Can someone please tell me what this is!!

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Pugs13

Pugs13

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I don't think the beer is infected because I tasted it a couple days ago and it tasted really nice. This is the first time I worked with geletin finnings and I actually used them into my secondary by racking over it. Both beers seem to have this thin layer of film on top. I am assuming this is something cause by using the gelatin? I have never seen this before! Hope the beer is not bad...

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Damnit! Just took a look at some other photos! With about 2 years experience brewing this is the very first time I have ever had an infection! That is why I didn't know for sure! With winter coming here in Minesota, brewing inside I think will be more sanitary. It seems as if it is so damn hard to to keep things sanitary outside and not only that but the possiblility of stuff flying in your wort and wild yeast in the air! This is just too bad...darn! Thanks guys!
 
One thing that I"ve noticed in the last couple of years- whenever anybody gets a pellicle, it's almost always in secondary and almost always with a beer with quite a bit of headspace. It's possible to get infections in primary, of course, but not as likely if it's well sanitized. It has to do with the headspace once fermentation stops or slows. I suspect that is what happened here. An oxygen loving bacteria or yeast will take advantage of that much headspace and since the beer isn't producing c02 any more to cover the surface of the beer, an infection can result.

I'd suggest skipping secondary next time. Just do the primary, and then keg or bottle the beer after 3 weeks. If you don't open the fermenter repeatedly, it should be safer and have less risk of infection.
 
Yooper said:
One thing that I"ve noticed in the last couple of years- whenever anybody gets a pellicle, it's almost always in secondary and almost always with a beer with quite a bit of headspace. It's possible to get infections in primary, of course, but not as likely if it's well sanitized. It has to do with the headspace once fermentation stops or slows. I suspect that is what happened here. An oxygen loving bacteria or yeast will take advantage of that much headspace and since the beer isn't producing c02 any more to cover the surface of the beer, an infection can result.

I'd suggest skipping secondary next time. Just do the primary, and then keg or bottle the beer after 3 weeks. If you don't open the fermenter repeatedly, it should be safer and have less risk of infection.
Click to expand...

When I rack to secondary I usually shoot CO2 over the top before plugging with the air lock. What could have happened is the co2 could blown in bad stuff...do you think I should keg this still or dump? I mean how much luck has brewers had trying to make this still dribkable?
If I do a 3 week primary, once I keg it should I let it age a little longer in at room temp before putting into the fridge or are you saying 3 weeks primary, keg, and carbonate, drink? What about dry hopping stages and/or oaking? I have never dry hopped in a keg...
 
Pugs13 said:
When I rack to secondary I usually shoot CO2 over the top before plugging with the air lock. What could have happened is the co2 could blown in bad stuff...do you think I should keg this still or dump? I mean how much luck has brewers had trying to make this still dribkable?
If I do a 3 week primary, once I keg it should I let it age a little longer in at room temp before putting into the fridge or are you saying 3 weeks primary, keg, and carbonate, drink? What about dry hopping stages and/or oaking? I have never dry hopped in a keg...
Click to expand...

I usually go 3-4 weeks in primary then bottle. I dry hop in primary after fermentation is done, cold crash for a couple days, then rack to the bottling bucket. If I'm oaking I do go to secondary usually, but I'm pretty sure you could just add the oak to your primary.
 
What it comes down to is taste. All homebrew is infected, to some degree. Usually you just don't notice it, or it can't grow because of the alcohol, etc etc. I believe it is impossible to avoid 100%, so the question then becomes, did it ruin the beer. I would say, rack below the skin to a priming tank. Taste it, if it isn't horrible, bottle it up. Then go from there.

Being on a tight beer budget, I am loathe to dump a batch knowing I won't get another till next month. I have yet to dump a batch, but have had 2 that weren't great. Still drinkable but not great.
 
Yooper said:
One thing that I"ve noticed in the last couple of years- whenever anybody gets a pellicle, it's almost always in secondary and almost always with a beer with quite a bit of headspace. It's possible to get infections in primary, of course, but not as likely if it's well sanitized. It has to do with the headspace once fermentation stops or slows. I suspect that is what happened here. An oxygen loving bacteria or yeast will take advantage of that much headspace and since the beer isn't producing c02 any more to cover the surface of the beer, an infection can result.

I'd suggest skipping secondary next time. Just do the primary, and then keg or bottle the beer after 3 weeks. If you don't open the fermenter repeatedly, it should be safer and have less risk of infection.
Click to expand...
I learned that lesson; no more secondarys for me unless necessary to the recipe.
 
ktblunden said:
I usually go 3-4 weeks in primary then bottle. I dry hop in primary after fermentation is done, cold crash for a couple days, then rack to the bottling bucket. If I'm oaking I do go to secondary usually, but I'm pretty sure you could just add the oak to your primary.
Click to expand...

This is helpful indeed. Thanks. I have always been interested in the processes that brewers take with fermentation. I started out with doing what an extract kit says (1wk primary, 3ks. secondary, then bottle for 2wks) to doing 2wks. primary then 2-3wks. secondary then keg to carbonate. Now I will try 3wks. primary....haha..so I will probably go 2wk fermentation then for dry hopping for last week then keg. Should I cold crash in carboy or can I keg then cold crash before introducing co2?
 
Pugs13 said:
This is helpful indeed. Thanks. I have always been interested in the processes that brewers take with fermentation. I started out with doing what an extract kit says (1wk primary, 3ks. secondary, then bottle for 2wks) to doing 2wks. primary then 2-3wks. secondary then keg to carbonate. Now I will try 3wks. primary....haha..so I will probably go 2wk fermentation then for dry hopping for last week then keg. Should I cold crash in carboy or can I keg then cold crash before introducing co2?
Click to expand...

Dont let this deter you from the secondary, just get a smaller carboy so there isnt any headspace. I use a 5 gallon for all my secondary needs.
 
Pugs13 said:
This is helpful indeed. Thanks. I have always been interested in the processes that brewers take with fermentation. I started out with doing what an extract kit says (1wk primary, 3ks. secondary, then bottle for 2wks) to doing 2wks. primary then 2-3wks. secondary then keg to carbonate. Now I will try 3wks. primary....haha..so I will probably go 2wk fermentation then for dry hopping for last week then keg. Should I cold crash in carboy or can I keg then cold crash before introducing co2?
Click to expand...

Cold crash in the carboy, that way you get a nice compressed cake of trub at the bottom and you can rack from above it and avoid getting any of that stuff in your keg. And yeah, I usually go about 2 weeks, make sure gravity is stable, then toss in my dry hops.
 
Pugs13 said:
When I rack to secondary I usually shoot CO2 over the top before plugging with the air lock. What could have happened is the co2 could blown in bad stuff...do you think I should keg this still or dump? I mean how much luck has brewers had trying to make this still dribkable?
If I do a 3 week primary, once I keg it should I let it age a little longer in at room temp before putting into the fridge or are you saying 3 weeks primary, keg, and carbonate, drink? What about dry hopping stages and/or oaking? I have never dry hopped in a keg...
Click to expand...

I add the dryhops at the end of primary. Normally my beers are in the fermenter for 10-14 days, before kegging. A well made beer doesn't need all that long, really. Once it is clearing, it's ready. I do dryhop in the keg sometimes as well, but it depends on the beer.

For aging, I will rack to a carboy with no headspace, and then keep an eye on it. But I rarely age beer, only wine, and rarely oak beers.
 

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