Specific..bacteria?

[MrTux]

So after two batches of some nasty infected beer, I was sitting in my hotel room over seas reading all the responses to my previous thread and thought, "so what is the specific bacteria I'm dealing with?"
I know there's several variants of bacteria that exist during our brew process and the like. But the question then becomes, is there a certain strain that can be fought against or is there a certain stran that could be preventated against. If we can make the environment of our brewing area free of such a strain, would that lead to less infected beers? Or am I reaching for straws and holding a small depression party for my lost beer. Thoughts?

 

[masonsjax]

Use Starsan on anything that touches the wort after you turn off the burner, pitch an appropriate amount of healthy yeast, don't disturb the batch unnecessarily, and you should have no problems.

 

[andy6026]

Yes, there are specific bacteria's that have a tendency to more commonly infect beer, but how to specifically target them I've not heard of, especially when the typical weaponry we use are general anti-bacterial agents. In other words, no need to pack a rat trap AND an elephant gun AND a fly swatter, when a dose of Starsan works equally well against all 3.

 

[Leithoa]

I haven't read your previous thread but it sounds like there's some gap in your sanitation protocol. Environmental contamination is possible, but even open fermentation has a record of success.

Review what you did right for your successes, or what other people have done. I'd also recommend, to borrow the phrase 'Nuking your fermeters from orbit, just to be sure' with a long soak in strong bleach solution (whatever dilution your brand prescribes for bathroom cleaning).
Mix it up hot and leave it over night, this will kill any nasties that have hidden away in any cracks. Throw in any utensils (plastic mash paddle, airlocks, stoppers, &c) that can stand up to harsh chemicals.

The trouble with contamination is that the beasties that do well in wort also do well (or atleast OK) in sanitizers like Star-San. The big party crashers are wild yeast, Lactobacillus, Brettanomyces, and Pediococcus. But if you pitch correctly they don't have time to get established.

So to recap: assess your sanitizing practices, and soak your cold-side gear (Chiller's don't count, due to their own cleaning protocols) in hot bleach overnight.

 

[Jim311]

Bleach is an incredible sanitizer, but remember it requires a longer soak than many others. 30 minutes at a dilution of 15ML per gallon is the recommended ratio for "no rinse" use. Remember that it loses its effectiveness after about 2 days.