My first brewing disaster

[mitsu monkey]

Oh dear I feel such a fool, I was brewing a coopers Australian pale ale kit when I decided to add some hops to it. I didn't need to as it tasted nice already. I added bramling cross in a muslin bag. Took them out after a week so it could clear.
Well I've looked at it today with a view to bottling it this evening and it's gone to vinegar.
Why oh why did I mess with it????? I must of introduced an infection.
That's £15 or so up the swanny and I'm 2 weeks down on getting a brew ready.
What an idiot.

I don't suppose there's anything I can do with it but put it down the sink. Is there????

 

[Slid]

If it's vinegar now, it will not turn back into beer.

Could be that the bag or any utensil used in adding or extracting the bag was not fully sterile.

Bad luck - probably happens in the end to us all - all you can do is improve the odds by being as meticulous as you can with sanitation.

 

[brewpirate]

For it to have soured after 2 weeks you had something from the start. Time to scrub and clean every nook and crany then soak in a good sterilizer like starsan. If you have a plastic fermenter inspect for scratches and possibly consider replacing it. This is a dumper, time to review your brewing processes and see there is an area you can improve.

It happens, sucks but it does. I've had a couple of dumpers but take the time to reflect on what went wrong. Was the bag new or a reuse and was it soaked in starsan?

 

[mitsu monkey]

I think it was probably a mistake I made.
I boiled the muslin bag for about 5 mins to sterilise it but didn't with the metal spoons I used to weigh the bag down in the brew. Doh!
I then removed the bag and left it before bottling for about 4 days. I think this is where the trouble began.
It was in the fv for about 3 weeks all told.

I've learnt my lesson, all the fermenting kit has been through the dishwasher and thoroughly soaked in cleanser for over an hour. I won't be lapse on cleanliness again. And I won't be leaving bottling late again either.

 

[belch]

A simple mistake that'll probably save you £££ in the long run , those who don't make mistakes, are never "lucky" & make great product all the time are a figment of their own imagination.

The 3 rules to success:

Get someone else to do it ( cos your'e a perfectionist with no skill in that field (or most likely any other field))

Throw money at it ( cos money can buy anything :whistle: )

Accept you're human ( copy ,cheat ,learn, adapt ,improvise etc etc)

Best of luck at the next attempt.

Hmmm... bit deep for a Tuesday morning :grin:

 

[emil]

Oh dear I feel such a fool, I was brewing a coopers Australian pale ale kit when I decided to add some hops to it. I didn't need to as it tasted nice already. I added bramling cross in a muslin bag. Took them out after a week so it could clear.
Well I've looked at it today with a view to bottling it this evening and it's gone to vinegar.
Why oh why did I mess with it????? I must of introduced an infection.
That's £15 or so up the swanny and I'm 2 weeks down on getting a brew ready.
What an idiot.

I don't suppose there's anything I can do with it but put it down the sink. Is there????

Other than time ,youhave nothing to loose now. I would bottle it and see what happens. I fermented a beer with no lid on,after a while mold appeared on top,I bottled it anyway. It turned out a good beer. Samuel Adams has a beer which is described as having a vinegar after taste? Who knows you may have a great brew yet.:thumb:

 

[Fil]

+1 to that nothing to loose but the time spent in bottling, there are styles of beer that encourage the sour flavor, the wild nasty thats landed in yours MAY??? just as easily be one of the 'good guys' probably isnt but its got to be worth an experiment, and if it fails well a stash of sour bottles to feed overstaying guests can be handy at times