Should I pasteurize?

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looneybomber

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It's been about 4wks since I brewed this beer and I have some airlock activity again (2 to 3 bubbles a min). If I have an infection, can I pasteurize (heat on stove, but not boil it) it to kill off the bad stuff?

Back story: Too keep it cool, I fermented in the garage and on my way to work the next morning, the airlock plugged and had to be removed since I didn't have time to do anything else. So it sat, oozing foam, till I got back from work 14hrs later.
 
More than likely it is bubbling again for environmental reasons; change in temp, barometric pressure, truck rolling by on the street kicking trapped co2 in the trub, the cat rubbing up against it, the dog trying to hump it..... It's doubtful you have an infection. Trying to pasteurize your beer will change it's character. I wouldn't advise it.

If you really think you have an infection, take a gravity reading, and another one in a few days, if they haven't changed then it's not an infection.
 
FYI heating your beer would flash the alcohol off, alter the flavor and not kill most of the bacteria. All life ends at 250F - boiling is 212F - The flash point is around 130F (give or take a bit on the numbers). Heating the beer is a BAD idea.
 
Alcohol vaporizes around 173 F, but in my experience at 200 ft off sea level it's more like 175-177 F.

No reason to ask why I know that ;)

All I can say is don't pasteurize and instead do a hydrometer reading.
 
Well, my FG was 1.025. No infection because an infection likely would have gotten me better attenuation. I hit 72.5% apparent attenuation...I was really hoping to get around 82%.

Pertinent info:
Wyeast 3787 and Avery Reverend recipe posted on their website converted to extract (LME). I sure have a hard time getting strong attenuation with any of my yeasts. I really need to get going on my electric boil keggle so I can go AG.
 
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