All beginners Read this before deciding if your first batch was contaminated.

bobofet

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Hey guys, I am a new brewer and this is my second post. I have to let all newbies know my experiences before they decide if their first batch was ruined.
Against nearly everyone advice I decided to try a chocolate coffee stout for my first ever batch. I took an all grain recipe and converted it myself into a mini mash with secondary additive of coffee grounds. I transferred it to secondary today after 4 weeks in primary and could not wait to get another taste of the wort, well I guess it was beer at this point. I transferred it and took a small sample off of what was left on the bottom of the carboy. The taste was terrible, and accompanied by a terrible smell. I googled infected beer and found pictures of what mine looked like during primary and most everyone said it was normal and good beer. But i knew what i tasted was so hard to swallow I thought it must have been bacteria. I have never had a "sour" but thought maybe that is what I accidentally made and if was for too sour. I didnt let my brewing catastrophe keep me down and I tried my second batch ever today, A chocolate Cherry Stout. I was putting my carboy into my mini fridge and pulled out what I thought was a secondary full of garbage dump material. But as luck would have it I bought a 4 pack to drink while brewing and Had a slight buzz at that point and decided to give it one more taste, mostly to see if I could manage to drink it at all. I poured some into a 2 gallon bucket and gave it a smell, it had none of the terrible yeast smell like it did 12 hours ago during transfer. So i drank a swig of it. Holy cow, This was an amazing taste and it had no unpleasant flavor whatsoever. I am keeping this to bottle next week.

If you read closely you will see where I said I took a sample of the bottom of the carboy... That sample must have had a fair amount of trub in it to give me the off flavor. But after settling for 12 hours or so the sample from the top had none of that. Any experienced brewer would have known this but in the beginner thread I think this might help someone out. If you have any questions or want me recipe/ procedure I would be glad to share. Dont be upset if I dont get back Right away though.
 
I think the best practice is don't touch it test it or taste it, you cant change it anyway, just go the distance and take your samples when your about to package. For a standard beer two weeks is plenty of time to ferment at the recommended temperature
 
I think the best practice is don't touch it test it or taste it, you cant change it anyway, just go the distance and take your samples when your about to package. For a standard beer two weeks is plenty of time to ferment at the recommended temperature
Modified slightly: With experience you'll be able to make good evaluations of your mid-process beer. If you're posting in this forum, you're likely not there. It's hard to screw up an early batch! You have new equipment, beer-loving bacteria haven't found your brewery... But you don't know that.
 
+1 to both of the above. It ain't a dumper until it's a confirmed dumper. Also, If you only have one primary fermenter and consider dumping a batch so you can brew again, buy another fermenter. It's less expensive than dumping a batch of beer in many cases. Remember, the beer you dumped may have been the best one you'll ever brew.
 
Bob what the hell happened to you?!?!
 
It's hard to screw up an early batch! You have new equipment, beer-loving bacteria haven't found your brewery... But you don't know that.
True dat!! :) It'll be about batch 5 or 6 when the crud catches up. When it's bad, there's no doubt. Besides, it's the one you think is fine that'll get you. Start blowing bottles and you realize that your spigots or lines or something actually need serious cleaning. :)
 

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