brianpablo
Well-Known Member
I've now gotten to my fourth infected batch (fortunately all one gallon) and am hoping for a bit of advice for going forward.
We're talking about white crude growing on top of the beer, usually starting out as a film and at times turning into creepy fractal patterns if I don't stir it up. The beer is still drinkable (I'm an expert at "safe disposal") but does have what I would describe as a "****ty bitterness" and a general taste and smell that just seems "off."
I've attached a few pictures here, though it's the first time I've done it so I don't know where or if they show up.
This stuff frequently grows in secondary, and generally isn't visible until at least a week into fermentation. I try to scrape the white crude off the sides of the stock pot before I bottle it, but the bottles usually end up with a collection of white stuff at the top that doesn't come out of suspension even when I chill them.
My initial suspects were the stockpot and the dirty lines, so for my last batch I got a new stockpot and racked the wort by pouring it (don't have any clean lines onhand). That evidently didn't work because I've got the same crud still growing in there. My next suspect is the test jar, which I always sanitize but is old and likely has places for critters to hide. Have already ordered a new one.
Another thing that occurred to me is that because these are one gallon batches, the boil is often less than an hour. Could mold survive a half-hour or 45 minute boil? Seems unlikely, but worth consideration.
Could there be mold growing in the bathroom where I've got the carboys fermenting? It's not a bathroom we use much so could be a suspect.
I've been using a one-gallon glass carboy. I sanitize it, pour boiling water into it, everything I can think of. There's still a bit of a film where the krausen collects, could this be a potential suspect? I could simply get another and start over.
I've been keeping dry yeast packs in my fridge. I always sanitize them before I cut them open. Is there any way that refrigerator bacteria is the source of the contamination?
I did have one Wyeast smack pack that I smacked a few months ago for a brew but ended up not using it, so I stuck it in the fridge even though it was a bit inflated. When I did use it I realized I hadn't actually broken the nutrient pouch inside, but it had inflated anyway. Potential sign of a problem?
All just thoughts. Much appreciate any ideas.
We're talking about white crude growing on top of the beer, usually starting out as a film and at times turning into creepy fractal patterns if I don't stir it up. The beer is still drinkable (I'm an expert at "safe disposal") but does have what I would describe as a "****ty bitterness" and a general taste and smell that just seems "off."
I've attached a few pictures here, though it's the first time I've done it so I don't know where or if they show up.
This stuff frequently grows in secondary, and generally isn't visible until at least a week into fermentation. I try to scrape the white crude off the sides of the stock pot before I bottle it, but the bottles usually end up with a collection of white stuff at the top that doesn't come out of suspension even when I chill them.
My initial suspects were the stockpot and the dirty lines, so for my last batch I got a new stockpot and racked the wort by pouring it (don't have any clean lines onhand). That evidently didn't work because I've got the same crud still growing in there. My next suspect is the test jar, which I always sanitize but is old and likely has places for critters to hide. Have already ordered a new one.
Another thing that occurred to me is that because these are one gallon batches, the boil is often less than an hour. Could mold survive a half-hour or 45 minute boil? Seems unlikely, but worth consideration.
Could there be mold growing in the bathroom where I've got the carboys fermenting? It's not a bathroom we use much so could be a suspect.
I've been using a one-gallon glass carboy. I sanitize it, pour boiling water into it, everything I can think of. There's still a bit of a film where the krausen collects, could this be a potential suspect? I could simply get another and start over.
I've been keeping dry yeast packs in my fridge. I always sanitize them before I cut them open. Is there any way that refrigerator bacteria is the source of the contamination?
I did have one Wyeast smack pack that I smacked a few months ago for a brew but ended up not using it, so I stuck it in the fridge even though it was a bit inflated. When I did use it I realized I hadn't actually broken the nutrient pouch inside, but it had inflated anyway. Potential sign of a problem?
All just thoughts. Much appreciate any ideas.