Dump or bottle?

[Drizztkun]

Hi all

I am making some baron dutch lager. And i had opted to do it the way you do cooper's which is to keep it in primary the whole time instead of switching it into a carboy after the first few days.

But it's now been 3 weeks and a noticed some fruit flies inside the primary fermenter and the top is sort of hazy, it's like a layer of weird stuff its like a coating or dunno how to describe, if i move it under it looks fine, and it smells like beer. here's a pic. Do you think it is safe to bottle or should Mr Bathtub have a big glass of beer

 

[KeithMoonsLiver]

Bottle it and see what happens, IMO.

 

[bonzombiekitty]

Don't dump. I can't see the picture, so I can't say if what you are seeing is normal or not. If it concerns you, just rack from underneath that weird layer. Try what you rack off, it's not gonna hurt you - if it tastes fine, go ahead and bottle. If it tastes like crap, then maybe you'd want to dump it.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Don't dump it, not yet anyway. Figure out what's going on first, then make a decision. Pictures would help.

 

[Revvy]

What does it taste like?

If it tastes like vinegar or is sour, there's no point in keeping it. But if it tastes fine, like green beer should, then see it through the process. You should never just decide to dump a beer, as long as it's not vinegar or sour in a not good way.

 

[Downhillfromhere]

if there's flies in the fermenter...i probably wouldn't be drinking it

 

[Drizztkun]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Drizztkun]

Here i tried with imageshack

 

[wonderbread23]

Fruit flies are somewhat notorious for carrying acetobacter ... the bacteria that is used in vinegar making. I'd leave it for awhile, taste it, and see where it is going.

 

[jfr1111]

WTF ? I would try a sample from underneath whatever is floating and decide afterwards, but fruit flies are never a good sign since they carry Acetobacter.

 

[Drizztkun]

taste like vinegar, bad vinegar.... oh well first batch i have to dump. had to happend i guess

 

[Cipper]

Hi all

I am making some baron dutch lager. And i had opted to do it the way you do cooper's which is to keep it in primary the whole time instead of switching it into a carboy after the first few days.

But it's now been 3 weeks and a noticed some fruit flies inside the primary fermenter and the top is sort of hazy, it's like a layer of weird stuff its like a coating or dunno how to describe, if i move it under it looks fine, and it smells like beer. here's a pic. Do you think it is safe to bottle or should Mr Bathtub have a big glass of beer

Quick question: how did you sanitize your fermenter?

Chris

 

[Drizztkun]

spraying some metabilsulfite solution

 

[dvdanny]

spraying some metabilsulfite solution

I've noticed several people doing this, I don't think metabilsulfite is a sanitizer. It's used in wine making to stabilize wines, it's stops fermenation, I've never heard of it's use as a sanitizer. This is almost for sure where the infection came from. Idoiphor, Starsan or Bleach solutions are sanitizers. There are issues with whether or not bleach is a "no rinse" sanitizer but the other two definitely are and all three work nearly 100% of the time if they are used properly.

 

[jfr1111]

I too was told to use metabisulfite as a sanitizer: I think we don't have a lot of options in Quebec and pretty much every store caters to winemakers first, hence the sulfite use.

You can sanitize with unscented bleach fine. Use 1 oz of bleach and 1 oz of white vinegar for 5 gallons of water. Mix the bleach in first then acidify. At this concentration, it truly is a no-rinse sanitizer.

 

[Cipper]

spraying some metabilsulfite solution

From the homebrewtalk wiki:

Sodium Metabisulfite
'Sodium Met' is probably the most familiar 'no-rinse' sanitiser to homebrewers. It is sold as a white powder in all homebrew shops and most supermarkets that carry a range of brewing ingredients, and it is found in most starter kits. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sanitisers available now that so many better alternatives exist.
Sodium Met is slow to act and often used ineffectively. To use it properly, dissolve the sodium metabisulfite in the correct amount of water, as directed by the instructions, rinse all surfaces with the solution and allow to air dry. Drying is essential because this is when the sodium metabisulfite does its thing. It does not kill bacteria outright but it inhibits the growth of wild yeast. The fumes are highly irritating (particularly to asthmatics) and should not be inhaled.

It does have other uses around the brewery though. Sodium Met (as powder or in the form of Campden tablets) is sometimes added to wine or cider to halt the fermentation process before it is complete, to leave some residual sweetness in the must. It is also effective in purging chlorine AND the more stubborn chloramines from brewing water, and some brewers add a pinch or two to the mash, in the belief that it protects against certain undesirable reactions and helps to preserve the finished beer. It is also useful as a way of sanitising water to use for rinsing other cleaning or sanitising products.

[Just fyi, I've never seen any brewing guide that recommends metabisulfite
as a sanitizer]
Chris

 

[dvdanny]

From the homebrewtalk wiki:

Sodium Metabisulfite
'Sodium Met' is probably the most familiar 'no-rinse' sanitiser to homebrewers. It is sold as a white powder in all homebrew shops and most supermarkets that carry a range of brewing ingredients, and it is found in most starter kits. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sanitisers available now that so many better alternatives exist.
Sodium Met is slow to act and often used ineffectively. To use it properly, dissolve the sodium metabisulfite in the correct amount of water, as directed by the instructions, rinse all surfaces with the solution and allow to air dry. Drying is essential because this is when the sodium metabisulfite does its thing. It does not kill bacteria outright but it inhibits the growth of wild yeast. The fumes are highly irritating (particularly to asthmatics) and should not be inhaled.

It does have other uses around the brewery though. Sodium Met (as powder or in the form of Campden tablets) is sometimes added to wine or cider to halt the fermentation process before it is complete, to leave some residual sweetness in the must. It is also effective in purging chlorine AND the more stubborn chloramines from brewing water, and some brewers add a pinch or two to the mash, in the belief that it protects against certain undesirable reactions and helps to preserve the finished beer. It is also useful as a way of sanitising water to use for rinsing other cleaning or sanitising products.

[Just fyi, I've never seen any brewing guide that recommends metabisulfite
as a sanitizer]
Chris

wow, learned something new today, never knew sodium met was used as a sanitizer once.

Although starsan might be hard to get, bleach and iodine shouldn't and there are threads on this board that show how to make effective sanitizers with those.