My third batch got infected
 

I'm not entirely sure which step screwed it up for me, but there were a few things that are variables. I used a carboy that I had gotten used from a guy that was disgusting, but I washed it very thoroughly. It was the first time I used my homemade wort chiller. I was probably doing too many things at once, and I'm sure all it takes is one mix up.

I'm letting it sit in there until the infection forms better on the top so I can take a picture to remind myself to be careful because this beer would have been great. I'm going to make the same recipe again just as encouragement for myself. Needless to say, I'm a little bummed. I'll be happy when my supplies show up from AHBS and I can move on.

How do you know that it is infected?

No offense, but at third batch time, I don't think I'd be so quick to deem a batch infected. Wort gets a whole lot worse before it gets better and it doesn't smell or look like beer for a while. I'm guessing that you've fermented in opaque buckets the first two times. Now that you have a clear fermenter, you're seeing a completely normal fermentation (and it's scaring the p!ss out of you). Let it go. If you dump it, no one here will ever speak to you again. ;-)

Yeah, the only two times I've had infected batches, I didn't know it until it had been in bottle for awhile. They turn sour and become gushers (because whatever bacteria/wild yeast infected it was able to eat all the sugar that the beer yeasts couldn't, thus increasing the carbonation). I've seen wort do some weird crap on perfectly good batches...so, like bobby says, don't you dare dump it. See it through, and chances are it will be okay. That is, unless you look in there and see little creatures crawling around on top of it. Then, it's probably infected. :D

My first batch the trub floated to the top and looked stringy like snot, I then promptly posted pictured on here and proclaimed to the world that is was infected just hours after beginning. Seeing the beer tortures the mind.

It wasn't. Yeast is disgusting. Wort becoming beer is disgusting. Beer is beautiful! I bottle next week with my "infected" batch that tastes great (flat and warm though). The trub sank to the bottom, the snot dissapeared and looked like all the perfect pictures you see in everyone gallery.

Then my second batch had a delayed start and I freaked myself out with that! I am now planning my third and maybe I am now learning to relax.

Nah, I know what I'm looking at. The kreusen fell off this one in about 3 days and it has been in the carboy for about two weeks. I racked into my secondary fermenter 4 days ago and when I did I drew a sample and I could taste it then. The surface of this beer has been crystal clear and this morning there were definite white circles on the top that were not yeast activity.

I took another sample and it has that same medicine-like taste that is very much in my head associated with mold. I'll let it grow and show you guys.

Oh, and I've done all my batches in carboys. I didn't like the idea of buckets and I like to watch what's going on, so it made sense for me.

I just want you to all know I'm not a worrier, so I'm not freaking out because I'm new at this. I wanted to believe it was ok when I went to secondary, but I already knew something was going wrong with it.

Ok. You know, standard warnings and such.

I'm going to let it sit. I already told other people that if I'm wrong, I'll write "spaz" on my head with a sharpie and then post a picture, so I'll make it my avatar here. :)

We all just want you to be wrong. If your not, black armbands.......