Cream of Three Crops gone to cider

[scootchu]

Hi Folks,
I have returned to the brewing scene after about 15 years. On my 6th batch. My 5th batch was an AG Cream of three Crops. Fermentation of 05 started about 15 hours after brewing. I had the beer in my basement which is about 67-68 degrees most of the time. Airlock smelled good for the first couple of days and then turned funny, like just off and not staying on track like it should.

Let it sit in the primary for 8 days and then went to keg it and was greeted with a light white scum with dime sized bubbles, no pics. It smelled like cider vinegar, also it was very hazy and wheat like in color. Tasted it and it was definitely tart. Then I made a mistake thinking, or not thinking, and racked it to a corny. Started to think, I'm never going to drink this even if it gets slightly better, and dumped it. I broke down the keg and soaked everything in hot PBW and then homemade PBW (TSP-90 and Oxyclean).

I made a batch of IPA after this one in a different pale, with a heftier grain bill, but thank goodness dumped my wort instead of racked into the fermenter because I suspect my auto siphon as the carrier.

So should I discard the auto siphon along with the tubing. How about my plastic paddle?

I brewed this outside under my porch, but it was a very misty day. In hindsight I don't think this was a great idea. Heavier moisture in the air makes me think that all kinds of things are carried and deposited versus drier still air.

I plan on bleach bombing the fermenter and Star San for the keg.

Sound like Acetobacterium?

 

[FVillatoro]

Hi Folks,
I have returned to the brewing scene after about 15 years. On my 6th batch. My 5th batch was an AG Cream of three Crops. Fermentation of 05 started about 15 hours after brewing. I had the beer in my basement which is about 67-68 degrees most of the time. Airlock smelled good for the first couple of days and then turned funny, like just off and not staying on track like it should.

Let it sit in the primary for 8 days and then went to keg it and was greeted with a light white scum with dime sized bubbles, no pics. It smelled like cider vinegar, also it was very hazy and wheat like in color. Tasted it and it was definitely tart. Then I made a mistake thinking, or not thinking, and racked it to a corny. Started to think, I'm never going to drink this even if it gets slightly better, and dumped it. I broke down the keg and soaked everything in hot PBW and then homemade PBW (TSP-90 and Oxyclean).

I made a batch of IPA after this one in a different pale, with a heftier grain bill, but thank goodness dumped my wort instead of racked into the fermenter because I suspect my auto siphon as the carrier.

So should I discard the auto siphon along with the tubing. How about my plastic paddle?

I brewed this outside under my porch, but it was a very misty day. In hindsight I don't think this was a great idea. Heavier moisture in the air makes me think that all kinds of things are carried and deposited versus drier still air.

I plan on bleach bombing the fermenter and Star San for the keg.

Sound like Acetobacterium?

I had an infection too and I ended up just getting a new racking cane and bucket/lid but kept the (possibly infected) one as my StanSan mix holder (labeled it with an X). Is your plastic paddle safe to boil? If so I would just boil it to kill anything in it. I use a stainless steel spoon for stirring the wort, but use a plastic one for doughing in.

 

[scootchu]

I would assume the plastic paddle is safe to boil and I will use it pre-boil from now on and get a stainless spoon for the wort. Good idea on using the fermenter as a Star San bucket after I bleach/vinegar bomb it. I am so glad that this happened on a cheap grain bill beer.

 

[FVillatoro]

I passed the infection into 3 different beers that weren't too expensive, but also not cheap
But hey... that's how we learn!

I now mix StarSan with distilled water and it lasts forever and keep the 6 gallon fermentor filled with it and it makes sanitizing so much faster and easier- btw get a spray bottle for StarSan if you don't have one :rockin:

My infection was due to my really crappy Los Angeles tap water that was rendering the StanSan nearly useless and it made it get super cloudy and fall to the bottom.