Infection Detection? (can't see through stainless)

[Nohup]

So, after a year of carboys, I switched to fermenting in sankeys. (Love it)

But. I got to thinking... If one of my batches ever went south, how would I even know?

I've never had a bad batch (that I know of) so I'm curious.
Is there an odor to an infected batch that I could check for?
Can you tell from the dumped trub?

It's not a big deal. I'm not going to throw out 13 gallons of brew just because of a few bugs, but I'd like to know asap so I can get it kegged and cooled fast.

Thanks all.

 

[twistr25]

Are you using these for secondaries or primaries? Taste and smell would be the best way, same as in a white bucket. I would think you could see well enough into the container to notice any film or unusual bubbles growing that would indicate an infection.

 

[Nohup]

This is for primarying. I don't secondary. Glad to hear that taste and smell can discern a bad batch.
It's very hard to look down into a sankey, Especially with the brewershardware cap installed. (It's a 2-foot racking-cane built into a 3-piece cap.) And seeing down into a sanke, inside a dark fermenter is nigh impossible.

 

[twistr25]

Taste is probably the biggest. I would start there and you could try to use a flashlight, that should at least pick up on any film on the top.