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rohanski

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Messages
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Location
Boerne, Texas
I'm taking a couple of months off of brewing because I can't stop the infections. I the last ten batches I have had only two good ones. I have tried everything, going to all glass, getting back to just the basics such as ne aeriation or starters, bleach, idophor, and last but not least oxiclean and starsan. I know this won't go over well with this crowd but the starsan seemed to be food for the infections. My last batch was a pale ale which I have brewed many times. It came out pumpkin orange, tastes sour and had the bandaid flavor. The worst ever. I thought it was the bread box so I got rid of it and sanitized the whole kitchen with starsan including the floor.

Right now I am doing DME but plan on switching to AG the first of the year and moving into the garage. I suspect there is something in my house and it's all over. It's hard to stay isolated one room because my house is pretty large and has very open spaces. I've taken all of the suggestions from threads in the past, even turning off the A/C. Hell I'm so clean I could do surgery on the kitchen table. Has anyony ever overcome such an infection problem?

I have one more starter and ingredients to do one more batch. Any last suggestions before I brew the last bad batch?

I think I might have a new beer style. It's called a Sour Rohambic!
 
Where are you? Is there anyone around you? Please put down the carboy and step away from the ledge!

Ok, really where are you? I think if you live close enough to a fellow brewer that can come and do a batch with you maybe he/she could see something you've missed along the way. We'd hate to see you give up but I can understand the frustration.
 
Unreal. 8 out of 10 is a sign. YOu have something you gotta fix. Your air in your brew area? Animals? Do you touch your beer at all after the boil? Your bottling equipment (prime suspect)?
 
Maybe try brewing outdoors? I would also give everything a good soak in bleach over night and then rinse off. What are you using for top up water or are you doing full boils?
 
Try purchasing spring water instead of tap. Use vodka in your airlock. Sanitize your bottle caps and bottling wand.
 
just a guess but maybe hes not doing full boils and topping off with something in the water. try doing some batches with store bought water just to see if it cures the problem.
 
Man that sucks, I found I can be very unsanitary(compared to some people) and nothing goes wrong (yet).
 
John Palmer wrote an article for the latest issue of BYO. He plays a Brew Scene Investigator and is called to investigate an infected batch. It gives a humorous view of the different types of infections and their causes, so you might want to pick up a copy and see if anything in there applies?
 
thooper41 said:
just a guess but maybe hes not doing full boils and topping off with something in the water. try doing some batches with store bought water just to see if it cures the problem.
This sounds like a very likely culprit, especially if you're using well water without boiling it first in order to top up.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad run of brews! Hopefully you can work this out!
 
I feel and share your pain. I had brewed in the past and had one bad batch out of 20 and it was my 3rd batch that went wrong and it was obvious what went wrong.

2 out of 3 of my recent batches went have had bacteria blooms in my secondary. Its heartbreaking. I am pretty sure the bad batches are a result of the air in the previous place i lived in, or the tap water I used to top off. Since the bacteria came during secondary I assume it was the air though.

I know I am going to be super careful on the next batch. I don't think I can afford any more bad batches financially or spiritually.

Good luck in solving this.
 
I live in Boerne Texas just north of San Antonio.
I have a few suspects.
dogs, Cats, cat box (which I hate), a bunch of wood ceilings, (very pourus), water.
I get my water from one of those water machines that supposedly has ultraviolet lights, carbon filter, bla, bla, bla, bla. I have tried two different machines, though both are at the same place. Boiling the full 5 gallons would be my next try. That really bad batch probably had no more exposure to the air than 10 minutes after boil. I did not use a starter or aeriate. Everything stays in a starsan solution until I am ready to use it.

I need an exorsist.
 
Not using a starter can increase your risk of infection. I would pick up some fast-acting dry yeast and see how that goes. Hardly anything can out-compete S-05. maybe pick up some carlo rossi bottles and do one-gallon batches until you know what the problem is.
 
Brewing Clamper said:
"The power of Papazian compels you!"

Perfect comment!


How are you cooling your wort? I know that I use an icebath and I often worry about splashing into the wort or sweating into it while I'm stirring the wort and moving the pot around in the icebath.
Also, I have some older tubing that I use for siphoning -- I always soak them for a good long while in iodophor but I probably should be replacing it at some point. I think we all take a few of these "risks", but one of them you're taking is the culprit...
 
As a newbie yet to do my first brew, how common is infection? I have read Palmer's book and Papazian's, and it seems as if you make sure everything is clean and sanitized, you shouldn't have any problems.

Stories like this one (I feel terrible for you, man!) almost make me scared to brew, despite the RDWHAHB mantra... :eek:

Sorry if this is a hijack.
 
I agree with the others, find someone nearby that could help you out....isn't there a brewclub in San Antonio?
 
rohanski said:
Cats, cat box (which I hate), a bunch of wood ceilings, (very pourus)

If it makes you feel any better; Once my beer is boiled, the rest happens in my basement which houses 4 cats, 5 cat boxes, and way too much dust. Post boil contamination is a perpetual fear of mine (almost a phobia). My procedures are fairly normal. Spray everything with sanitizer before/after handling, cover open fermenters/kegs with a clean towel, and assume all flat surfaces are unclean and must be covered with a paper towel before use. All that said, no contamination in about 20 batches. Not that I recommend such a location, but it is do-able with moderate caution.

rohanski said:
I get my water from one of those water machines that supposedly has ultraviolet lights, carbon filter, bla, bla, bla, bla. I have tried two different machines, though both are at the same place.

For me this set off alarm bells. There have been about a dozen TV investigations of those machines showing that you are better off getting water from the toilet. If you use store bought water, buy the pre-sealed jugs.

One last note, look at the infected wort under a microscope and/or take it to a lab. If you can identify the microbe responsible, it should be obvious if it is airborne or waterborne.
 
I started brewing about a year and a halfe ago and went about 6 or 8 months before my first infection. I was pretty wreckless when I started which was the cause. I have had occasional infections up until now but it is on me like stink on $hit now. I never ever touch my wort and I keg. At first it was all across the board first in the primary then in the secondary then even out of the keg. It went into the keg fine. I have even had a bad starter.

I cool the wort in between 7 to 10 minutes with an emersion chiller that I recirculate through an ice chest with ice water. The only thing that keeps changing with my process is I keep getting cleaner but it seems to be fighting back hard. I'm thinking of having a starsan instead of a homebrew (which I don't have any of) during my next brew day.

pldoolittle: Where could I send a sample to find out? Is it expensive?

Boston Brewer: Don't be afraid grasshopper. I think this is just some extreme case.
 
The common factor sounds like the water out of those machines. I would do like a bunch of guys suggested and buy a bunch of bottled spring water. Make sure you get enough that you don't need to use ANY of your usual water (even for cleaning) and see if that makes a difference.
 
What types of yeast are you useing? Liquid or dry...are you harvesting it?

Are you using the extract late method? Probubly unlikely bc the wort is still dang hot/boiling but maybe...
 
rohanski said:
pldoolittle: Where could I send a sample to find out? Is it expensive?

I don't know, but your county or city is responsible for analyzing it's own water. Since the county extension office will examine any bug/blight/plant etc for free (typically), perhaps the water dept will also. This is going to be one of those things where it's most likely going to be free, but you'll have to do a little leg work.
 
I'd say try dry yeast in your next brew, so easy and so good...just sprinkle it on.

Are you adding new wort to a previous yeast cake or trying to reuse your yeast at all? If so maybe get rid of what you have and use new dry yeast a few times.

For the late extract...are you adding your exract at the beginning of the boil or at the end?
 
rohanski said:
pldoolittle you say you have 5 cat boxes? Maybe their $hit don't stink! LOL

:off:
$$$hit is right... 80# of litter a week. But it's worth it. I run a web store that sells online pet odor removal products (www.OdorDestroyer.com). I cannot tell you how many customers I would lose if people would just follow this simple advice:

* Have 1 box per cat + one extra box
* Use 7-10# per box. Cat litter is cheap, carpet is not.
* Clumping or not, dump the whole thing no less than once a week.
* Hose down the boxes with an enzymatic solution between changes.
* Replace the boxes at least every 6 mo, ideally every 3mo.
* Locate your boxes off the main traffic lanes, but not in a cold, dark basement corner. Would you want to crap in a cold, musty, dark corner?**

** Yes, my boxes are in the basement. But it is lit, ventilated, and frequently occupied as it contains my office, shipping area, and brew room.
 
I am adding extract at the beginning and using new yeast. Hell all of my batches are bad so all I could harvest is bad yeast.
 
In the beginning I used dry for a few batches but it tasted thin? I don't know how to describe it. I'll try boiling all of the water first and if that fails I'll go back to the cave man days.
 
Are you running the AC? One thing that can cause infections is a dirty air filter, blowing nasties back into your house air.
 
I have turned it off during the cool down period but I have one of those high fulootin 4" thick merv8 Honeywell filters. They ain't cheap.
 
rohanski said:
Point taken. I'm sold.

Don't forget to report back if it helps or not. Also, be sure and super-sanitize all your gear to kill any leftover bugs from the past brews.
 
What I'm going to do is give the primary a good soaking in clorox and use bottled water. If this fixes it I'll have to have a party. I might also need to put a sign on that water machine.

Thanks guys for all of the help. Ya'll can talk a person back from the edge.
 
Heck if the water testing is free collect a sample in a sanitzed bottle and see if its infected.

Is your household tap water chlorinated? It might be better than the stuff from the machine.

I buy wal-mart water. The spring water. Its good at $0.58 each.

You can try your tap water and do a full boil.

Fill your airlocks with vodka.

I wish you the best

:mug:
 
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