Is that infection on the top of my brew? (7 days in)

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TheAvocado

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I decided to take a look before I transferred to secondary (which I'm even considering now doing after reading threads on this forum!), and I saw what looks to be a little bit of growth on the top. I'm not sure if it's yeast or bacteria, but it's 7 days in and I wanted to ask and see if it could be infected before moving on.

20121205_035742_1.jpg
 
post a pic without it it´s hard to tell, what is not hard to tell is that most of the times this questions it´s asked it´s just nothing...
 
post a pic without it it´s hard to tell, what is not hard to tell is that most of the times this questions it´s asked it´s just nothing...

I fixed it - link wasn't working for some reason. I know it probably gets asked a ton, but I work in a microbiology lab and I was 50/50 on infection. I figured if it were infected, it would have many, many more cells after a week of incubation (25 celcius) but it doesn't look too dense. However I'm a complete newbie to homebrewing, so I thought I would ask :)
 
looks like yeast draft and maybe some hop pellets gunk? it seems fine to me. Let it ride a week more, give it a sniff and a taste you´ll know if it is infected, it´s harder to infect a batch than what you may think. To early to worry :D.
Edit: also 25 C it´s very warm for most styles, what are you brewing?
 
Err I actually didn't use any hops - it was from kit my LHBS recommended for a first timer. I believe it's by Brewferm and called "Triple" (Belgian Ale?). The included instructions said 25 Celcius, so I set my thermostat to 77 Farenheit and have been letting it sit for a week now.

See I thoguht I infected it when I stuck my whole hand inside the primary because I hadn't tightened the spigot enough and it was leaking all over my kitchen floor :p I had washed my hands, but there's always going to be bacteria hiding around.

EDIT:
Side question about using my hydrometer:
My lab has given me permission to grab a graduated cylinder for a day - would that be good for just scooping up some beer and throwing the hydrometer in there? I would sanitize with the 70% ethanol we have lying around, but I'm not sure if I could just use a mug at home or something.
 
Yeah, I thought it was just yeast rafts and hop gunk but then realised that there's a sort of half moon shaped, film like substance bottom middle and up. Thought it was just reflecting the lighting or your ceiling at first:drunk:

Probably better to leave it in primary for another couple of weeks and then decide if it's infected, or not, because, if you rack to secondary now, you might risk infecting other equipment. That may not be all that problematic for you though so it's really your call.
 
Yeah, I thought it was just yeast rafts and hop gunk but then realised that there's a sort of half moon shaped, film like substance bottom middle and up. Thought it was just reflecting the lighting or your ceiling at first:drunk:

I think it is a reflection of my lamp ;) I just opened it up and it's a pretty evenly distributed dark brown with those little things floating on top - no half moon!
 
Wow!!!!!!!!

My eyesight must be better than I give it credit for these days;):rockin::D

Even if you didn't add any hops yourself there will will be hop gunk floating around from the hopped extract kit can you used. Sticking an un-sanitized arm in there isn't the most prudent of actions to undertake if infection avoidance is something you're keen to achieve:fro: Haviung said that, you'll probably be fine and I'm sure you'll enjoy that Trippel. Will probably need quite some time maturing in bottles before it reaches its prime. Bottle it and get something else started as soon as you can, or even better get a couple more fermenters and start multiple batches.

Best to go for something that is easy to fill, with the least surface area contact, as smooth as possible so that sanitizing is effective. I used to use a 200ml measuring cup but have recently got hold of a 60ml hypodermic syringe that I sanitize, inside and out, then introduce the very tip into the wort, draw up until full, deposit in my graduated cylinder and repeat 4 times.
 
It looks like my beer in a bucket. Does it smell like beer? That is usually a good indication.

I was doing a wild/lambic one time and my kid asked me "What smells like banana bread?".
 
Looks fine to me. Yeast rafts and CO2 bubbles is what it looks like.

I know it's impossible for first timers, I was there, told not to look, but still did. Anyways, close it up and let it sit for two more weeks.
 
That looks fine so far, but you're right to be concerned after sticking your hand (un sanitized) into the wort. Clean is good...but if your hands weren't sanitized you're right, you put your beer at risk by reaching into it.

Now..to make yourself feel better, go read the thread about ways people have screwed up but still made good beer!
 
Thanks for the reassurance everyone... I'll let it sit and hope my hand didn't introduce any nasties. It definitely smelled like beer when I opened it up, so now I feel oodles better.
 
That looks fine so far, but you're right to be concerned after sticking your hand (un sanitized) into the wort. Clean is good...but if your hands weren't sanitized you're right, you put your beer at risk by reaching into it.

Now..to make yourself feel better, go read the thread about ways people have screwed up but still made good beer!

...That is the one linked in my sig BTW.
 
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