Dump this batch, or sour it?

[Germelli1]

So I have 4 gallons of all munich Barley wine that didn't go to plan. It was an experiement as I had just bought a sack of munich and wanted to try my first decoction mash. So I have no problems chaulking this on up as a learning experience and tossing it. However Colo's thread has inspired me not to give up on this one.


The actual brewing went off without a hitch (documented in my thread: Hunting cabin brew day). I piched a huge starter, put it in the basement and went off to school. Over a month it had dropped from 1.100 to 1.052. So I agitated it, and pitched some boiled energizer.

Havn't checked the gravity again (mostly because it is right next to my current batches) but it smells. It smells terrible, almost fecal at first, but not in an acetobacter way or acetone or anything like that. If you give it a chance it smells super malty sweet with what seems almost like overwhelming diactyl or something of the sort.

I will take a gravity reading after I bottle the batch next to it tonight but if it is stuck, or crapped out without attenuating far enough, I would love to try out my first wild fermentation.

Any recommendations on how to proceed would be greatly appriciated!

 

[bknifefight]

If it smells fecal, I doubt souring it would make it better. I would dump it.

 

[Coldies]

Sour fecal beer does not sound to pleasing.

 

[Germelli1]

If it smells fecal, I doubt souring it would make it better. I would dump it.

I'll cheack again tonight after I most my bitter out. I only got that smell by pressing down on the lid with my nose above the airlock haha. I will report back soon.

Plus I don't care it the end product winds up drinkable, I would like to get some experience with souring! But I havn't already made up my mind before posting on what to do so if we can't find a way to make it work, I shall dump it!

 

[Caboose]

What kind of yeast did you use? My latest batch I used Wyeast for the first time and it was extremely odorous. Mine smelt of a sulfur pit. But I did some research and found that was very common for that strain of yeast.

 

[Germelli1]

What kind of yeast did you use? My latest batch I used Wyeast for the first time and it was extremely odorous. Mine smelt of a sulfur pit. But I did some research and found that was very common for that strain of yeast.

I used pacman...but remember it was 7 months ago

 

[1971hemicuda]

Pacman is supposed to eat almost everything! ...its worrisome that it didn't drop below the 1.052 in that month. my stout was a 1.100, with a 2L starter of pacman and it was down at around 1.030 in about 3 weeks or so...

 

[Germelli1]

I use pacman in all my beers that don't require a specific strain, and this is the only batch that it didn't work as expected, but I wrote it off on the strange experiemental recipe and mashing techniques!

I probably should not have posted this until tonight when I have more current info on the beers status, but thank you everyone who has chimed in!

 

[bknifefight]

I had Pacman stall out on a barley wine as well, it was frustrating.

You're doing the right thing to check it again and this time consider tasting it. You may be smelling a lot of CO2 making it seem really bad.

 

[Almighty]

Definitely take a taste.

If it does have some diacetyl that is is an easy fix. Add Brett

If you add some Oak (1 oz) and Brett (Brett C would be traditional) and you could have a very nice Strong English Stock Ale.

 

[Germelli1]

Definitely take a taste.

If it does have some diacetyl that is is an easy fix. Add Brett

If you add some Oak (1 oz) and Brett (Brett C would be traditional) and you could have a very nice Strong English Stock Ale.

Thanks so much for the tips! Tonight is the moment of truth taste/hydro test. Would I want to use slgihtly less oak since it is about/under 4 gallons? From my research I see it typically calls for 1 oz/5 gal. Also if I do turn this thing "wild" I probably want to keep it away from my "tame" batches right?

 

[Germelli1]

Ok taste and hydro test are done.

Appearance: Minimal pectile. Some small spots that looked like legitimate yeast.

Taste: Definite vinegar sourness, but not nearly as much as other batches I have had infected with acetobacter. Still sweetness easily detectable beneath vinegar.

Hydro: 1.054 (must have recalled previous reading from memory incorrectly).

Pics:

 

[dantheman13]

Nice tomato. (Subbed to see what happens!)

 

[Germelli1]

That is the lone survivor from last nights massive harvest and neighborhood give away! haha That is from the parents garden...all I am growing here is a few hops!

 

[Germelli1]

So the latest. I racked to a carboy, added a gallon of final runnings from a previous batch that I let lacto get to for a bit, pitched some 645 Brett C, and topped up the carboy with a couple bottles of batches that didn't turn out great. Should be an intersting result and I am not sure if it will be drinkable or not, but the experimenting has been a blast!

 

[Guess42]

The oily film on top of the wort makes me think acetobacter. Sounds like it might turn out interesting, or five gallons of malt vinegar.

 

[Germelli1]

The oily film on top of the wort makes me think acetobacter. Sounds like it might turn out interesting, or five gallons of malt vinegar.

I agree, there was defintely some Acetobacter in there. That is the main reason I wanted to get it in a carboy with no headspace. Now I am hoping for the best!