janzik

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I went to to the basement to check on my stash and I seen my extract Wheat carboy had a nice white spiderweb film on top and it stinks...



Anything I can do other than dump and learn?

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-Joe

Beerthoven

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I'm sorry to see that. If it were mine, I would dump it, clean up well, and move on to the next batch.

A lot of people are going to tell you to ride it out and try to save it; that it might turn into something nice eventually. I'm just not that hard-up for homebrew or that interested in ambient fermentation experiments to keep it around long enough to see.

Infected beer is not the same thing as sour beer, IMO.

If you have the patience for it then go ahead and give it a go. It may, in fact, turn into something nice someday, but its going to stay around for long time and could just as easily end up nasty and gross.

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Primary/Secondary: #90 American IPA, #91 Brown Ale

Kegged: #89 California Common

Planned: Dusseldorf Altbier, American Wheat

I use secondaries!

Ooompa Loompa

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Drink it!!! That looks a lot like the infection I had about a month ago. I bottled it and it tastes fine. See my thread here http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/first-infected-batch-63946/

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Primary: Apfelwein, Irish Stout
Secondary: Nada
Bottle conditioning: Centennial IPA
Drinking: Super Shpadoinkle Blonde Ale

avidhomebrewer

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Yeah, I agree with Ooompa Loompa. If you have enough other beer and can wait for this one, let it go. You may end up with something that is very tasty.

EinGutesBier

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Oompa Loompa: I read your thread...did you just bottle when you felt it was right or did you actually wait out until the infection dissolved? Either way, how long did you wait in terms of weeks, etc?

WBC

Recipes 

How long did that wort sit before the yeast was going good. I'm curious. in 36 years I have never had an infection, I must be really lucky.

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Cheers,
WBC

Fermentor 1: Bill's House Ale II, Fermentor 2: German Helles, Fermentor 3: Bill's Schworzbier (Black Bier)
Tap 1: Bill's House Ale II, Tap 2: German Hefewizen, Tap 3: Nut Brown Ale
Future Brews: Stone IPA Clone, Blonde Ale, Budvar Clone, Newcastle Clone
New toy: Blichmann 27 gallon fermentor

“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging”

“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment”

EinGutesBier

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I'm not sure if it'd help answer your question, but in my experience, my infection began after fermentation. It looked like the pellicle formed after my FG hit 1.010 (OG 1.056)...if you ask me, that's pretty weird. I was using a starter with my Wyeast Saison and am starting to think that maybe that bug was part of the yeast they cultivated, if it came from a brewery in Belgium. Kind of tin foil-hattish of me, but that one theory. Otherwise, I'm not sure how an infection could've taken hold like that.

WBC

Recipes 

Ok, I never see that on my beer but I do not brew saisons either. German yeast is what I use most of the time.

__________________
Cheers,
WBC

Fermentor 1: Bill's House Ale II, Fermentor 2: German Helles, Fermentor 3: Bill's Schworzbier (Black Bier)
Tap 1: Bill's House Ale II, Tap 2: German Hefewizen, Tap 3: Nut Brown Ale
Future Brews: Stone IPA Clone, Blonde Ale, Budvar Clone, Newcastle Clone
New toy: Blichmann 27 gallon fermentor

“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging”

“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment”

EinGutesBier

Recipes 

Well, I don't know if a Saison should necessarily have a pellicle, but mine got one and my sanitary practices weren't any worse. I just thought it was strange. What I'm saying is that I guess infection doesn't always have to do with the yeast lagging.

Soperbrew

Recipes 

Janzik, what was the lag time for that fermentation & how long had it been in there prior to you noticing? Is it done ferementing?

If it were mine, I'd go with the advise on the other thread that was provided. Rack it from underneath the top layer, without getting any of the top layer.

Question is when to do it. Probably after fermentation is complete.