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So the real question is what do I do next.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by homebrewdad
I edited to make the pic fix.
What to do? Kill it with fire. Then throw the fermentor away. Then burn the trash can. That looks terrifying to me.
Cue "let it ride, pitch some brett" guys in 3... 2... 1...
Posted 34 days ago.
Did you taste it? It could just be a cahm yeast, that won't sour just make the beer very thin and empty. If it is you can carefully draw the beer from below the raspberries and bottle. A thorough cleaning will save the fermenter.
If its sour or has a slight off taste you can add the Brett or one of the sour blends if there wasn't too much of hops in there.
Posted 34 days ago.
Thanks for fixing the pic Olan I'm pretty sure you can set a max width via CSS on the IMG tag and it should keep that from happening.
Agreed kill it with fire is my first reaction. The good news is this is a small batch bucket do I'm less worried about losing it.
I guess I was hoping someone could confirm what it is? Or ingoogni is there a way for me to tell it's definitely a cahm yeast?
Posted 34 days ago.
Send a sample to a lab is the only way.
Taste it.
Posted 34 days ago.
Yeah so I tasted it, and I'm still alive. Honestly its not funky at all. Does seem a bit thin but I really didn't try very much. Its still got the raspberry tart so it might be covering up the funkiness. Should I wait a few more days to see if the gravity changes or just rack from under the berries?
Posted 34 days ago.
At what gravity did you add the berries, what is it now? How long are the berries in?
Posted 34 days ago.
That looks very much like a pelicle I got off some frozen raspberries I got from Costo. Turned out to be some Brett and Lacto... I let it ride and get really sour then blended it back with a fresh saison. Came out so dang good. The wit should be a reasonable grist for a good long sour age if you are willing. Maybe enjoy some sours... Pitch dregs along the way.
I PBW my buckets after a sour and let sanitizer sit in it until I am ready for a new brew... No cross contamination yet. I now have dedicated sour gear though.
Posted 34 days ago.
ingoogni OG was 1.052, FG before berries was 1.010. Been on the berries for two weeks now. Theres only two gallons so I'm hesitant to pull much for gravity measurements. Give me a few days to get a dedicated sour trkey baster to get a sample for a gravity check
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by skitzo2000
mchrispen How long did you let yours sit for? The good news is this is just two gallons in a test bucket so I can easily set it in the back of the basement and let it go for a while.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by skitzo2000
I went three months. The pelicle got a bit thicker and the raspberries were completely bleached. That is a nice size to blend back if it gets too funky.
Posted 34 days ago.
mchrispen So you left it on the raspberries? And at this point I would note that the raspberries are at least somewhate bleached of color.
Posted 34 days ago.
I did. Did not want to disturb the pelicle at all. I didn't get any off flavors and the brett cleaned up quite a bit of the really crazy phenols that developed early on. Often acetaldehyde and diacetyl are produced by bacteria and cleaned up over time by brett. That is really why if you aren't SURE you put some brett into there, you should consider it. No need for a starter.
Mine did get very sour, and one point there was some ropy protein formation. My concern would be the level of headspace, so you should make a decision if you want to rack into a carboy and reduce that O2 exposure. I am really not sure if that helps or hinders - Tonsmierre seems to believe that plenty of character can develop without a pelicle and it forms specifically to limit oxygen intake. Mine was thick and clumpy so felt it offered adequate protection.
I would normally not recommend leaving on fruit for so long... but it worked in my instance. Maybe someone with much more experience with sours than I can comment. I have done about 3 'intentional' sours with very mixed results. Fascinating though - lots of fun to watch it evolve and age.
Do check your pH if you are pulling periodic samples, as well as gravity.
Posted 34 days ago.
| Tonsmierre seems to believe that plenty of character can develop without
a pelicle and it forms specifically to limit oxygen intake.
Actually, some lacto's like L.brevis seem to form a pellicle to get some oxygen, they are microearophilic.
Anyway, adding Brett is indeed the 'safest' way. If you can miss the bucket, let it ride for half a year before you open it again.
Ingo
Posted 34 days ago.
Awesome info Guys, Thanks for the help. I'll pick up a vial of brett in the next couple of days and then let it go for a while.
And luckily this bucket is only 3 gallons so theres really not much headspace. I can purge with some co2 for good measure, and then I'll let it go for a while. I'll reopen this post sometime down the line to give you an update!
Posted 34 days ago.
