Latest brew tastes like wheat beer! :o

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DiBosco

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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. :)
 
What temp did it ferment at and how long has it been in the barrel/bottles?
 
Yup what was the recipie and what yeast / temp was it fermented at.

The resemblance to wheat could be esters produced by the yeast at a higher temp??
 
It's most likely to be a wild yeast infection I reckon, but can't be sure without tasting. We need to know what yeast you used, and what temperature it fermented at.
 
Hmmm, the recipe was something like (I'm not at home and so can't check it exactly):

6kg malt
1.5Hr mash at 66C
Around 40l after the boil, 43-45l pre boil IIRC

113g Perle at 60 minutes
Half a 113g Citra pack at 30 mins
The other half at 15 mins

Temperature was the same as all my other brews in that I used my little immersion heater which is set to roughly 20 degrees. It ferments in my kitchen which is a pretty even temperature and never gets very hot. Even with the oven and gas rings going it's pretty good.

I used GV12 as I've done on everything else.

It's been in the barrel for three weeks now and it was in the fermenter for three weeks.

Where and how would a wild yeast get in? So I could ensure it doesn't happen again?!

I've added some spray malt and more hops and will bottle it (on the advice of the home brew shop) to see whether that helps. I doubt it will, but it's better than chucking a shed load of beer away without trying!

Am happy to drop a sample of it off for you to taste, clibit ;)
 
I think we can rule out you being supplied with wheat malt instead of MO. Wheat is huskless so you'd have known you were mashing 6kg of wheat and nothing else as it would likely get stuck numerous times.
 
Feel free to drop a bottle off, I'm in old Trafford.

It might just need some time to settle down. Yeast infections can get in pretty easily, I think. But we can get too paranoid. Just sterilise everything well and keep air contact with your beer to a minimum after the boil/ cooling. Through fermentation and bottling. A pro brewer told me to keep fruit out of the area I brew in. He said anything that carries wild yeast is banned from breweries. And all surfaces are regularly cleaned. However, humans carry lots of wild yeast! So I guess they use brewery clothing and lots of washing.

But don't get paranoid. :-). With due care you can avoid problems. I brew in the kitchen, riddled with yeast!!
 
Feel free to drop a bottle off, I'm in old Trafford.

It might just need some time to settle down. Yeast infections can get in pretty easily, I think. But we can get too paranoid. Just sterilise everything well and keep air contact with your beer to a minimum after the boil/ cooling. Through fermentation and bottling. A pro brewer told me to keep fruit out of the area I brew in. He said anything that carries wild yeast is banned from breweries. And all surfaces are regularly cleaned. However, humans carry lots of wild yeast! So I guess they use brewery clothing and lots of washing.

But don't get paranoid. :-). With due care you can avoid problems. I brew in the kitchen, riddled with yeast!!

If that's a genuine offer, then PM me with your address. I don't know whether you remember - we discussed this on another thread - I live in Stretford, so we're not at all far away.

I just had another taste of it out of the fermenter and it is striking how much it looks and tastes like a wheat beer! I'd be interested to know what you think.

I've done several beers now and this is the first one I've had an issue with, I'm paranoid about sterilising and cleaning, so I think that is less likely.

I've had a few fruit flies this year, so I guess it's possible one found its way in and ruined it.
 
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