Is It Junk?

[mark1765]

Well I know you guys get tired of seeing these threads, but I don't know where else to turn. This is my 4 batch and this is the first time I have seen my beer look like this after fermenting for 3 weeks in a primary. I already bottled it on Sunday, but as you can tell I took a pic because something just didn't look right to my novice eyes, and the color doesn't seem right for an Irish Red but this is my first time brewing one. This is a Brewmaster's Select Extract, Irish Red and my OG. was 1.061 and before I bottled I checked FG. and it was 1.010 so have I bottled up a bunch of junk or am I just overly paranoid?

 

[gbing]

Did you taste it before bottling?
There are no known pathogens that can live in beer, so it won't make you sick, but an off taste may offend you!
Colour is always deceiving, color refracts differently through a larger volume of liquid....

 

[SnakeRidge]

It's kind of hard to tell from the picture but I don't see any kind of 'skin' over the top that would indicate a pellicle. What I see looks like flocculating yeast and fine bubbles. What yeast did you use?

Let the bottles sit at 70* or so for a week or two. I would open one sooner rather than later to see if you have gushers. That's the worry if you had an infection, the gravity could drop past the 1.010 and overcarbinate.

 

[mark1765]

It's kind of hard to tell from the picture but I don't see any kind of 'skin' over the top that would indicate a pellicle. What I see looks like flocculating yeast and fine bubbles. What yeast did you use?

Let the bottles sit at 70* or so for a week or two. I would open one sooner rather than later to see if you have gushers. That's the worry if you had an infection, the gravity could drop past the 1.010 and overcarbinate.

All that it says is Windsor Yeast. When you say sooner do you mean open before 2 weeks or at the 2 week mark? I usually leave them at room temperature for 10 days before chilling.

 

[SnakeRidge]

I believe that Windsor is an English strain, and you can get weird looking yeast formations with English yeast. They like to clump together and form chunks. With the fine bubbles, these yeast chunks can float on top like that. You said the gravity was 1.010 so it was very likely done fermenting, the bubbles are probably just CO2 coming out of solution.

10 days sounds fine to try one to test carbonation. If it seems way overcarbed or just foams up out of the bottle after chilling in the fridge, then you probably have an infection. Smell and taste will give you some clues as well. Personally, I think you're fine. English yeast can look weird.

 

[unionrdr]

Just looked like left-over krausen with yeast rafts to me.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

Looks ok to me and FG looked good.

 

[mark1765]

Thanks guys I'm going to leave it alone and keep my fingers crossed for another 8 days and I will let you know what happens

 

[Homercidal]

I vote yeast rafts. I don't see a real pellicle in there, just clumps of yeast.

Give a taste and see how it tastes. If you get an infection that shows a pellicle, you should get a taste of the infection in the beer.

 

[kombat]

Looks fine to me, should be a tasty beer.

 

[mark1765]

Well guys I didn't want to be one of those guys that ask a question and then not post the results. So I cheated a little from what I originally said I was going to do by not allowing the Irish Red to carbonate for 10 days. I was brewing a Seeing Dubbel Belgian Ale and I decided to chill one just to taste it while I was brewing. It's only been 7 days since it was bottled so I wasn't sure it would be good. Man was I wrong. I thing this may be my best batch yet!! Thanks for all the help and positive feedback.