All that was missing was Taps on a bugle.

Two and a half weeks had passed with my beer in the fermenter.  Everything I had read or watched on home brewing beer said that two weeks was standard time for ale yeast to do its thing.  By the end of two weeks, the yeast should have gone dormant, fallen to the bottom of the fermenter, and sedimentized.  My brew, however, had a different plan.  Half a week late and there was still considerable yeast activity on the surface of the beer.

I closed up the fermenter and decided to give it the rest of the week to hopefully right itself.  In the meantime I kept myself occupied by going to the local home brew store to get my next ingredient kit and some other home brewing tools.  As I approached the counter to make my purchase I decided to forfeit my Man-Card and ask the employee for advice on my troubled brew.  He said that it was strange that my beer would continue to ferment for almost three weeks and advised me to just let it be a little longer.  He also cautioned me against throwing it out unless it was too disgusting to drink.

Which brings me to the following weekend.  Three weeks in the fermenter and there was still yeast growth on top of the brew.  I also noticed a white film on the surface; a tell-tale sign of infection.  The beer had lost much of the sweet flavor it had begun with.  Uncle Roommate described it best as "tasting like vinegar."  Sour, acidic, and still actively fermenting....I broke one of the cardinal rules of home brewing and poured out my beer.  It was disappointing but that's part of the learning process.  By pulling the plug on my troubled brew, I could free up the fermenter for my next batch.