Did my first infection carry over into my bottles?

[corwin3083]

I had my first beer infection yesterday, in a hefeweizen. Apparently some fruit flies got into my fermenter, which I have read is almost a sure-fire acetobacter infection. At any rate, it was white, and fuzzy, and I racked about 3.5 gallons of beer from underneath it to bottle, and tossed the rest.

I realized after I had put the 3.5 saved gallons in my bottling bucket that I had added too much sugar, 5 gallons worth, instead of 3.5 gallons worth. Nevertheless, I went ahead and bottled it.

Today, I see something that looks like either yeast rafts or the beginning of a resurgent infection in almost all the bottles. Can anyone give me odds on which one it's likely to be, and advice as to what I should do if it's the latter?

 

[jfr1111]

Open a bottle and taste. This doesn't look good IMHO, but I'm very much a newbie myself.

 

[Drunkenfool]

All u can do now is wait and see. You run the risk of bottle bombs if u use too much priming sugar. I did once and I had to vent the bottles. What that looks like is the start of a new fermentation. I would open one now and then and see how much pressure is going on. Taste it too infection tastes toi nasty to drink A few flies sucks but u might b okay. Only time will tell. And hey,... You won't let that happen, again...

 

[Rover]

I hate to say this but you're going to have to dump that batch....and quick! if you haven't all ready. With that much priming sugar and an obvious infection, those are going to explode. Especially if you only filled those bottles only up to where the picture shows.

 

[Revvy]

Don't dump your beer until you know you have a problem. more than likely you'll have the best beer you ever made. There's no point in dumping a beer on pure conjecture.

 

[Rover]

Wrap them up good then.

 

[Yooper]

I had to be a downer, but it looks like you have WAY too much headspace in those bottles. You only want about an inch from the top, just like commercial beers.

Unfortunately, the risk of bottle bombs is greater in beers with that much headspace, and combined with a probable infection and too much priming sugar, I'm really concerned about the glass exploding. Please put them somewhere safe- it a rubbermaid container away from children and pets.

An infection won't go away from racking, and "white and fuzzy" doesn't sound like acertobacteri which make vinegar, but rather mold or something else.

The next time you bottle, use the bottling wand so that when you remove it, you have the correct amount of headspace. That will save you many headaches.

 

[corwin3083]

Revvy,

I don't know if the photo gives you enough data to say with any accuracy, but what would be some signs, aside from bottle bombs, that I have a problem with this batch? Someone already mentioned taste; what else?

 

[corwin3083]

I put one bottle in the fridge, and divided the rest between a cooler and a tupperware bin with a couple towels over it.

The bottle in the fridge no longer has anything floating on top. I'm going to try it shortly, and if it doesn't taste bad, I'll stick the rest of it in the fridge and drink it quick.

 

[permo]

I have had one infection in my brewery as a result of a turkey baster that I draw samples from to taste and measure gravity. I bottled the batch regardless and have it aging out of site.....tasted one the other day and it is no good. I have a feeling that over the course of a year or two I will have a nice sour beer or something......stash them away...forget about them......but keep them in the bathtub for the first few weeks...it looks to me like you have fermentation going on in them!

 

[lumpher]

you need to either dump those bottles, or get them cooling. if that's wild yeast (and it looks like it), it'll ferment too far down and cause massive pressure (BOOM!). i'd cool them for a week, then save them for a year. might be a good lambic after a year...

 

[jfr1111]

Dude, you have what looks like mold going at it already in your bottles. Yooper knows what she is doing: put that away somewhere SAFE, infections don't just go away. Something like a big thick plastic bucket and close the top. There's a difference between one patch of floating mold and racking underneath a whole white fuzzy fermenter. Not that people who do wild brews don't do that, but they wait months if not years to bottle to let the bugs do their thing.

I would open one and taste it nonetheless: if it tastes like licking a horse blanket (or satan's anus), you'll be set. I haven't brewed for long, but I've tasted plenty of infected crap from other hombrewing friends, most of it will have goaty/cheesy, rubber or nail-polish remover. Did you take gravity reading before bottling (and before adding the priming sugar) ? If your gravity dips below the level at wich the beer finished, I would start to be very concerned about bombs.

 

[dwarven_stout]

While I hate to disagree with Revvy, you'd hardly be dumping on pure conjecture.

That said, I'll bet a dollar you're a couple weeks out from bottle bombs. The stuff inside is probably lacto, but it could just be yeast clumps. It's almost certainly not mold. Mold is at best uncommon in beer, but some lacto and brett films look similar to white molds. Don't dump the beer if you can spare the bottles- it might turn out tasty yet. What you should do is put them inside a rubbermaid or similar tub, and seal the lid to contain the mess if they do explode. In a week or so, put on some safety glasses, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt or jacket, and *carefully* pop the caps just enough to let off the gas. You can reseal with the capper after you do this.

If that sounds like too much trouble, then go ahead and dump it. Like Yooper said, though... the trifecta of too much headspace, half again the correct sugar dose and a probable infection are a pretty sure indicator of bottle bombs in your future. I've gone through the procedure I described above- once was enough, and now I'm very careful to double-check priming sugar additions.

 

[Skaggz]

I had to be a downer, but it looks like you have WAY too much headspace in those bottles. You only want about an inch from the top, just like commercial beers.

^^This. You need to put more liquid in those bottles. Are your beers carbonated enough when you leave that much headspace?

Oh yeah, doesn't look good, but I hope the beer turns out good for you?

 

[corwin3083]

Well, tastes like an orange hefeweisen to me, which is what it was supposed to be.

I guess the remaining bottles are going into the fridge ASAP, and I'll have to drink it all quickly. (Oh no!) Anything from this batch I have left after a week, I'll pop the cap to bleed it, and then replace it with a fresh, sanitized cap. In the meantime, I'll just be extra careful with the bottles, and oxyclean the hell out of my fermenting bucket...

 

[lumpher]

Well, tastes like an orange hefeweisen to me, which is what it was supposed to be.

I guess the remaining bottles are going into the fridge ASAP, and I'll have to drink it all quickly. (Oh no!) Anything from this batch I have left after a week, I'll pop the cap to bleed it, and then replace it with a fresh, sanitized cap. In the meantime, I'll just be extra careful with the bottles, and oxyclean the hell out of my fermenting bucket...

good response