Bud Heavy Sour??????

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Delirious187

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Alright folks, looking for opinions, thoughts and or insight. Last night I picked up a keg from a friend’s house that has been sitting outside for 3-4 years. I intend to turn it into either a HLT or Mash Tun. Anyways, when I began to release the pressure I noticed this intense fruity tart smell. My first impression was that it must have spoiled and was no good. I removed the spear but couldn’t help but wonder about the contents. I assumed the keg was half full due to water somehow seeping through the gasket, but the amount of pressure inside the keg made me believe otherwise. I peeked inside with a flashlight and didn’t see any signs of mold or funky stuff. So, with an oddly and intriguing excitement I quickly sanitized a carboy, raking cane and tubing and siphoned out. As my curiosity grew I decided to taste a little….It was pretty freaking amazing! Probably one of the best sours I have ever tasted. I didn’t ingest much since I am still a little skeptical whether or not it is safe to drink. What do you guys think? I have about 4 gallons. Don’t mind the Star-San foam, like I said I was kind of rushing. If this keg was 100% sealed how would wild yeast transform regular Budweiser given these conditions?

This keg sat outside in the harshest New England conditions for years! From -20°F to +100°F

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Delirious187 said:
I didn’t ingest much since I am still a little skeptical whether or not it is safe to drink. What do you guys think?
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it's safe to drink. before it got infected, it was beer - low pH and there was alcohol. whatever grew in there isn't going to be pathogenic.

Delirious187 said:
As my curiosity grew I decided to taste a little….It was pretty freaking amazing! Probably one of the best sours I have ever tasted.
(...)
If this keg was 100% sealed how would wild yeast transform regular Budweiser given these conditions?
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sounds like you answered your own question: the wild yeast transformed it into something really, really tasty. to learn anything more detailed you're probably going to need to do some lab anlysis (ID the bug(s) in there, analyze the chemical makeup of the beer, etc.)
 
I don't think their filled kegs are pasteurized, so, yeah, wild yeast or bacteria. Budweiser is a well-made beer, just bland. But it's dumb luck that an infection would yield an improvement.
 
Agree with the comments above, if you like the flavor profile, bottle/keg part of it and feed some more Bud heavies to the rest, wait 4 years and repeat!

More practically, feed it some wort like Smokey said to build up the bugs. But remember, the bugs were added to an already fermented beer. If you want to repeat the flavor you'll need to brew a light beer, ferment it, then add the bugs to it.
 
Your right I did sort of answer my own question(s). I was just looking for a little reinforcement or encouragement prior to imbibing. I would agree this was total dumb luck! Best thing to ever happen to this batch of Budweiser. Haha Then again the best sours are the one that age for a long time.

I guess the one part that’s still unclear is how the yeast transformed or “got infected” since it was already alcohol with zero oxygen and sugars to feed on. You think the extreme summer heat mutated the residual yeast? That’s all I can think of.

I most certainly want to experiment with this. I’ll probably make a light beer like foodplusbeer said and after fermentation rack onto a ½ gal.

As far as bottling this, would you recommend adding priming sugar, then bottle and store?
 
Wow. That's crazy!!!

I would think you'd have to sugar, yeast then bottle. I'm assuming it's flat as hell now?
 
Was it drank at all 3-4 years ago? Did they use a hand pump to pressurize it? If so, wouldn't that have let some wild bugs in?

Either way, aged macro brew.... who'da thunk?
 
Good point I didn't think about the use of a hand pump/tap as the source of introducing wild yeast. I guess a hand pump would also introduce O2. I assume the high rate or pressurization was the result of CO2 from wild fermentation. Yes the keg was 1/2 consumed and forgotten about.

The original owner figured he would build something cool out of the keg, like a BBQ and that's why he held onto it. Being left outside weeks after the party he thought the beer was bad.
 
Delirious187 said:
I guess the one part that’s still unclear is how the yeast transformed or “got infected” since it was already alcohol with zero oxygen and sugars to feed on. You think the extreme summer heat mutated the residual yeast? That’s all I can think of.
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BMC beer is sterile - yeast is filtered out, there is nothing alive in there. so whatever bugs are responsible for the souring came in from the outside.

the hand-pump in indeed the prime suspect here. each time someone pumped that keg they would have been drawing in outside air.
 
Your buddy's back yard may be the Seine River Valley (or wherever Lambics come
From) of the Americas.
 
I had something similar happen but my keg was bud light from 2012. The smell somewhat resembled bud light but it didnt make me want to gag. Im sure you just got lucky and found a perfectly aged infected beer while mine had imperfections. I never got enough courage to taste it as it spewing out of the holes I drilled. I think it could be hit or miss or old Macro brew kegs. Might have to find some more laying around to see how if i can score such a rarity.
 
This is too cool. Kudos to you for having the wherewithal to even try it! I can't say I'd have done the same. Now I'll have to start searching out really old half consumed kegs!
I was gonna say that the hand pump was the most likely way for those bugs to get in. Is this going to start a movement of buying commercial kegs and letting them naturally sour? Too funny.
 
Sub'd.
Grab 1 litre of it and add it to a gallon jug, top off with 1.020 wort and grow some of that stuff up! See what happens.
 
Oh, and could I ask what the gravity reading is right now? I don't know what the FG of Bud is, but it'd be interesting to know how low this infection took it.
 
I recently got my hands on a keg that was found up on a mountain. It is five years old and about 3/4 full. I kind of want to try it before I dump it.
Congratulations on the find.
 
I recently got my hands on a keg that was found up on a mountain. It is five years old and about 3/4 full. I kind of want to try it before I dump it.
Congratulations on the find.
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Colorowdy, you should definitely give it a try and report back on here!

Grab 1 litre of it and add it to a gallon jug, top off with 1.020 wort and grow some of that stuff up! See what happens.
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Rootski, indeed I will experiment with this, could be the start of a proprietary strain! Who knows! haha

As far as others who have asked me to send them cultures, I could but we would have to figure that out. I think it would be best after and "IF" I am successful propagating in a starter or 1 gal batch.


this is better than my 4 y/o Bud Light! make a tasting video!
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Billy-Klubb, That's a interesting idea about a tasting video. To be honest with everyone I've never really done something like that before. Usually pretty shy in front of a camera and I fear my tasting evaluation or description of the beer wouldn't fully convey the actual profile and flavors. Perhaps I should pull a friend into this. Two reviews better than one? LOL

So what do you guys think I should do with this. Right now it is relatively flat to low carbonation. Should I mix up some priming sugar and bottle?
 
I'd bottle at least half - maybe re-yeast when you add priming sugar. Use the rest for experiments and growing up cultures (or ship it to someone that does that, certainly not me).
Did you get a gravity reading?
 
No gravity reading yet. Will have to wait until I get home from work. The opaqueness is still the same since the transfer to carboy. I'm doubtful it will clear up, not that I really care.

You think I need to re-yeast with priming sugar? I guess I could put a small amount of Conan yeast I cultured from cans of Heady.
 
If the gravity is very low, you'll want to use a yeast that finishes dry like champagne yeast to carbonate. I would not trust whatever bug you've got in there to carbonate your beer in a timely manner. Good luck!
 
Delirious187 said:
Colorowdy, you should definitely give it a try and report back on here!



Rootski, indeed I will experiment with this, could be the start of a proprietary strain! Who knows! haha

As far as others who have asked me to send them cultures, I could but we would have to figure that out. I think it would be best after and "IF" I am successful propagating in a starter or 1 gal batch.




Billy-Klubb, That's a interesting idea about a tasting video. To be honest with everyone I've never really done something like that before. Usually pretty shy in front of a camera and I fear my tasting evaluation or description of the beer wouldn't fully convey the actual profile and flavors. Perhaps I should pull a friend into this. Two reviews better than one? LOL

So what do you guys think I should do with this. Right now it is relatively flat to low carbonation. Should I mix up some priming sugar and bottle?
Click to expand...

so was I in my first. just do it. grab a friend and review!
 
Delirious187 said:
Colorowdy, you should definitely give it a try and report back on here!



Rootski, indeed I will experiment with this, could be the start of a proprietary strain! Who knows! haha

As far as others who have asked me to send them cultures, I could but we would have to figure that out. I think it would be best after and "IF" I am successful propagating in a starter or 1 gal batch.




Billy-Klubb, That's a interesting idea about a tasting video. To be honest with everyone I've never really done something like that before. Usually pretty shy in front of a camera and I fear my tasting evaluation or description of the beer wouldn't fully convey the actual profile and flavors. Perhaps I should pull a friend into this. Two reviews better than one? LOL

So what do you guys think I should do with this. Right now it is relatively flat to low carbonation. Should I mix up some priming sugar and bottle?
Click to expand...

I will definitely report back. It is going to be a few weeks before I can do anything. Stupid real life BS. But as soon as I know you fine people will know.
 

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