ricknewsom
Member
While sniffing the airlock on a bubbling primary of pale ale (one of the more enjoyable aspects of brewing) I noticed a film of viscous liquid on top of the airlock that was VERY acidic. I touched it with my finger and then touched my finger to my tongue and it was like battery acid.
I'm actually pretty comfortable with our sanitation regimen. Everything that touches wort is always cleaned and sanitized with OxiClean and StarSan, the airlock is filled with sanitizer, and I have not lost a batch to infection since the early 90's. But it appears obvious that my house harbors bad beasties that COULD easily ruin a batch.
My questions:
1. What am I dealing with here? My guess is Acetobacter and that it is airborne.
2. Can I minimize the levels of this bug in my home?
Thanks.
I'm actually pretty comfortable with our sanitation regimen. Everything that touches wort is always cleaned and sanitized with OxiClean and StarSan, the airlock is filled with sanitizer, and I have not lost a batch to infection since the early 90's. But it appears obvious that my house harbors bad beasties that COULD easily ruin a batch.
My questions:
1. What am I dealing with here? My guess is Acetobacter and that it is airborne.
2. Can I minimize the levels of this bug in my home?
Thanks.