15 gallons went down the drain today :(

[KCBrewer]

So my bout with infection continues. I am getting pretty frustrated with it at this point. I just decided to dump it all, washed yeast included, and start fresh. I am about 90% sure it is bacteria in my wine thief, but am so irritated at this point that I dumped all my fermenters, yeast, and have pitched all plastic tubing.

The latest victim was a dry irish stout, which was perfectly fine, great fermentation with huge krausen, blowoff and all. This brew was the only one I forgot to take an OG reading on, and since I was suspect of the wine thief, I just left it be.

After 2 weeks in the primary and looking great, I decided to take a chance with the wine thief. I soaked it in one step for about an hour, rinsed with hot water as thoroughly as possible, then soaked in star san for another 30 minutes. Took a reading, done.

Now, 2 days later, it started to get the same thin white film across the top that the other 2 did. I decided to go ahead and keg this one hoping it will be okay, but the other two, caribou slobber and nut brown, went down the drain, as well as a scottish ale that just didn't taste right. These 2 were very infected and tasted/smelled sour.

I need a break to build a fermentation chamber anyway, now that summer has began to set in and the basement is no longer 60-65*, but it is still beyond frustrating to dump that much beer. I was really looking forward to the caribou slobber too. I love Moose Drool and was hoping it would be close.

Well, I'm going to go cry in the corner now.

 

[Wellshooter]

OMG that's horrible. I feel your pain !!

 

[bartyen82]

I'm sorry for your loss I haven't had to dump a batch yet (fingers crossed), but I'm dreading the inevitable day when I'll have to.

 

[Rustysocket]

Hope you get it figured out. It's a shame to have to throw everything out.

 

[FreeM80s]

So my bout with infection continues. I am getting pretty frustrated with it at this point. I just decided to dump it all, washed yeast included, and start fresh. I am about 90% sure it is bacteria in my wine thief, but am so irritated at this point that I dumped all my fermenters, yeast, and have pitched all plastic tubing.

The latest victim was a dry irish stout, which was perfectly fine, great fermentation with huge krausen, blowoff and all. This brew was the only one I forgot to take an OG reading on, and since I was suspect of the wine thief, I just left it be.

After 2 weeks in the primary and looking great, I decided to take a chance with the wine thief. I soaked it in one step for about an hour, rinsed with hot water as thoroughly as possible, then soaked in star san for another 30 minutes. Took a reading, done.

Now, 2 days later, it started to get the same thin white film across the top that the other 2 did. I decided to go ahead and keg this one hoping it will be okay, but the other two, caribou slobber and nut brown, went down the drain, as well as a scottish ale that just didn't taste right. These 2 were very infected and tasted/smelled sour.

I need a break to build a fermentation chamber anyway, now that summer has began to set in and the basement is no longer 60-65*, but it is still beyond frustrating to dump that much beer. I was really looking forward to the caribou slobber too. I love Moose Drool and was hoping it would be close.

Well, I'm going to go cry in the corner now.

do you ferment in a bucket or carboy?

 

[Zen_Brew]

Take stock of all your equipment and processes post boil. Any stirrers, wort chillers, thermometers, autosiphons etc.

If you think it is the thief Replace it. They aren't all that expensive, and certainly cheaper than 3 ruined batches. If you are in a tight spot you could soak it in properly diluted bleach, but if there is bacteria lodged in some scratches it can be tough to get rid of. (Assuming you have a plastic wine thief)

If your fermentation vessel is plastic inspect it for scrathes also, and also give it a bleach soak. Anything soaked in bleach needs to be very thoroughly rinsed.

Also verify your environment. There is bacteria everywhere, but if you have excessive airborne dust or flying insects you may want to deal with that as well.

 

[brewkrew]

I feel you... Not 15gal, but my first batch smelled and tasted horrible! We'll see if the bottles do anything, but I'm not optimistic. It had a thin film on it also.

 

[lknbigfish]

that sucks

 

[nootay]

oh man this is my biggest fear. good luck and i hope you get it all figured out. hopefully its just your wine thief.

Im assuming you are using the thief for gravity samples. I dont know how good of a practice it is, but throughout all of my winemaking and 4 beers that ive brewed, ive always checked SG straight from the fermenting bucket. I just open the bucket, and drop the hydromoter in. A hydromoter is glass and nice and smooth, so not much to worry about once sanitized. Just my two cents!

 

[bovineblitz]

Wow that's terrible.

It makes me fear my wine thief. Do they make steel ones?

 

[TheHunk]

Sorry to hear that. I dumped a batch this spring due to a broken glass thermometer.

 

[marubozo]

That stinks. I thought it was painful dumping just one 5 gallon batch, but 15...

Hang in there

 

[KCBrewer]

Thank you for all of the condolences.

FreeM80s, I use glass carboys.

Zen Brew, I already pitched the wine thief, along with all other post boil plastic tubing. I am pretty sure the wine thief was the culprit, but don't want to chance it. The stout was perfect until 2 days after I used the wine thief on it, and that was the only foreign object introduced to the beer.

I've been mulling over any changes in my process, since I had brewed 8-10 previous batches with no trouble at all. There are a few things that I have changed.

I am now using star san rather than one step, which I don't think is a cause but still a change I made, and this all started right about the time I made the switch.

I have been using washed yeast from previous batches and making a starter. My previous batches were done with whatever dry yeast the kit recommended. I did have a few batches that turned out great from a starter though, with no infection.

I stopped using a secondary fermenter.

I began using campden tablets in my water (strong bandaid flavor in the scottish ale, the reason for dumping it)

Other than that, I think my process is the same as before. The only things that touch the beer post boil are the counterflow chiller (copper), the tubing from it to the carboy, then an airstone and tubing for it with my plastic mash paddle used to hold the stone to the bottom. After that the wine thief to take an OG reading. Then at kegging I use a stainless racking cane with plastic tubing, but the beer is infected before this ever comes in contact with it.

I pitched all of the tubing. I plan to run some oxy then star san through the counterflow chiller, use new tubing, replace the airstone and tubing, and get a new wine thief. Like I said, I think it is the wine thief, which is a plastic one, but after all this I am not chancing it with anything that could be now infected.

I guess I'll see what happens once I get a fermentation chamber together and can brew again.