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Fermentation finished...about 6 months ago

Post #1 made 8 years ago
by milligan
About 6 months back I did 2 BIABs and a kit. The BIAB's were no chilled in cubes and the kit was pitched straight away in a regular plastic fermented. A few weeks later I pitched the BIAB's in the cubes with the caps on then backed off slightly.

The brews were in a humid room with a clothes dryer that gets used semi-frequently. Temps over the time have probably ranged from 15c to 35c.

The kit in the fermenter was tossed as it formed a layer of mould on top. I had it covered with plastic wrap.

However the 2 BIABs in the cubes LOOK okay.They are still gassing off now. If I tighten the cap on them the cube will bulge over a few days.

The harsh co2 smell, if ones nose is stuck inside the cube, is gone and has been replaced with a beery smell.

I was wondering how long anyone has left a completed fermentation before packaging? Especially in a non controlled environment.

As the co2 smell doesn't seem up front I'm wondering if the swelling in the cube is something else?

I'll admit I haven't tasted it yet as I made the mistake of reading about botulism :o

Any advice on how to proceed will be gratefully accepted, even more so if accompanied with a story of a similar experience.

BTW, laziness was the ultimate cause of this situation, that and hoping my wife would cave and let me get kegs so I would "get rid of that beer stuff all over the house."
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Post #2 made 8 years ago
by Mad_Scientist
My best guess is, if there is some fermentation still going on, then probably a protected layer of co2 in the cube. Grab a sample with a thief and taste and measure it.

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Post #3 made 8 years ago
by PistolPatch
Gotta love that topic title :lol:.

Just quickly, unless your beer is something like a massive barley wine, it's fermentation will have finished ages ago. The fact that you get a release of pressure every time you loosen the lid doesn't mean it is still fermenting. This is just the CO2 in solution at end of fermentation being released and you don't want to do that. It's a bit like if you have a brand new bottle of coke in the fridge. Open the cap and then tighten it. Wait a day and do it again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Eventually, you will end up with a full bottle of flat Coke that no longer hisses.

Was that bottle of coke actively making CO2? No. Same thing with your beer even though it is far less carbonated at the end of fermentation than a Coke.

...

I'm glad you asked this question milligan as I never had the reason quite clear in my own mind until now. I used to say it will always be fermenting albeit more slowly, and how atmospeheric temperature and pressure could also result in the hiss when you released the cap but those answers (and they were mine :dunno:) never really sat right with me. The above does sit very right.

Actually seems very obvious in hindsight :idiot:,
PP

Cubes Bulging!!!

Just re-read the original post and I'm a bit worried about the cubes bulging. There shouldn't be that much pressure :think:. I hope the caps weren't left "backed off" for six months???
Last edited by PistolPatch on 06 Feb 2016, 23:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #4 made 8 years ago
by thughes
Conventional wisdom says there is nothing that can live in fermented beer that will be toxic to a human, give it a taste! FWIW, I just kegged a sour beer that has been ageing in the fermenter for over 3 years and it is awesome.


---Todd
WWBBD?
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Post #6 made 8 years ago
by milligan
Thanks for the replies and the advice. The coke bottle analogy makes sense.

I finally took a sample and had a taste.

There were no off flavours that I could perceive. One of the beers is a lot darker and using a refractometer and the alcohol conversions give it a 6.3% ABV. This beer is also on the bitter side. Its kicks you in the face but I've had more bitterness in commercial IPA's.

The other beer is lighter in colour and comes out at 5.2% ABV. A lot lighter in bitterness.

Unless there is some bugs in there that don't have a taste (and I believe these do exist) I think these should be nice beers. Better get em' in the bottle I guess. To be on the safe side I won't drink too many at once.
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Post #7 made 8 years ago
by thughes
milligan wrote:Thanks for the replies and the advice. The coke bottle analogy makes sense.

I finally took a sample and had a taste.

There were no off flavours that I could perceive. One of the beers is a lot darker and using a refractometer and the alcohol conversions give it a 6.3% ABV. This beer is also on the bitter side. Its kicks you in the face but I've had more bitterness in commercial IPA's.

The other beer is lighter in colour and comes out at 5.2% ABV. A lot lighter in bitterness.

Unless there is some bugs in there that don't have a taste (and I believe these do exist) I think these should be nice beers. Better get em' in the bottle I guess. To be on the safe side I won't drink too many at once.

To be on the safe side, invite a couple friends over for a tasting party....let somebody else be the guinea pig. ;)


---Todd
Last edited by thughes on 23 Feb 2016, 20:27, edited 1 time in total.
WWBBD?
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Post #8 made 8 years ago
by milligan
Todd,
That would be a good idea except someone might intercept this communication and use it in court...I'm thinking manslaughter at a minimum :)

On the positive side I believe botulism will do the job regardless of the quantity ingested. And I'm still going. I think 72 hours is the telling time, though.

I'm still so surprised that the samples tasted so good. I guess the co2 protective layer, the hops and the yeast doing their thing kept everything (apparently) okey dokey.
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