Infection in my first sour?

[BrewingManatee]

Tried to make my own recipe for the first time: a gose using Goodbelly with lactobacillus to kettle sour it. Let it sour in the kettle for a few days and then transitioned it to the fermenter. After a couple weeks, added some lime peel and still looked good, but didn't yet have enough flavor. 1 week later, added some more lime peel. I avoided the pith of the lime when peeling, and sanitized it before adding it to the fermenter. But a few days later when I checked again a mold-looking layer had started to grow on top. It doesn't smell bad, and tasted correct when I tried it last week. But it sure doesn't look appetizing. Is it to be expected when brewing with lactobacillus, or did I get an infection, probably when adding the 2nd dose of lime? If it's expected, then why did it take multiple weeks to start forming?

First picture is from last week; next 2 are from today.

 

[firecapt]

It looks like infection to me - not that it's definitely going to ruin your sour. Did you boil after the kettle souring?

It seems like there are a few possibilities along the way to have introduced an infection, both peel additions could have caused it. I've only soured with whole fruit (blueberries) once and I was meticulous about the sanitization. Any late additions are super-prone to infection.

Curious to see what some of the more experienced members think. Have you considered the co-souring method here: Really Easy Fruit Sour

 

[hotbeer]

If you used lactobacillus after the boil, then everything looks normal.

 

[BrewingManatee]

I boiled once before adding the lactobacillus, and then boiled again after the kettle souring; 20 minutes just to try to kill off the lactobacillus, and then added hops for another 35. Since the lactobacillus should've been killed by the second boil, I guess this is more likely to be an infection?

 

[hotbeer]

Since the lactobacillus should've been killed by the second boil, I guess this is more likely to be an infection?

You'd think so, but maybe not. It looks just like the lactobacillus did after you soured it doesn't it? So if it is, then maybe you'll just be more sour in a good way.

Regardless whether it's infected with lactobacillus or any other thing, it's unlikely to be poisonous. At worst it just wont taste good.

If you ever see fuzzy blackish green or greenish black stuff covering all the surface of your beer and the headspace in your fermenter, then you should be really worried and not taste it.

And based on a recent experience earlier this year. Any thing that you used to make and bottle that sour with you should probably go a little extra with the cleaning and sanitizing.

I had some random bottles of two different brews show as infected. Although I can't be sure, I think they were bottles that were previously used for my one batch of lactobacillus soured beer. After having some other forum member suggest that possibility, I gave all my bottles and most everything else a little bit of time in some chlorine bleach and water, before doing my normal sanitizing routine on the next brew day.

If I ever use lactobacillus again, I'll probably do the bleach thing ASAP after brewing and for the bottles as soon as they are emptied.

 

[marc1]

I boiled once before adding the lactobacillus, and then boiled again after the kettle souring; 20 minutes just to try to kill off the lactobacillus, and then added hops for another 35. Since the lactobacillus should've been killed by the second boil, I guess this is more likely to be an infection?

Did you then add a good pitch of healthy yeast when it got to the fermenter?

 

[BrewingManatee]

Yeah, I pitched yeast as soon as everything was in the fermenter.

Seems like there's enough of a chance that the brew is still good that I can still go ahead and proceed to secondary and then bottling, see how it goes. My main hesitation was indeed the amount of cleaning all of my equipment will need, but eh I guess that's the cost of experimenting with a sour!