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fruit beer has a sour aroma, good or bad????

NEmobilemarine

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We just kegged a mixed fruit pilsner, we added 4 pounds of mixed berries (frozen) to the secondary and let it sit for 7 days before putting the batch into a 3rd carboy, then kegged after a week.
The beer tastes ok and is clear, not a real strong fruit taste but its there, however it has a bitter aroma.
I am wondering if this is possibly just the mixed berry aroma, or do we possibly have some kind of bacteria that may put us on the toilet for a week... ???
We are new and probably should have waited for this one, but I guess ya can't learn if you don't play.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks
 
Frozen Berries? I would have used a Fruit Extract, or at least fresh berries. I don't think you have a contamination what you may be smelling is the berries and yeast combo from the secondary.

Your aroma also depends on the Hops used too. May be a mix of Berry and Hops you are detecting.
 
I think you may be right, the berries may have not been sweetend??? I am not sure, however the kit was not really designed as a batch that would have fruit added to the secondary. I am getting ready to do a cherry wheat, I have already bought the cherry puree from my local brew shop but I may bring it back and get the extract. I guess I am questioning the fruit sitting in the secondary for 7 days at 60 to 64 deg. and not rotting.... ??
 
you really want to use fruit puree, for one main reason..it has been pasteurized. if you use fresh/frozen you are welcoming in unwanted oils/acids into your beer. next time, try using fruit puree. put the puree into the secondary then rack your beer on top of it and let it sit. then rack into keg/bottles. should be fine
 
;) great idea w/ the fruit additions. to be safe when adding fresh berries i add 80 to 100% proof vodka to kill bacteria on berries. just enough to cover the fruit. done a mulberry wheat this way. FABULOUS
 
also i believe if you use fresh berries, a few cycles of freezing the berries and thawing them out a few times will sanitize them as well..
 
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