Dark day in the brewery...

[nickster51]

"after the first 5-8 days it appeared that there was NO pressure in the airlock"

I know fermentation isn't determined by air lock activity, but did you guys have specific gravity readings throughout? Could the yeast have died/been bad/not fermented?

I could be way off... but everything else has been questioned...

 

[TheMan]

You know...we didn't even check the final gravity to know if it had done anything. After seeing and smelling it we decided we didn't want the stuff touching any more of our equipment than it already had. We tasted it and it wasn't like there was a tiny sourness, it was just disgusting, so we dumped it.

 

[carnevoodoo]

You know...we didn't even check the final gravity to know if it had done anything. After seeing and smelling it we decided we didn't want the stuff touching any more of our equipment than it already had. We tasted it and it wasn't like there was a tiny sourness, it was just disgusting, so we dumped it.

tart or vinegar? My guess is closer to vinegar.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

It is unlikely that the problem is with the yeast given that there were four batches. We used a different yeast packet and different type of yeast for each of the four batches. Also the first 2-3 days were very active so I am sure that they got going initially

Anyone else use buckets for secondary???? Have you noticed the lack of airlock pressure when using the buckets for secondary? Just wondering if this is normal or not.

I hate to force the blame on the buckets but we have done a lot of batches in carboys (60 something gallons +). Even the early batches where we were definately less than scientific in our process ...... ie. stuff dropped on floor, mouth siphon, etc. did not have infections.

Our process has improved significantly since then and no infections prior to this bucket issue so I am kind of baffled by this mass infection.

 

[Grinder12000]

With the lack of any real answer I would say EVEN THOUGH it might not be the problem. don't use the buckets again. Just for your state of mind.

I've never trusted buckets but I know that is only my brain tricking me as they are used by millions.

The one thing that should be learned here.

You need a ton of facts to figure out something like this. Photos, FG readings, taste,and so forth.

 

[KillerKellers]

I use buckets all the time.. my guess would be that the star san you put in the airlock (the ones that turned moldy) wasn't mixed up well enough or diluted too far, or something like that. Once the airlock went moldy, all it would take is a little suck back and you are exposed.

I use the cheapest vodka I can find for my airlocks, and never worry about it.

As far as the buckets, I would use them again... but I would bleach the **** out of them first. Same with the siphon. I would ditch anything that could hide the mold, and super clean everything else (oxy clean, bleach, oxy clean, star san).

 

[-TH-]

You had to know that with a name like "yeast infection" it was going to happen someday...

 

[TheMan]

We will use the buckets again. It's the only way to know for sure. We'll make a cheap batch after cleaning the buckets VERY thoroughly. It is entirely possible that we missed sanitizing some little piece and that is what started it all.

I've searched the forum for an answer and found numerous infection pictures. I can't see that buckets are infected any more often than glass carboys. Judging by this fact, I have to conclude that we are doing a fine job sanitizing things regularly.

I'd say either we got a few bad buckets that aren't as airtight as supposed to, anyone use the morebeer buckets? Or we simply made a mistake in sanitization on the batch that coincidentaly was the batch we moved to using buckets. I think it's one or the other. Cleaning a bucket and using it again, ensuring that we sanitize everything extremely well will give us the answer I think.

 

[houndhome1]

how warm was the temp were u had them stored. If it was humid enough maybe it was condensation that formed and caused the mold from the plastic sweating?

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

I think I'm going with the star san in the air lock ....... These were the longest fermenting batches we have done so far.

They were brewed 7/19 and we opened them up to find the infection on 8/29 ...... 40 days later.

Star san in the airlock was not changed or added to during this time. Going back to the discussion on the age of the star san once diluted, it could have no longer been effective after nearly 6 weeks therefore allowing the mold to grow in the air lock.

Anyone else, more familiar with long fermentations have any input? Do you guys add more star san/vodka/whatever you use in your airlock when doing longer fermentations? I noticed that the solution in the air locks was crystal clear at the end like water and no longer had the light brownish color of star san.

 

[TheMan]

They are stored about 68-70 degrees. So that should rule the condensation thing out...

 

[Couevas]

I think I'm going with the star san in the air lock ....... I noticed that the solution in the air locks was crystal clear at the end like water and no longer had the light brownish color of star san.

Soooo, you are using the Iodine-based sanitizer product and not the clear, foamy star san concentrate. This makes sense now. The iodine-based sanitizers (the brownish color you mentioned) are only good while they still show this color. Once they go clear, they are ineffective. This happens in less than a day in a lot of cases. That product should only be used immediately.

It is definitely a possibility, IMHO, that your airlock sanitizer became ineffective within a few days, grew mold and had a little suck-back that caused your infection.

 

[COLObrewer]

I think I'm going with the star san in the air lock ....... These were the longest fermenting batches we have done so far.

This is what I vote for, that's why I started using vodka, because even if it sucks back (I have this problem more than anyone it seems), you won't have any problems.

 

[TheMan]

I believe you that this could be the cause. But, I don't understand, this is the way we've done it for months...no issues. Why suddenly would these brews have suck back? Are buckets more prone to suck back? I guess I'm just looking for why suck back occurs.

Cheap vodka is plenty easy to get, and VERY cheap. I think we will just do that. But I would like to know more about why the suck back happens still...

 

[rurounikitsune]

Suck back as often as not is an environmental issue. You can brew for months and have no problems with it, then get the right kind of weather, the barometric pressure or the temperature changes and bam. All your fermenters will suck back.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

What kind of star san creates the foam? I thought the brown iodine kind was the only kind. I always wondered when I saw these huge foam snakes that everyone talks about. I never understood how star san could foam based on my experiences with the idiodine version. I did not know that there was another kind of star san lol.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

nevermind .......... I found the foamy star san..... it was right next to the iodine star san .........

 

[carnevoodoo]

Star San makes an iodine sanitizer, or are we just mixing terms here?

 

[lmg95]

i believe earlier in the thread the OP stated he uses IOStar and not StarSan

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

freakin stars ......... I just call it all star san.

I stand corrected. The brown iodine kind is io star.

The foamy kind is star san.

Learn something new every day.................