1st Stuck Fermentation, 2nd Infection

[ProfessorWoland]

Took a sample of my Coopers Irish Stout last Sunday and it was 1.020. Took another sample today and it was still 1.020 but I noted a sourish smell.

Opened the lid to see the pictures

I've put half of it quickly in my mini-corney keg and will chuck away the rest

I think taking a sample last week was the culprit and it has got in through the spigot.

Just had a glass of a pint I have force carbed and whilst it is not bad it's not the usual standard.

 

[estricklin]

Did it actually taste sour?

If you have an infection the gravity will surely start to drop, but I guess since you kegged it that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Slight sour note. Think I've caught it just in time.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Don't think I had an infection in the end and just had weird looking yeast rafts due to under fermentation. Probably poor temperature control as the ambient temperature was good but was more than likely caught by a constant draft. Still dumped what I didn't keg just to be safe and will clean and sanitise my bucket a few times.


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[FiddlersGreen87]

I'm just curious, but what was your reasoning for taking the suspected sample? I'm trying to figure out why and/or the benefit of taking multiple samples versus just letting the fermenter sit for 7-10 days or 2-3 past all ceased visible fermentation letting the yeast clean up the residual byproducts. It seems to me the risk of getting a number far outweighs the benefit of identifying the gravity.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

It usually ferments pretty quickly; the fact it hadn't done the usual aggressive fermentation should have given me a cue.

If I'm honest I was bored, skint, and was hoping it was ready so I could force carb and have a few pints to watch some football (or soccer as most of you fine people would call it.)


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[myndflyte]

I'm not quite sure how something would get in through the spigot. I mean if it's open, beer is flowing through it so I find it kind of hard for anything infectious to get into the beer through the spigot. Unless you took a sample and dumped it back into the fermenter. The fact that the gravity didn't move makes me think it wasn't an infection.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

I've heard a spigot is a common entry point. But this time I think I was wrong and there was no infection.

It looked like an infection was started yesterday but when I dumped and cleaned this morning (I left it over night to see if it would spread) it really didn't look infected. Slight film - which could be yeast - but no spiders webs and most of the suspect chunks had gone.

Think I just made a n00b panicking mistake.


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[myndflyte]

I could see the spigot being an entry point for infection into bottles if you don't properly clean it after drawing off a sample. But I don't know, I could be wrong about that.