10 days and tastes of vinigar

craigyflet

I set my brew away (Yorkshire Bitter) for the first fermentation lasting 10 days, I took a reading and it was around 5% strength. I had a little taste and it was ok but did have an after taste of vinegar but it was not a strong taste. I have set it away in the barrel with 100grams of sugar were it is to stay for another 2 – 6 weeks as per the instructions.

 

Is this taste of vinegar after 10 days normal or have I buggered me brew?

HBO_Staff

Brews in their early stages can have strong aftertastes, and taste much more harsh than they do after being left to condition for a few weeks in a barrel or bottles, so it may be that the strong taste you have noticed will go after it has secondary fermented in the barrel for a few weeks. A vinegary taste or smell can be a sign that the brew has become infected, if the taste worsens and tastes of vinegar then it is likely that it has unfortunately become contaminated. The biggest cause of contamination is from equipment that has not been thoroughly cleaned, everything without exception, which comes into contact with the brew should be cleaned, ideally with a steriliser such as VWP to be sure evrything is as clean as it possibly can be, this includes things like the hydrometer and trial jar, etc.

If you continue with the brew and see how it turns out, it's hard to say for certain, the slight after taste you experienced may just be strong flavours in the brew, give it a chance to improve and the proper flavours develop. If it has gone bad then it will be very obvious next time you try it in a few weeks.

It is also worth noting that the brew is at its most vulnerable to infection after mixing the ingredients and water, and before the yeast is added, so always try to add the yeast as soon as possible after mixing, as the yeast will compete with any potential organisms which could infect the brew

craigyflet

left it another ten days and chuffed to bits with the outcome. thanks very much!

HBO_Staff

That's great news, the flavours you had were probably just from the early strong taste which needed to mature and soften. Sometimes brews don't taste great and you think about throwing it away, but then leave it for a few weeks and they can become really good. To help get the brew at it's best as early as possible, try and get it nice and warm for a few days once primed, stand them on a heater tray if needed, this will get the secondary fermentation going, and then move somewhere a bit cooler to clear and condition for as long as possible