Infected carboy :(

So it happened, I got an infected batch :/. I figured out the culprit though, I let the vodka in the airlock evaporate and a fruit fly or two got in. What is the best way to disinfect? I assume I should just fill it with a solution of bleach, but at what ratio? Is there a better way? I dont want this infecting any other batches!

 

Just clean and sanitize as normal.

 

For bleach I believe the ratio is 1 TBSPN to 5 gallons. You of course will need to rinse afterwards. However I would recommend ditching the bleach and use a no rinse sanitizer like Idophor or Starsan.

Just remember sanitizing is different than cleaning... You can use a soak in Oxiclean or PBW before sanitizing to take care of that. Or if you have a glass carboy a brush and dish soap.

 

Yes,

I clean with cold water as Oxyclean... you don't have to over do it the OxyClean is you let it sit for a day or so until it clears up..

Rinse with Hot Water, using to much Oxyclean can "cake-up".

Sanitize, again I use a warm/hot solution to make sure not Oxyclean remains.

DPB

 

Ah ok! DUH!!! hahah didnt even think about that. OK I will soak it in PBW then sanitize as normal. thanks guys!

 

1 tbsp per quart = 4 tbsp per gallon = 1.25 cups per 5-gallon carboy. I generally use 1 cup per carboy.

For a deep soaking of an infected carboy, nothing beats a bleach solution.

MC

 

See this is what I was thinking. I want to be SURE that everything is dead in there. But then again, an overnight PBW soak followed by 6.5 gallon iodaphor soak should do the trick. This is a glass carboy btw

 

Wait you got a fly in it and you are calling it infected and dumping the batch?? I sure hope not but in regards to cleaning I just dump some oxyclean in hot water, use a scrub brush designed for cleaning carboys, and let it sit over night. In the morning I dump the carboy rinse with hot water.

 

not just any fly, a fruit fly. Which cary lactobicilius. The top of the beer is covered in big white bubbles

 

i would still drink that!! would be ready for summer.. sour in the summer is a great mix

 

Oh that sounds unpleasant! I take it you can't save it at all either! I was lucky I had 4-5 fruit flys in my air lock at one point but they got trapped and killed in the sanitizer.

 

yeah, well im pretty sure I messed that up already haha. This was a batch brewed back in August and it has sat in the primary the whole time. I assume it now has yeasty off flavors along with the infection. I am just so afraid with putting any of my currently un-infected brewing equipment anywhere near it!

 

Dang. I'm trying to get a nice pellicle and here you go trying to get rid of one.

 

well i would taste it first anyways!! my first time i did it i wasn't ready either..lol.. i just used a piece of hose i was gonna replace anyways and actually used 2 ltr soda bottles and racked it to all 9 of them and put them away for a while. even sucked on the end of the hose cause i didnt care..lol.. just used regular table sugar and carbed them too.. didnt even desolve the sugar..lol.. there was no co2 in solution so i didnt have volcanos. think mentos in diet soda if you have any carb stored in before putting in raw table sugar..lol.. if its been in there since august im sure the co2 level is little to none.. i drank all of them with friends and it was awesome!!

 

you're a braver man than I haha