argh! insect in my wort :-(

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jacobezzell

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After a long brew day I had left my wort in the brew pot in the fermenting fridge to finish cooling to pitch temp. Pulled it out at 9:30pm and was getting ready to transfer into the carboy when I saw one little dead insect "doing the backstroke."

After some cursing and internal debate I decided to boil it back up for five minutes and rechill, then pitch tomorrow.

Would anyone have just pitched anyway? It was a really small bug but lord (of the flies) knows what it might have regurgitated, right?
 
I probably would just pitch yeah. Maybe fish it out with a sanitized spoon. I am certainly not dumping it because of a little fly. They don't drink much! I have gotten a fruit fly or two in my bucket after fermentation somehow. I mean it's either infected or it's not. I even had an infected batch and am drinking it now. Not a big deal is the short.
 
Chances are that little bastard flew in during the boil he's sanitized welle enough I'd have pitched after fishing him out.
 
Beezy said:
I mean it's either infected or it's not. I even had an infected batch and am drinking it now. Not a big deal is the short.

How infected? I haven't heard of a good accidentally infected brew.
 
jacobezzell said:
How infected? I haven't heard of a good accidentally infected brew.

It's lacto or something I dunno. Didn't see it till I went to bottle. Bottled them anyway and they got a little film on top in the bottles but they still smell and taste great. Probably not for long tho. I dunno.
 
I would have left him, pitched and used this as an opportunity to name your beer...Dead "fly" Ale...but seriously, I wouldn't worry about one little insect destroying a whole batch.

I'd be more worried about re-boiling the wort after it's been chilled. Never heard of anyone doing that before. I wonder if that would have any ill effects...
 
I've had a fly do a dive bomb right into my wort during the end of chilling down to pitching temp, no big deal, I fished him out and the beer was great.
 
I live in mosquito/no-see-um/fly/flying bug heaven. I brew in my garage with the doors open. Mosquitos (and some other flying things) seem very attracted to burning propane, so I always have something falling into my wort as I am chilling it, and sometimes when it is less than 70 degrees. I just scoop them out and proceed on with the process. So far there have been no issues at all.
 
Dad a fly land in my last one during cooled run off. Fished him out pounded on his thorax and screamed "give me my beer back!":D Beer was fine.
 
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