I am brewing a batch of tej. This is the second batch I've brewed using the simple recipe of 3 parts water, one part honey and the gesho root. The first batch turned out great. For batch #2 I used the last remaining amount from my previous batch as a starter and then proceeded exactly how I did the last time. It bubbled almost immediately and has been bubbling and fermenting for about 3 weeks and today when I checked on it, it smelled strongly of vinegar. This is not the smell or taste of the other batch. I understand this can happen if you leave it too long but it hasn't been that long yet. Does anyone know why this would happen? Is there anything to be done to fix it? I'm so sad. I was looking forward to this since the first batch turned out so wonderful. Any suggestions would be great. Even if it's on what to avoid so this doesn't happen next time.
Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) question
- Thread starter aneeka
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
loveofrose
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, that is likely an acetobacter infection. Acetobacter is a bacteria that is used to make vinegar. It is very common in the environment. If it smells like vinegar and tastes like vinegar, then use it for a marinade (a very good one too).
After that, get rid of everything that touched this batch or bleach it overnight. Once you get acetobacter, you have to be very proactive to prevent a repeat fail.
After that, get rid of everything that touched this batch or bleach it overnight. Once you get acetobacter, you have to be very proactive to prevent a repeat fail.
MarshmallowBlue
Well-Known Member
Bleach'l do it in good, but I had an apple cyser that was about that old and I thought for sure it was going to vinegar. Kept it anyways and it turned out to be nothing.
Does it taste like vinegar, that'll be the real key factor? Also what's your headspace situation looking like?
Edit: I want to strongly emphasize that I had this smell and it was nothing, just CO2 burning my nose. Taste it and report back.
Does it taste like vinegar, that'll be the real key factor? Also what's your headspace situation looking like?
Edit: I want to strongly emphasize that I had this smell and it was nothing, just CO2 burning my nose. Taste it and report back.
sparkshooter
Well-Known Member
Sorry for necromancing this thread, but I just wanted to add my own experience, since the bit of advice here proved to be very useful for me.
I opened my fermentor after about 3 weeks of fermentation and it smelled strongly of vinegar. I've made many batches of beer, and this smelled like nothing I'd smelled before during fermentation.
On the advice of this thread, I tasted it, and wouldn't you know, it tasted exactly like I expected - a little bit of alcohol bite, a bit of carbonation, and still sweet (still many points from FG, as expected). No vinegar-y taste at all.
By the time I went to close up the carboy (so the time it took to drink the sample, sniff it, etc), the vinegary smell had totally dissipated.
Moral of the story - taste your mead before freaking out, no matter how sour/vinegary it smells.
I opened my fermentor after about 3 weeks of fermentation and it smelled strongly of vinegar. I've made many batches of beer, and this smelled like nothing I'd smelled before during fermentation.
On the advice of this thread, I tasted it, and wouldn't you know, it tasted exactly like I expected - a little bit of alcohol bite, a bit of carbonation, and still sweet (still many points from FG, as expected). No vinegar-y taste at all.
By the time I went to close up the carboy (so the time it took to drink the sample, sniff it, etc), the vinegary smell had totally dissipated.
Moral of the story - taste your mead before freaking out, no matter how sour/vinegary it smells.
