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Natethebrewer · 04-29-2012, 08:56 PM

Hello all,
My first post and I could be in the wrong area for this but I need to..
Stop the infection from spreading!

Ok, so it's not that bad.

I'm setting up a spare carboy as a solera of sorts, I plan to add a little from each batch, and take out only when I run out of room.
I have a gallon of a porter that I brewed last December that is slated for the solera, but one problem remains.

There are white spots atop the beer. sort of like a film or large flakes, maybe an inch in diameter.
So I assume it's infected- fine, I can live with that.
Now my question is; will campden tabs, or pasteurizing be enough to stop whatever is going on?
I'm aware it is already soured, and have tasted it, it's still drinkable (I say mighty tasty). I just don't want to give those bugs any more beer to drink and figure the sour will decrease as I continue to blend.

Any help would be awesome!

crazyworld · 08-11-2012, 12:13 AM

No response on this? Maybe it would have been better off in the sanitation section. What did you end up doing Nate? And hows that solera going? I've never heard anyone do this on the homebrew level but I love the idea.

Natethebrewer · 08-11-2012, 11:21 AM

You're right I probably did post to the wrong area.
with that porter I ended up heating it to 180 and holding it there to kill off anything. It already had a sour tang to it but wasn't undrinkable.
i've since added a black IPA, ESB, hefe, cream ale, wheat dopplebock, and a black beer akin to a blonde. Theres also oak chips to hint at the whole barrel thing
I have only bottled a little of it, but what I did drink was good, difficult to describe but good. That porter had no ill affect. A good use for it actually. Now its just calculating abv that's the problem

Natethebrewer · 08-11-2012, 11:22 AM

You're right I probably did post to the wrong area.
with that porter I ended up heating it to 180 and holding it there to kill off anything. It already had a sour tang to it but wasn't undrinkable.
i've since added a black IPA, ESB, hefe, cream ale, wheat dopplebock, and a black beer akin to a blonde. Theres also oak chips to hint at the whole barrel thing
I have only bottled a little of it, but what I did drink was good, difficult to describe but good. That porter had no ill affect. A good use for it actually. Now its just calculating abv that's the problem

crazyworld · 08-11-2012, 05:50 PM

Good call on the pasteurization, that's what I would have recommended. I keg and wanted to sweeten up a batch of apfelwein so I pasteurized it and then force carbonated it. No messing around with campden tablets and definitely no bottling it and drinking it really quick which just isn't an option for me.

I'm surprised more people (kegging or not) don't do it. If it's definitely infected, still drinkable but you don't want to bottle an infected beer and you want to bottle normally, pasteurize, cool as normal, repitch and bottle when it's finished. I have an infected Double Chocolate Cherry Stout (may even be a milk stout when I'm done with it

) that I don't want to show up with a pellicle in my bottles so you can bet I may be doing this myself when I'm ready.

Haha good luck on that ABV! Technically as long as you have the exact amounts you added and their respective ABVs, you should be able to do it albeit a bit of a mathematical PITA.

Natethebrewer · 08-11-2012, 06:04 PM

I don't even think i'll try to calculate abv.
And as far as the infection, this beer already had problems, I had nothing to loose, and a slight souring/ oxidation probably got my solera off to a good start

Dynachrome · 02-10-2013, 07:27 PM

The BYO recipe for Guinness calls for souring a small portion, pasteurizing that portion, and placing it back in.