Infected or no?

Hello! I am on my second batch. This one is. Coffee stout. It was in a primary for 2 weeks, then transferred to a secondary about a week ago.

All was going fine then I noticed that there are new little "floaters" in the beer as the top is very mildly hazing over (like a flat beer would). I am wondering if this is a sign of infection or if this is something typical. I've attached a pic where you can see a couple of them. There aren't too terribly many. Maybe 10 that I can see.

Give it a taste. Since it's been fermenting for 3 weeks already I would taste it and if it tastes good and your gravity is good proceed to bottling. Just be sure to rack under that haze. Thats the only suspicious part IMO, those floaters are just chunks of yeast or other sediment that have floated to the top.

Your tastebuds will know if its infected or not.

Ok. Thank you for the suggestion. If the haze IS an early sign of infection, but I cannot taste anything wrong, would bottling stop/slow the infection? I'd be bottling with priming sugar and not CO2.

Does not look like an infection. Looks like a little trub floated up. Happens sometimes. FYI, only way to slow an infection is cold. That's why you can get bottle bombs if you try to bottle condition an infected beer. Or you could pasteurize, pitch a bottling yeast and then bottle - not so easy with homebrew equipment. RWHAHB!

Ok. Thank you. I'm sorry, I know I am a noob at this. Just so I am clear, when you say pasteurize, you suggesting that I re-boil the beer, cool (obviously), pitch new yeast, and sugar, then bottle?

Not infected.

RDWHAHB

hellbus said:

Ok. Thank you. I'm sorry, I know I am a noob at this. Just so I am clear, when you say pasteurize, you suggesting that I re-boil the beer, cool (obviously), pitch new yeast, and sugar, then bottle?

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He's saying that you could pasteurize your beer, and it would kill an infection, but it would be difficult. What you should probably do is rack from under the film developing on top, bottle, check them every few days until the carbonation is good and then put them all in the fridge. The cold will stop or at least significantly slow an infection.

Ok! Thanks a lot for the information

hellbus said:

Ok. Thank you. I'm sorry, I know I am a noob at this. Just so I am clear, when you say pasteurize, you suggesting that I re-boil the beer, cool (obviously), pitch new yeast, and sugar, then bottle?

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So sorry for confusion. Sarcasm. Would be almost impossible to pasteurize at home without SEVERE oxidation happening. A lot of pros don't do it well either.

Now I feel like I owe you some serious advice:
1. fermentation is an "infection" of sorts, you just picked the organism(yeast) on purpose. Many yeast varieties can do weird looking things on occasion.
2. Your other senses are MUCH better at detecting infections than eyesight. Smell and taste are your best laboratory. Bad bugs give off bad odors and flavors. Cannot stress enough: SMELL and TASTE your beer! Smell and taste are your ultimate goals for beer. Remove a sample with a good (sanitized)thief for this. Although you will want to stick your face right in, do not breathe in the bucket or carboy hole.
3. Bacterial colonies tend to expand rapidly. If you have a suspect batch, smell and taste, even a noob will know for certain within a day or two.
4. Go crazy with sanitation, but focus. Everything you use needs to be clean, but only cold-side stuff needs to be SANITIZED. Carboys, HOSES, racking canes, bottles, caps. Use Starsan to sanitize. It is the best. If your hose pops out and hits the "clean" countertop, RE-SANITIZE. Dip your hands in it often. Don't set your lids, corks, air locks down before installation. Straight from sanitizer to their use every time. Don't fear a drip of sanitizer or the foam.
5. Do NOT try to pasteurize at home! Hahaha!
6. RDWHAHB !!!!!

Thanks effingbeer! That is some useful information. I'm too much of a noob to get home brew related sarcasm at this point

hellbus said:

Thanks effingbeer! That is some useful information. I'm too much of a noob to get home brew related sarcasm at this point

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You are welcome. Just make sure that in a couple weeks, you come back on this thread and go on about how it's the best beer you ever had and how you freaked out for nothing! AND you have to share the same helpful sarcasm with noobs that follow you.
Mmmmmmm coffee stout.