Beer has mould

jceg316 · Sep 29, 2017

Hey everyone. I made a standard pale ale with dry hops and when I went to bottle I noticed there was mould on top. Beer still tasted pretty good though and as I am a fan of sour beers I want to keep it.

But I'm wondering when is best to bottle. The FG I measured yesterday is 1.003, so there's very little left to ferment, but more pellicles keep forming. Would it be alright to bottle this now or is it best to age it for a while?

Thanks in advance

jceg316 · Oct 1, 2017

Bumping this to see if anyone has a response.

The Idiot · Oct 1, 2017

What colour is the mould? White or grey is okay but black or green isn't good!

If the dry hops were loose and floating, it might be them causing it. I tend to let sours go for at least 6 months up to a year. If you're not tasting an increase of acidity it'll probably be down to some type of spore so leaving it will only let them multiply.

jceg316 · Oct 1, 2017

The ***** said:
What colour is the mould? White or grey is okay but black or green isn't good!

If the dry hops were loose and floating, it might be them causing it. I tend to let sours go for at least 6 months up to a year. If you're not tasting an increase of acidity it'll probably be down to some type of spore so leaving it will only let them multiply.

The mould is white and the beer doesn't actually taste that sour yet. I know that sour beer needs to be left a while because that bacteria is slow at fermenting the remaining sugars. The SG is currently at 1.003, so it's not like there is much sugar left to ferment. Would leaving it longer result in more acidity though?

Thanks

The Idiot · Oct 1, 2017

Yes, longer will increase acidity. Also, the bacteria will eat it's way through proteins as well as sugars so the flavour should get more complex.

jceg316 · Oct 1, 2017

The ***** said:
Yes, longer will increase acidity. Also, the bacteria will eat it's way through proteins as well as sugars so the flavour should get more complex.

Great, thanks for the advice. I need to move it out of a plastic bucket and into a glass DJ though as I don't think spending 6+ months is a plastic bucket is that great.