Infected Cider?

Am I correct in assuming that this cider is now infected?

Annoying (and weird) that fermentation was complete, and it has been in the secondary for a week and a half without showing any signs, and I leave for the weekend and return to this!

I know there are others on here that will say let it ride and see what you end up with. But if it were mine. I'd toss the whole scary-looking thing down the drain and bleach the hell out of the fermenter. I'd also look at your method of racking and clean all of that equipment as well.

Some will say try to rack from underneath. I say ick, dump it. Unless you really hate someone, then fill a 6 pack and give it to them.

so what is it? bacteria?

Hmmm... Is it normal for t to not show signs of infection until almost 2 weeks later?

I'm not sure how it got in, I soaked everything in iodine sanitiser (can't remember the exact name) for the recommended time (~20 mins). I filled a couple of bottles at the same time, and they aren't showing any signs...

I'd say it probably got infected transferring from primary to secondary somehow...and yes, it would have taken 2 weeks to get to this point. (actually I'm guessing...I've never had one look like this...knock on wood)

If you filled a couple of bottles when you transferred then I'd say that might narrow it down quite a bit. You might check the inside of your secondary for any scratches. Bacteria can hide in those and you won't even know it.

It's possible that something just floated by and into the fermenter while it was open, who knows. I'd still suggest breaking out the bleach and soaking everything really good.

Hmmm, yeah it was perfectly fine on Friday night, then looked like this yesterday evening.

It's only the second time I've used this container, and the previous batch was fine. Didnt use anything harder than a soft cloth when cleaning.

I'll probably rack it again and top it up to get rid of any air. I'm actually a fan of lambics and sours, so it has me a little excited actually (even though I doubt it will work out well)

Did a bit of a smell/taste test this evening - Smell is more apple-y and sweeter, taste is not too bad - actually less tart than before. Definitely doesnt have any vinegar taste to it.

I racked it again to a new container, making sure to sanitise the hell out of everything and making sure I didnt get any of the 'skin' in the new one. I also added some extra sugar (to make some CO2) and topped it off with some water so there is almost no air left.

Good luck my friend! Let us know how it turns out.

I've put a proper lid on it now, and also got some more pictures from a better camera this time

I had a 5-gallon glass carbouy of dark beer w/cherry juice one time. I left for a weekend and came back to a green (green!) blanket of mould on the top, about a centimetre thick. For whatever reason (I was more adventurous then?) I racked it off from the bottom, leaving a fair bit behind (along with the green gunk). This beer turned out to be one of the best I'd made to that point, with a curious but not unpleasant tang. Maybe your cider is worth saving? Good luck!

Well I hope so! Fingers crossed i've got my first unintentional p-lambic cider

I'm going to put it in a cupboard and check every now and then, might do another smell/taste test in a month or so

Actually, it appears to be Brettanomyces, a yeast often used in the brewing of Lambic beer in Belgium. A lot of people describe the taste of Brett as ranging from spicy and smoked to barnyard. Considering that this infection happened so late into the process, I doubt it will affect the taste much at all.

Anyway, you have nothing to worry about.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Brettanomyces

http://www.wineloverspage.com/randysworld/brett.phtml

Here are some resources on Brett.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/post-your-infection-71400/#post741141

Here is a photo for comparison.


One final thought; I would stop moving it around so much. While trying to get rid of this harmless infection that could actually be desirable, you could end up getting something else in there that is not so.

My vote is Lacto, not Brett.

If it's finished fermenting, and it tastes good right now, I'd just get it packaged up and start drinking it. Chances are, an accidental infection like this isn't going to taste as good as brewing something to a specific style and then introducing the proper bugs to it.

I just noticed a similar, although not as bad, looking infection on my cider, when it was time to rack it over to secondary. Since it still tasted good, i decided to keep it. Comparing my infection to pictures posted by other homebrewers, I'm quite positive it's a lactobacillus infection. I haven't really found that much info about how this kind of infection can affect the taste of a cider.

Do you remember how your cider eventually turned out? At this point there is absolutely nothing wrong with the taste of this one. I think I'll let it sit in the secondary for a month or two before I bottle it (if it's not turned bad). I can think of two reasons for this infection: 1) The yeasts (T-58) best before date was overdue by a year, so it might have taken some time before the fermentation started, which might have given other bugs a head start. 2) The lid of the fermentation bucket is not airtight, so some airborne bugs might have gotten in.

Another batch, made from the same apple juice, looked and tasted perfectly fine at this point. This was fermented with fresh Mangrove Jacks cider yeast, in an airtight fermentation bucket.