bottling an infected beer

[Quyzi]

I've got a beer in my keg that is obviously infected. It popped the bung out of my barrel and spewed beer everywhere and it self-pressurizes in the keg. Am I okay bottling this? Unless it's truly disgusting, I'd like to keep it. I can't keep it in the keg, since it belongs to my friend.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

You can bottle but you'll have to wait till it stops fermenting first. If its self pressurizing the keg, it'll over carbonate the bottles. Perhaps even to the point of exploding bottles from too much pressure...

 

[Quyzi]

You can bottle but you'll have to wait till it stops fermenting first. If its self pressurizing the keg, it'll over carbonate the bottles. Perhaps even to the point of exploding bottles from too much pressure...

Oh it's done fermenting. It was done fermenting in the primary, then I dumped it into my barrel to age it. While in the barrel it picked up an infection. I think that is what is making it generate more CO2.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Ok so first taste it... If it tastes good bottle it... But be aware that most likely you are going to end up with bottle bombs if it truly is infected.

If it was me... I'd chuck it.

 

[theheroguy]

If something is eating carbohydrates and making carbon dioxide it isnt done fermenting.

 

[ricshayne]

Why? Why save it? why drink ****ty beer? its infected, it'll probably cause bottle bombs. dump it. learn from it. why keep a half assed, second rate, infected beer around? doesnt make sense to me dude.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Oh it's done fermenting. It was done fermenting in the primary, then I dumped it into my barrel to age it. While in the barrel it picked up an infection. I think that is what is making it generate more CO2.

The fact that it self pressurizes the keg means that "something" isn't done fermenting. That something is not the yeast that you pitched though. Its whatever was living in your barrel...

 

[Calder]

I obviously know nothing about this beer. Are you sure it's just not the yeast continuing to work thru compkex sugars. Are you sure it was finished.

 

[masskrug]

I opened my bucket yesterday to an infection. It wasn't infected before I dry hopped it, so it must have been a poorly cleaned hop bag. I went ahead and transferred to my bottling bucket, keeping the infection on top well away from the tube. We'll see how it tastes in a few weeks. I'm not going to chuck 5 gallons of beer.

 

[The_Bishop]

You are aware that the 'infection' is all throughout the beer, and not contained to the pellicle floating on top, right? You've got an excellent chance of glass shrapnel.

 

[ChrisfromAbby]

Check your FG to make sure you've reached what you were aiming for, sometimes you can get slow ends to fermentation. If you are CONVINCED it's wild here's a trick. Most wild yeast are very sensitive to metabisulfite. Try adding 30ppm and let it sit for a few days. Bubbling should cease unless its bacterial. Then if you must bottle, get some Lavlin #1118 champagne yeast to bottle condition. It'll easily handle 30ppm. I'd keg though. Safer.

 

[masskrug]

You are aware that the 'infection' is all throughout the beer, and not contained to the pellicle floating on top, right? You've got an excellent chance of glass shrapnel.

No, I wasn't. Luckily I packaged this beer in plastic bottles. Hopefully the plastic will hold. I made sure to purge all of the oxygen from the bottles before I capped them. I might have some gushers. Experiment in progress...

 

[masskrug]

Reporting back: After three weeks the beer was a bit sour, but clear and drinkable. The plastic bottles held up and the carbonation was fine.