Never saw one that bad either. Maybe capper not sealing them tight enough? Did you smell malt while they were carbing & conditioning?
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the capper is sealing good. I tilted some bottles and there are no leaks. When I bottled I tasted it and it didn't taste bad. Tonight I was going to do a Citra IPA and when I got the fermentation bucket out I noticed it had a smell of vinegar. I cleaned it last week with a good dose of Star San after bottling these. I wonder if I had an infection that I didn't detect. Beer looked good going into the bottles though so I'm stumped.
BigPerm
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Hey, if you're going to pick up a lacto contamination, you couldn't have picked a better style to have it happen! Roll with it!
That looks very aggressive. Have you ever cleaned that bottling bucket spigot, I mean the two 3/4" inch barrels of the main body that rotate within each other, not just the one with the handle. Those 2 barrels come apart after soaking in hot water. Then there are threads, the rubber seal, the nut. A real bug trap. I'd leave an inch or 2 of Starsan in that bucket when stored away, with a lid on it (not snapped).
Starsan is not a cleaner. PBW is.
You can't really "clean it" with Starsan. It's a sanitizer. Soak it in PBW or the like to clean it. Spigots too. I also use aquarium lift tube cleaning brushes to clean spigots & parts. Rinse well, then sanitize.
I have been cleaning everything with PBW but after that I wipe down with Star San. But I haven't taken the spigot totally apart like you suggest. I'll bet that's where the little critters were hiding.
Looks like I'll be opening and dumping 5 gallons of bottled beer. Might just buy a new bucket, spigot, bottle filler, and hose to be on the safe side.
paulster2626
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Don't buy anything new. Just clean what you've already got and you'll be fine. Bleach it if you're really paranoid, but a good cleaning will suffice.
If the bucket isn't scratched just a good cleaning with or without bleach and a proper rinse and Starsan should suffice. It is very important to remove the spigot each time and disassemble it to clean it properly. Leave it in a little container (e.g., cottage cheese tub) with Starsan. Just don't forget to put it back in the bucket before you fill it up!
I would buy another spigot and toy with the old one to learn how it comes apart (hot water soak!) and clean it. It can be boiled in PBW.
The bottle filler tippy also comes apart. Don't lose that little spring, which has a true bottom side, where the end of the spring wire goes across to push the plunger. Palmer has a good chapter on sanitation and cleaning regiments. Everything should be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly, then sanitized and reassembled wet.
Depending on how you wipe the bucket with a rag soaked in Starsan, make sure the sides stay wet for at least 30 seconds. Don't store, weight, or mill grains where you brew or store fermentors. The grain is covered in lacto, and the dust spreads it.
Get new racking tubing for all security, and clean that racking cane or siphon well while at it.
How does the beer taste? A slight sourness may not be bad at all. Some of us crave that
I just caught this.
Make sure you rinse the PBW off with clean water before you "wipe down" with Starsan. Starsan only works while it's acidic.
PBW's strong alkalinity kills Starsan's joy.
Starsan in a spray bottle works like a charm, but some things are better dunked and soaked (hoses etc.).
Thanks for all of your input. I think I need to do a better job of cleaning, especially the spigot! I didn't know it came apart. I bought a spray bottle for my Star San over the weekend and will pick up a new spigot and hose. I have been taking the bottle filler apart. I almost lost the spring on a few occasions.
I haven't tasted the beer in the bottle yet, it's only been carbing for 8 days now. I'll open one tonight and see how it tastes. If it's not too bad maybe I'll just have to drink it fast. Plus, I've never tried a sour so maybe I'll like it .
DisturbdChemist
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Looks like you got an infection in the bottle. The bottle wasnt sanitized properly what it looks like. Keep an eye on the carbonation so you wont have any bottle bombs
BreezyBrew
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Yeah, I'd put them in a garbage bag in a cooler to be ultra safe.
All his bottles seem to have this problem. Unless all those bottles weren't cleaned and sanitized properly, it could be a little higher up in the chain. Rinsing alone is not enough. Some PBW or washing soda using hot water and a bottle brush is cleaning. Then rinse (jet washer) and liberal use of Starsan should get those bottles ready for use. And Starsan right before bottling. Dust getting inside of bottles during storage will taint them again.
So review your bottling process and see where the infection could have crept in.
+1 on the bottle bombs.
I wash the bottles as I empty them and then store upside down. I also StarSan them right before filling. I'm suspecting the spigot and am replacing it. I'll also be dumping all of the bottles tonight.
A moment of silence then as we mourn.
DisturbdChemist
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*Taps being played softly in the background*
"We morn our fallen brother..."
Spent 3 hours sanitizing bottles and equipment THEN opened the fermenter:smack:
It is a 30 IBU citra, light extract APAish beer, non dry hopped. The fermenter smells real good and fruity.
I brewed it 2.5 months ago and left it in the fermenter at roomtemp. (~74F)
Are they friendly looking or not? (dump or not? i am okay with something sour or funky)
It is a 30 IBU citra, light extract APAish beer, non dry hopped. The fermenter smells real good and fruity.
I brewed it 2.5 months ago and left it in the fermenter at roomtemp. (~74F)
Are they friendly looking or not? (dump or not? i am okay with something sour or funky)
Jeffries55
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I have nothing constructive to add, but the beer looks pretty! Give it a small taste?
2drunk2
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I'd taste it.
If it tastes good enough to drink, then its not bad.
Fairly similar looking to glues. Just found these in some
Washed yeast i planned on dumping anyway since i hadnt used it in a few months. Just curious as to what these are.
This was in all 3 jars as well. Not sure as to the cause either as my sanitation practices were diligent.
Edit: or so i thought*
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Washed yeast i planned on dumping anyway since i hadnt used it in a few months. Just curious as to what these are.
This was in all 3 jars as well. Not sure as to the cause either as my sanitation practices were diligent.
Edit: or so i thought*
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BigPerm
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What's your FG? If it tastes ok, I'd go ahead and package it. Keep an eye on it though. First signs of a pellicle inside the bottle or overcarbonation, drink the batch fast. Most of these contaminations take a little while to take hold, especially in fermented beer. Enjoy your beer and, fwiw, I'd drink a sour citra PA...
BigPerm
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Are they really blue, or is that an artifact from the image? If they are, that looks like mold. These are hard to tell when in early stages.
They were really blue. But i believe that was amplified as well from
Something else (light, reflection, etc,)
I had taken these out of my freezer about 2 days earlier so that may explain the early stage of mold. (Could Having gone from 34~ degrees to ambient temps been the cause of the mold?)
Mold is most likely the culprit since i had gotten mold in some leftover
Wort i had plans with but neglected for a couple days. That was much further along in the infection i guess because, while similar in color they were much different in appearance. Thanks for identifying it for me.
Cheers.
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BGBC
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Def looks like mold, but agree that you shouldn't be freezing washed yeast if it's just stored with water.
DisturbdChemist
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They look like mold. I wouldnt use them
roastquake
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Double post
roastquake
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Hey all, so I brewed a Vienna Lager, after it's d-rest I noticed some waxy floaters and a strange smell coming from the beer. To describe my thoughts when I noticed this: well green lager always smells and tastes kind of funny, but this is different. Also, I know that floaters can look funny, even if it is yeast. But I still figured it was probably infected and bottled it to see how it would turn out.
It turned out great! It was definitely infected, I can taste a little barnyard, and the acidity is noticeably higher than other Vienna lagers I've been making lately. So, whatever bugs found my beer actually improved it IMO, and I'm not at all disappointed that it's no longer a Vienna lager. It's one of my absolute favorite styles, so I brew it a lot and I already have a good clean batch lagering now. This one is almost like a cleaner Flanders ale if you can believe it.
The point of my story: If you think it has a chance to turn out good, and it's not totally disgusting, let it ride!
It turned out great! It was definitely infected, I can taste a little barnyard, and the acidity is noticeably higher than other Vienna lagers I've been making lately. So, whatever bugs found my beer actually improved it IMO, and I'm not at all disappointed that it's no longer a Vienna lager. It's one of my absolute favorite styles, so I brew it a lot and I already have a good clean batch lagering now. This one is almost like a cleaner Flanders ale if you can believe it.
The point of my story: If you think it has a chance to turn out good, and it's not totally disgusting, let it ride!
I had that happen to a batch of my Maori IPA. Turned out great! The little bit of funk added to the fruity/oaky flavors from the NZ hops.
BigPerm
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Dumped this last night, it was...thick?
Whoa! That's a serious mold cap! How did you get that?
Dumped this last night, it was...thick?
at a certain point in a sour beer it gets thick and ropey, i think because of the pediococcus. it has an interesting mouth feel but the taste is unaffected as, it tastes like a sour beer does.
I've gotten these before, but not in this quantity. I'm thinking these are just yeast rafts as they aren't fuzzy or filmy, but the fact that they've happened before makes me wonder if some of my equipment is tainted. Thoughts? (I'm a bit of a beginner, go easy on me). TIA
EDIT: haven't tasted, but it smells great.
EDIT: haven't tasted, but it smells great.
Jamsomito: It is perfectly normal and depends on the yeast. Some types will do this to a greater extent. You can get some of them to settle by slightly disturbing or moving the fermentor. Also, cold crashing will help get them to drop. Either way, not enough on top to cause issues racking.
MrG
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I brewed a BBS Kentucky Rye on July 20. I've done a few of these kits, but it this one looks like it might have some mold growing on the top of it. I took two pics, not sure how well it shows the white spots, but they are definitely there. I'm passed the two week mark, so should I go ahead and bottle this before it gets worse?
(I have no hydrometer to take a reading, so it's a bit of guess work at this point..)
Thanks..
(I have no hydrometer to take a reading, so it's a bit of guess work at this point..)
Thanks..
DisturbdChemist
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To me that is just extra CO2. Doesnt look like an infection just the tail end of fermentation. Just keep an eye on it but it looks fine right now.
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