Have I killed my baby?

Jolyon2112

Hi, For reasons that i'll not bore you with. I made up a 40pt batch of Scottish export in Dec last year and it's still alive 5 months later. There is a pulse but it's very weak. If I slightly depress the top of the fermentation bucket, there's an instant release of gas through the air lock, which I assume is a sign of life. Keg it or dump it ?

HBO_Staff

If the brew is in it's first stage, and has been made up with water, the yeast added and then left in the fermenting vessel for 6 months, then to be on the safe side you shoulkd probably throw it away. It is supposed to be in the primary fermenting vessel for a few days, and the problem is if it is left in there for too long it may start to become off-flavoured due to the dead yeast at the bottom of the vessel, which can begin to flavour it. You can usually tell from the smell or taste if it is off, but if it has been in there for 6 months it is probably not worth the risk