It's very sour. Is this a problem? Should I worry?

[Mechphisto]

We just bottled a high gravity PB stout, and it tastes pretty tart and sour at this point. I've tried to figure out what it might be, but I can't tell if it's lacto, or "wild yeast," or Acetaldehyde. There's evidence it could be any of those.
Based on these clues, is it clearly one over the others? And ultimately, should I be worried?

1. It's been exposed to oxygen a lot:
In the primary bucket, the lid never sealed properly and was taken off a couple times for gravity readings after the main fermentation (thus no more positive pressure inside.
Plus it was racked to a carboy for secondary with additional ingredients.

2. Lots of opportunity for infection.
See above.
Plus, even though I sanitize like a crazy fool (my wife gets on my case in fact for spraying EVERYTHING down... a lot!) I have no doubt if some piece of equipment is compromised with a scratch or crevice I can't clean well enough.

3. The taste is NOT "OMG this is horrible get it out of my mouth!" bad. It's just very tart/sour like a cider. Still drinkable. Just, not at all sweet despite all the non-fermentable sugars that should be in it.

4. There was stuff, not a "film" per se, but stuff floating atop at the end of the primary, and a little more in the neck of the carboy after secondary.
It looks more like leftover krausen and not like bacteria bloom. But, I can't be certain.

From what I read, if it's acetaldehyde, then it SHOULD mellow out in the bottle, yeah? Maybe a few weeks?
And if it's lacto, I SHOULD have been able to tell by a sour taste that I would just KNOW is "bad." Yeah?


Any feedback would be so helpful!!
Thanks!!

 

[cubalz]

My advice? Let it sit in the bottle for 3 weeks to carbonate and then move some into a refrigerator to "lager" for at least 4 more weeks then try one. You are trying them too soon. Time can help some off flavors as the beer is still green. How long was the beer left in the primary before bottling?

 

[Temptd2]

We don't do "tasting notes" til one month after the beer has been bottled and then carbonated. On ANY of our ales or stouts.

So yeah, I'd set some aside after carbonation occurs and try it in a month and see what you think. Stouts take even longer, in my experience.

 

[Mechphisto]

How long was the beer left in the primary before bottling?

It was in primary 2 full weeks, then secondary for a week and a half.

 

[brewcat]

Worry? No. Problem? Yes. Sour before bottling? After?

 

[Mechphisto]

Worry? No. Problem? Yes. Sour before bottling? After?

Sour before bottling. I tried it as we bottled just last night. After 2 weeks primary, week and a half secondary.

 

[Yooper]

Sour before bottling. I tried it as we bottled just last night. After 2 weeks primary, week and a half secondary.

That, combined with a 'film' really points to an infection. Check it in about week, because some infections create more c02 and bottle explosions could occur, if it IS an infection.

 

[brewcat]

Sour before bottling. I tried it as we bottled just last night. After 2 weeks primary, week and a half secondary.

So that leads to where did the infection come from?

What are you sanitizing with? Does the bucket need replaced?

But I'm also curious about the recipe. You can get cider flavor if you use extra cane sugar to boost gravity. In that case, aging should help.

 

[Mechphisto]

So that leads to where did the infection come from?

What are you sanitizing with? Does the bucket need replaced?

But I'm also curious about the recipe. You can get cider flavor if you use extra cane sugar to boost gravity. In that case, aging should help.

At the bottom of this reply is the recipe. I did indeed add corn sugar to boost gravity. But I didn't think too much.

I clean the goodness heck out of everything with the OxyClean-like powder I get from my brew store, both at the end of use and again before next use.
And I soak and/or spray everything with StarSan. At a mixture where it's a 1 or 2 pH. So, I feel like I do the very best humanly possible to sanitize... but I do know bugs can get in regardless.

Heck, I may have created some super-resistant bugs with all my sanitizing LOL

PRIMARY (2 weeks)			
10 oz	Caramel Malt - Crystal 80L (Great Western)	Grain	155 deg 30 min
4 oz	Black Patent Malt	Grain	155 deg 30 min
4 oz	British Roasted Barley	Grain	155 deg 30 min
10 oz	Golden Naked Oats	Grain	155 deg 30 min
1 box	Peanut Butter Capt Crunch	Flavor	155 deg 30 min
			(remove grains, bring to boil, then off heat)
3.5 lbs	Dark Liquid Malt Extract (LME)	Extract	Dissolve then Boil 60 min
2 oz	Fuggles (5.3%)	Hop	Boil in bag 60 min
3.5 lbs	Dark Liquid Malt Extract (LME)	Extract	Dissolve then Boil 15 min
1.5 lbs	Lactose	Sugar	Dissolve then Boil 15 min
.5 lbs	Corn Sugar (glucose)	Sugar	Dissolve then Boil 10 min
1 tab	Whirlfloc	Clarifier	Add at last 10 min of boil
1 pkg	Safale US-05	Yeast	Pitch at 67F
SECONDARY (separate -- by itself during last 1 primary week)			
2 cup	Vodka or Whiskey	Flavor/Sanitize	(or enough to adq hold PB solution)
1 oz	Pure Vanilla Extract	Flavor	
2 oz	Cocoa Nibs	Flavor	Roast @325/10min
1 jar	PB2	Flavor	Dissolve in Boil 5 min then add
1 jar	Chocolate PB2	Flavor	Dissolve in Boil 5 min then add
SECONDARY (together -- gently blend primary and separate together into secondary for addtional week)

 

[brewcat]

Did you taste any before the secondary? I'm kind of wondering about a fermentation issue. If the expected OG was 1.066, one pack of US-05 may not be enough. More likely you would want two.