I think my beer is infected, please help!

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johndavies86

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Hi, I made up a batch of canadian blonde lager last night and followed all the instructions word for word (it was a kit) except for the amount of sugar, i put 500grams of normal granulated in more than the kit said cos i wanted it to be a little stronger.

I cleaned everything with a small amount of unscented bleach with hot water and thoroughly rinsed everything off after 20 mins soaking with hot water, placed it in my boiler cupboard which is within the temp range the instructions say 21-32 degrees C.

My OG was 1048, so I added the yeast and gave it a gentle stir, Iv checked on it today because there is nothing happening and there is a thin film on top, no bubbles like in fermentation, its flat, and the kit says that could be infection.

Is there anyway of saving infected beer? Also has anyone got any suggestions as to how it could have got infected if i sterilized everything?
Ill try and get a pic up.

IMG040.jpg
 
Lager yeast takes a little bit longer to take off. Give it a couple more days to get going. Also, since it's a lager yeast it may give off sulfur and/or rotten egg scents. What lager yeast did you use?
 
Im not sure it is a true lager strain because it says to ferment quite warm? The packet just says coopers brewing yeast 7grams. Doesnt actually have anything else written on it. This may sound stupid but does it make a difference whether the fermenter is in darkness?
 
Looks normal for a 1 day old ferment, those white specs are yeast and I see tons of bubbles, stop fiddling with it or it WILL become infected, leave it 3 weeks then check gravity. This the best advice I have for making beer taste great.

Edit, darkness is the best place to have a fermentor and definately out of the sun.
 
Suppose i am a little impatient, just the other brews ive made have started fermenting after 12hrs, with large bubbles and airlock noises
 
No two ferments are the same, there are numerous factors that affect fermentation, some of which are out of our control and ever changing, i.e. moon phase, barometric pressure, vibrations, external movement, static electricity.

Also, please do not use the airlock as indication of fermentation, gravity readings are the only accurate way of determining where your brew is at.
 
This is the first time ive added more than 1kg of sugar so maybe thats got a part to play.

Just out of curiosity though, if i take a hydrometer reading after say 7 days and nothing at all has happened, what then?
 
I cleaned everything with a small amount of unscented bleach with hot water and thoroughly rinsed everything off after 20 mins soaking with hot water.

Bleach does not work well with hot water, the hot water drives off the bleach. It needs to be cold water. Just a couple of tablespoons per gallon is sufficient. Bleach is probably more effective than Idophor or Starsan, and will clean as well as sanitize, but it does take longer. 20 minutes may not be enough.

When ready to use, you need to rinse the bleach off with very hot water. You don't need to fill the container up, just enough to swirl around all the surface. Do this a couple of times.

This is the first time ive added more than 1kg of sugar so maybe thats got a part to play.

Just out of curiosity though, if i take a hydrometer reading after say 7 days and nothing at all has happened, what then?

The extra sugar should not be a problem.

It looks like it is starting, but using only a 7 gram pack, you probably under-pitched and it will take a while to really get going.

If you take a reading after 7 days and find nothing has happened, you will probably be too late to save it.

RDWHAHB
 
This is the first time ive added more than 1kg of sugar so maybe thats got a part to play.

Just out of curiosity though, if i take a hydrometer reading after say 7 days and nothing at all has happened, what then?

Then it's neither infected or fermenting. Infections consume sugars too. In that case, you would know your yeast wasn't viable and you should pitch a new batch.

My guess is it's probably fine and actually fermenting. Your lid might not be tight so you might not see airlock activity.
 
So if i just added the recommended 1kg of sugar the 7g should have been enough but because i put more sugar in then it may have under pitched?
Is it worth adding another pack of yeast?
 
Also what does RDWHABA mean?

RDWHAHB: Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew.

Too late to pitch another yeast pack. The original one would have used up all the )2 for reproduction, and should be well on it's way. It will not hurt, but I think you would just be wasting the yeast.
 
Fermentation is now in full swing :) i was just a little anxious, the lid is swelling and the airlock is bubbling like id expect it to now :)
 
While we are on the topic of infections in beer, I attached a few pictures. That is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale that I just racked into secondary a week ago, it is going to be in secondary for 2 months. I've been checking on it from time to time and now it has this strange white-ish film on top. I had an issue in primary fermentation with the yeast being overly active and overflowing out the side of the bucket/popping the lid off (I caught it and put the lid back on about 1 minute later) -- Is this an infection? I've never had to dump a beer before, but I figured I would ask on here because if I dump this one I can free up my carboy a few months early for other things..
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You have an infection and a pellicle.
Either dump it now and wonder what you could have had, OR,forget about it for the better part of a year and come back to it and wonder at your first foray into sour beers.
 
see,you are not by any means unlucky! You gust get what some strive for without even trying;)
 
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