So - I started collecting yeast from the bottom of Oberon bottles a month ago or so and used a 1-gallon fermenting jug to build up the yeast supply. I made two additions of amber malt dissolved in water. I made a batch of beer yesterday (May 15) with the following recipe: 1 pound of light, dry malt extract, 1 pound of caramel malt 10 steeped at 150 degrees for 20 minutes. 3.5 pounds of liquid wheat extract and 2.5 pounds of liquid light malt extract. 1 ounce of Willamette for 60 minutes and 1 ounce of Cascade for 15 minutes. OG was 1.055. IBU - 24.
I pitched the yeast and it is bubbling nicely. Here's my concern. After four weeks in the fermenting jug, it smelled a bit cidery. I didn't see any growth that would indicate bacteria infection, but something didn't smell right. In a 5-gallon batch, a little stinky liquid wouldn't ruin the batch, but bacteria and funky yeast that makes cidery beer could. In the end, it could be a $25 mistake, but at least I proved I could make beer after the apocalypse.
A log of beer-making efforts, recipes, techniques, successes and failures, beers I try and like and don't like and a whole lot on Michigan-made beers.
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