Fungus

[Rowan-121]

Hi all I'm new to this so go easy lol. I have just bottled my second brew and as I was finishing the last few stubbies I noticed that there was a bit of fungus on the inside of the stubbie. I cleaned the bottles then ran them through a sanitizer cycle in the dishwasher.i discarded the couple that I found but am a bit worried if I missed any other wheather they would still be good to drink from or I should empty 60 bottles and start again.

 

[Rowan-121]

Sorry it was to be put across as a questio. I would hate to have to throw away beer

 

[FatDragon]

If you missed some, you'll probably end up with a couple infected bottles, which could end up fine, or could end up as gushers, bottle bombs, or just swill. I would shine a flashlight through each bottle to try and see if I could find any that were definitely infected, and then store the rest between a couple old towels - one or more on the bottom so a bottle bomb doesn't seep all over the floor, and one or more on top so a bottle bomb doesn't send glass flying dangerously throughout the room.

 

[Rowan-121]

Ok thanks will check them out. Does the sugar from the 2nd fermentation eat the fungus away? If so what's the time frame where I won't be able to tell if there is fungus. I bottled it last thursday(Australia)

 

[passedpawn]

[thread moved from introductions to beginners forum]

 

[IslandLizard]

How do you clean your bottles?

You really need a bottle brush and a cleaner such as PBW or Washing Soda (not baking soda) to scrub the insides. Then a good rinse with hot water and an inspection. Mold (fungus) is from left-over beer sitting in the bottle for a long time or worse.

If the bottles are really dirty you got to decide whether it is easier to recycle them rather than re-use.

Dishwashers are a fallacy for cleaning bottles. That water does not get inside those narrow necked bottles very well, and surely not enough to clean crud. As a sanitizer, I refer to the same comment. Use Starsan instead.

 

[prohl84]

Are you certain it's fungus? What does it look like? Fungus wouldn't be broken down during bottle conditioning so you would be able to see evidence of it regardless of timeframe.

 

[unionrdr]

Any furry looking mold in the bottom of the bottles won't break down during bottle carb/conditioning. That's why I soak'em in PBW to get the mold to float right out. Then scrub with a bottle brush inside,Dobie scrubber on the outside. Rinse well,then onto the bottle tree to dry before storage.

 

[balrog]

Any furry looking mold in the bottom of the bottles won't break down during bottle carb/conditioning. That's why I soak'em in PBW to get the mold to float right out. Then scrub with a bottle brush inside,Dobie scrubber on the outside. Rinse well,then onto the bottle tree to dry before storage.

+1 This; then I store upside down in large clean Rubbermaid storage, then on bottling day, inspect each, StarSan in Vinator, and go.

If you missed some, you'll probably end up with a couple infected bottles, which could end up fine, or could end up as gushers, bottle bombs, or just swill. I would shine a flashlight through each bottle to try and see if I could find any that were definitely infected, and then store the rest between a couple old towels - one or more on the bottom so a bottle bomb doesn't seep all over the floor, and one or more on top so a bottle bomb doesn't send glass flying dangerously throughout the room.

I've had a couple batches overcarb (I'm still new, I followed the recipe's simple instructions, and frankly the general package amount of priming sugar is WAY beyond what I want for many styles; now I have a scale and I use an online priming calculator); anyway, I am paranoid and bottle condition in SWMBO-controlled areas of the house, where Beer Shall Not Spill. I put my bottled batch into picnic coolers, used as containment vessels. After all, a mess in the basement is something that can be cleaned up. A mess in the "nice" areas of the house is not tolerated.

 

[Rowan-121]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have noticed that a lot of you guys are not from Australia, so when you say starsan to clean bottles I can not find any anywhere would the same stuff be like napisan or could I use the sanitizer that I use for cleaning all the brew equipment after I have cleaned out the bottles with a bottle brush?

 

[CA_Mouse]

StarSan is just a brand name for sanitizer. Use whatever your local home brew store stocks. Soak your bottles in PBW if you can get it and sanitize after rinsing well. PBW and StarSan are both made by the same company, so if you can get one, you should be able to get the other.

 

[Trox]

You don't clean with a sanitizer; sanitizers like StarSan and Idophor are used after the equipment is clean to kill off most of the little nasties that want to ruin your beer. You have to clean your equipment before sanitizing it because the little nasties can easily hide behind some dirt during sanitation, and then come out to ruin your beer.

Looks like napisan is an oxicleaner, and not a sanitizer. After a quick google search for StarSan in Australia (which not surprisingly lead me back to these forums) I found this link to an Australian Online Homebrewing store that sells it:

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/default.asp?CID=104

There might be others out there, so might want to search around some.

Edit: I should add that the first items on the page is PBW which is a cleaner and not a sanitizer.