Post your infection

Vuggy · Apr 26, 2010

I think I have my first infection...

Irish red that has been in the primary for two months and when I cracked it open to bottle (unless I'm racking onto fruit or oak chips, I hardly ever use a secondary) this is what I was greeted by. Haven't seen this in my brews before. The small hole in the scum is from when I took a gravity reading. Instead of panicking, I tried to carefully siphon under the top layer into my bottling bucket. I did a decent job but might have got a small amount of this scum in the bottling bucket. Then I bottled it and am optimistic that everything will be fine in the end.

It didn't smell or taste funny, although I didn't taste the scum! I even had my wife try it to see if she noticed anything (I didn't tell her that I suspected it might be infected 'cause she never would have tried it!).

So anyway, what do you guys think? I kind of think it had an infection but everything will be fine but I might have to drink it fast once it is carbonates! If it grows scum in the bottles and that doesn't go away, I might start thinking about tossing it.

SwampassJ · Apr 26, 2010

That is a gnarly looking cheesy poof beer.

neovox · Apr 26, 2010

Looks like you used mini-marshmallows in your secondary. :drunk:

SoonerDoc · Apr 26, 2010

I don't know that I could ever taste that batch.

Good luck.

Vuggy · Apr 26, 2010

yeah, it looks gross but I tasted it anyway. Tasted like beer so I bottled it.

I guess we'll see what happens. I figure either it will be fine, turn sour, or become bottle bombs. Whatever happens, I should learn something.

Not sure how it got infected. I know that everything was well sanitized with Star San. I actually kind of suspect the lid seal on the fermenter. This and the previous batch that I brewed in this fermenter didn't have any airlock activity. None. While I know this isn't a reliable indication of fermentation but ALL of my other brews have had airlock activity. Of course I've only brewed two dozen batches total so who knows. What I do know is that fermentation did take place (gravity readings) and that the other batch in this fermenter turned out fine. So maybe oxygen got in there due to a bad lid seal?

I think I'm going to retire this bucket and use it for washing the car or something.

funkapottomous · Apr 26, 2010

Vuggy said:
I think I have my first infection...

Irish red that has been in the primary for two months and when I cracked it open to bottle (unless I'm racking onto fruit or oak chips, I hardly ever use a secondary) this is what I was greeted by. Haven't seen this in my brews before. The small hole in the scum is from when I took a gravity reading. Instead of panicking, I tried to carefully siphon under the top layer into my bottling bucket. I did a decent job but might have got a small amount of this scum in the bottling bucket. Then I bottled it and am optimistic that everything will be fine in the end.

It didn't smell or taste funny, although I didn't taste the scum! I even had my wife try it to see if she noticed anything (I didn't tell her that I suspected it might be infected 'cause she never would have tried it!).

So anyway, what do you guys think? I kind of think it had an infection but everything will be fine but I might have to drink it fast once it is carbonates! If it grows scum in the bottles and that doesn't go away, I might start thinking about tossing it.

damnit now I want some yams.

ibbones · May 1, 2010

Well, I think I had my first infection. Sorry, no pix. I had a pilsner with ale yeast and put it to rest on March 20th. On April 29th I opened the bucket and it had a thin white film floating on top that looked like the grease on cold hamburger or soup. It wasn't smelly and I still bottled it so I will know in about three weeks. I did taste the sample for the FG and it tasted OK but I think in the back of my mind, it was telling me to spit it out.

ksbrain · May 1, 2010

Geez even my lambic that I dosed with Brett B, Belgian Sour Blend, and some other buggy blend hasn't shown any signs of looking abnormal... Sort of makes me want to make a wort just to leave it open in my basement just to see what it would look like after a few weeks.

Sheaffdogg · May 3, 2010

Ok I also have the same exact thing going on in secondary on an imperial brown ale! It appeared after about a week and I just tasted it and it seems fine to me. The gravity actually dropped from 1029 to 1025 since racking (was hoping for that) so is now at an ABV of 7.33. I was thinking maybe I should just keg and carb it now. Thoughts?

talkingmonkey said:
Here's another.

ForeverYoung · May 3, 2010

Weezknight said:
I don't know why I open up threads like this. All it does is make me worry about my next batch. Of course it could also make me continue to be obsessively anal about my sanitation procedures.

I'm surprised you don't get more infections if you clean it that way, or at least a smelly Carboy.

mro77102 · May 4, 2010

anyone have any idea what this looks like?

if this helps at all, it is an all pils saison fermented with white labs belgian saison yeast...

i racked from underneath the bubbles, and the bubbles started forming after a few days.

it is hard to tell from the taste... this is my first time brewing a saison, so i am not sure if i am tasting the natural character of the yeast or if the flavors on the finish are in fact the sign of an infection...

Heartofglass · May 19, 2010

Added a cup of trub from a lambic I was racking into a new pitched, cooked primary of 'brown ale' This is 1 month and 2 weeks of primary ferment. Whatrt is it?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4621665427_7ee962bce4_b.jpg

Gman2 · May 19, 2010

Now i feel like i need to rush home and rack my beer out from under my fruit that has been floating for 2 weeks. It is probably molding.....

avibayer · May 19, 2010

jcarson83 said:
Just what I said. Post it. I put this in the beginners forum because I think it will show people what a real infection looks like and that its not anything what krausen looks like.

Oh and name it if you can.

Lactobacillus

What type of beer and how long was it left sitting?

jcarson83 · May 31, 2010

I think that was a brown ale and I left it in secondary for probably 3 weeks.

Suthrncomfrt1884 · May 31, 2010

Gman2 said:
Now i feel like i need to rush home and rack my beer out from under my fruit that has been floating for 2 weeks. It is probably molding.....

No need to worry. Mold won't hurt your beer. If you don't punch your fruit down every few days to keep it wet, it will mold. Just rack from under it when it's ready and it'll be fine.

Gman2 · Jun 1, 2010

Thanks for the heads up. I did not push it down nor have I bottled yet and it still looks ok. I need to bottle it tonight though, it has been on the fruit about a month now.....

benbradford · Jun 2, 2010

Brewed four batches in one week and they all came up with varying degrees of this

http://picasaweb.google.com/108488725530733315820/Pictures#5478289311210291122

finished 2 of the batches, drinking another now, and about to keg the last...

Flavor not really affected so far, the one I am drinking now was actually a kentucky common ale that was intentionally soured, so there is a very mild sour flavor but, it was done in the mash on purpose...

All fermented in different buckets and primaries, with different airlocks...May have cross contaminited when checking fg.

Plan on replacing the mash tun(not great to begin with), tubing, etc...

Will clean the bejeezus out of all else.

Suthrncomfrt1884 · Jun 2, 2010

benbradford said:
Brewed four batches in one week and they all came up with varying degrees of this

http://picasaweb.google.com/108488725530733315820/Pictures#5478289311210291122

finished 2 of the batches, drinking another now, and about to keg the last...

Flavor not really affected so far, the one I am drinking now was actually a kentucky common ale that was intentionally soured, so there is a very mild sour flavor but, it was done in the mash on purpose...

All fermented in different buckets and primaries, with different airlocks...May have cross contaminited when checking fg.

Plan on replacing the mash tun(not great to begin with), tubing, etc...

Will clean the bejeezus out of all else.

You shouldn't need to replace the mash. Any bugs that are in the mash will be boiled off anyways.

nathanclare · Jun 2, 2010

hey guys....just brewed my first all grain batch this weekend...only problem is, it's been 4 days and this is what it looks like. Didn't use a starter...yeast was a little old, but stored properly. i'm not panicking yet, but it doesn't look like anything i've seen before...any thoughts?
nate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50782129@N02/

Pivzavod · Jun 3, 2010

benbradford said:
Brewed four batches in one week and they all came up with varying degrees of this

http://picasaweb.google.com/108488725530733315820/Pictures#5478289311210291122

finished 2 of the batches, drinking another now, and about to keg the last...

Flavor not really affected so far, the one I am drinking now was actually a kentucky common ale that was intentionally soured, so there is a very mild sour flavor but, it was done in the mash on purpose...

All fermented in different buckets and primaries, with different airlocks...May have cross contaminited when checking fg.

Plan on replacing the mash tun(not great to begin with), tubing, etc...

Will clean the bejeezus out of all else.

i had a few batches with similar "white islands", it was yeast floaties, not infection of any kind

jonbomb · Jun 3, 2010

nathanclare said:
hey guys....just brewed my first all grain batch this weekend...only problem is, it's been 4 days and this is what it looks like. Didn't use a starter...yeast was a little old, but stored properly. i'm not panicking yet, but it doesn't look like anything i've seen before...any thoughts?
nate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50782129@N02/

Umm that just looks scary not even gross just scary.

ReverseApacheMaster · Jun 3, 2010

jonbomb said:
Umm that just looks scary not even gross just scary.

Satan is taking over that batch.

nowashburn · Jun 20, 2010

no clue what this one is but it formed on top of an ipa that was sitting in secondary for 3 months:

COLObrewer · Jun 20, 2010

nowashburn said:
no clue what this one is but it formed on top of an ipa that was sitting in secondary for 3 months:

Why in Ninkasa's name would an IPA be in secondary for that long? Looks like wild yeasties to me.

COLObrewer · Jun 20, 2010

nathanclare said:
hey guys....just brewed my first all grain batch this weekend...only problem is, it's been 4 days and this is what it looks like. Didn't use a starter...yeast was a little old, but stored properly. i'm not panicking yet, but it doesn't look like anything i've seen before...any thoughts?
nate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50782129@N02/

That's so pretty, no-one should miss it, it's truly what satans anus would look like:

Keep on brewing my friends :mug:

redalert · Jun 20, 2010

I brewed a kolsch 2 weekends ago and poured the last 1/2 gallon of wort from my keggle into a plastic bin just for kicks. I still don't know what kind of bacteria it is. It smells sour but not overpowering.

android · Jun 20, 2010

damn, that is the weirdest looking beer ever. the wort nebula.

i meant the one two posts up, but damn, that kolsch looks crazy too.

ArizonaDB · Jun 22, 2010

After about 20 batches this is my first official infection. It is on my Switzer Mesa Honey Wheat ale batch. Can any one ID the kind of infection for me? I'm pissed about it, because I made a 3 gal batch of this recipe earlier this year and it came out great and we blasted through it in a couple of weeks, so I figured I'd do a 5 gal batch for when summer really got here and now it's infected. Dang!

I racked the beer from under the top layer and bottled it like normal. It's drinkable but has a strange taste to it. I am hoping that that will age out, but I'm not holding my breath. :-(

DublinVision · Jun 22, 2010

I just set up my first batch last week and am about ready to go to bottling in a couple days, I was worried about infections but this thread showed me what to look for!

Keep this post up so first timers like myself can see whats wrong.

I read a post yesterday about never dumping your beer and that time can fix it....with a case like one of these, does that still apply?

Post your infection

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