Ok did a proper fkup thinking my 1st Beer (victorian ale) wasnt working as there appeared little activity. So without checking I stirred the scum back in and left it. Now tastes awful with astringent taste. Ive now seen responses not to do that and it can develop the astringent taste but not seen how I can reclaim it back. I don’t want t have to pour away if there is something I can do. HELP !!
Is the beer still in the fermenter?
Stirring krausen back in doesn’t hurt anything at all. I swirl csrboys all the time. Your beer will be just fine just let it finish for 10-14days and bottle. Tasting beer during fermentation tells you little.
Your beer will be just fine, believe me. Unless you’re using a blowoff tube on your fermenter (which isn’t really necessary, and a lot of people don’t use one), that stuff will settle into the beer and sink to the bottom as it ferments, anyway. All you did was push it down in before it settled in on it’s own. Besides, tasting a beer when it’s only a day or two into the fermentation process will tell you almost nothing about how it’s going to taste when it’s finished. Time really does change the flavor of beer a lot. There’s a lot going on in your fermenter, and it’s going to take a while for everything to run it’s course. Just relax and don’t open your carboy again until fermentation appears to be finished, unless the process seems to be finished prematurely.
I’d follow all the advice that’s been given so far and don’t worry about it. Beer doesn’t smell or taste like the end product while it’s fermenting. Stirring it also won’t harm anything as long as you sanitized whatever you stirred it with.
Be patient and don’t plan on truly tasting your beer for what it is until it’s been 3 weeks in bottles.
