Cider Wraith
Well-Known Member
Been going around turning over rocks lately in an attempt to uncover clues to recent poor cider results. Having examined some sacred cows possibly a fundamental issue has been identified but that’s a pearl-clutcher for another day. In searching, however, did look into sanitation and found something unsettling about which there had been a sneaking suspicion. In the practice of exhausting CO2 from a fermenter through a sanitized future server to (reasonably) purge it of O2 …
… on about day four on a micro test batch the lid was opened (sacrificing the “purge”) for a check. First was the powerful fruity, organic smell ... and then the discovery, the keg walls had a slimy film. The slimy deposit layer on the floor was thick enough to be formed into ridges with dark crests. Not having a laboratory can’t say if microbial growth was setting up, but given enough time how couldn’t it be? Now working on a new approach that should suit cider making better anyway, however, over is leaving purged servers at room temperature with organic deposits without the benefit of alcohol. Not intending to imply anyone change anything, just throwing out another data point. And again, this was with cider so don’t know how that would translate to beer. FYI -
… on about day four on a micro test batch the lid was opened (sacrificing the “purge”) for a check. First was the powerful fruity, organic smell ... and then the discovery, the keg walls had a slimy film. The slimy deposit layer on the floor was thick enough to be formed into ridges with dark crests. Not having a laboratory can’t say if microbial growth was setting up, but given enough time how couldn’t it be? Now working on a new approach that should suit cider making better anyway, however, over is leaving purged servers at room temperature with organic deposits without the benefit of alcohol. Not intending to imply anyone change anything, just throwing out another data point. And again, this was with cider so don’t know how that would translate to beer. FYI -
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