasty!