This may be an impossible one to answer, but for the first time I have an issue with a brew not coming out perfect.
When I opened the fermenter I thought at first it had gone off, from the smell, but it wasn't vinegary at all. It didn't taste right and it looked hazy, but it didn't taste off.
It's very pale and intentionally not strong - only around 3.6%.
After having a couple of people taste it, my partner reckoned it tasted like a wheat beer and I think she has it spot on. It looks like it too, with that really hazy thing going on.
I had someone say it isn't off, but tastes a bit sour, which I also think is about fair.
One thing that I should mention is that the airlock never bubbled, but I wasn't too worried about that as the very first beer I did, we didn't have Vaseline on the thread and rubber seal of the fermenter and it was fine despite not bubbling at all. I suppose this might be an issue and it might have got air in and this some bacteria.
One thing I am wondering: is it at all possible that the homebrew shop sold me wheat instead of Maris Otter? If I did a beer in exactly the same fashion, but with wheat rather than barley would the brew work, but taste odd/different.
I hate wheat beer, so it's a little hard for me to tell just how close it is to tasting like it as opposed to just being infected with a not-too-destructive bacterium.
Is this an impossible question to answer without tasting the beer?
Thanks for any suggestions. :)
When I opened the fermenter I thought at first it had gone off, from the smell, but it wasn't vinegary at all. It didn't taste right and it looked hazy, but it didn't taste off.
It's very pale and intentionally not strong - only around 3.6%.
After having a couple of people taste it, my partner reckoned it tasted like a wheat beer and I think she has it spot on. It looks like it too, with that really hazy thing going on.
I had someone say it isn't off, but tastes a bit sour, which I also think is about fair.
One thing that I should mention is that the airlock never bubbled, but I wasn't too worried about that as the very first beer I did, we didn't have Vaseline on the thread and rubber seal of the fermenter and it was fine despite not bubbling at all. I suppose this might be an issue and it might have got air in and this some bacteria.
One thing I am wondering: is it at all possible that the homebrew shop sold me wheat instead of Maris Otter? If I did a beer in exactly the same fashion, but with wheat rather than barley would the brew work, but taste odd/different.
I hate wheat beer, so it's a little hard for me to tell just how close it is to tasting like it as opposed to just being infected with a not-too-destructive bacterium.
Is this an impossible question to answer without tasting the beer?
Thanks for any suggestions. :)