does this look infected #65677847765

[gmcastil]

Yes.. I use a plastic primary, no bad at all. Have a rinse-after-use sanitiser, of which there are no problems. But I don't scrub my gear, I let it soak in sanitiser for at least 2 hours then rub it.

Not to be hyper-critical or anything, but sanitizer is not the same thing as a cleaner or detergent. Simply soaking your gear, particularly plastic gear, in sanitizer is not really the best way to clean it. Plus, long periods of time in sanitizer can actually lead to damage of plastic parts.

I suspect that if you used something like PBW or Oxyclean to clean your parts, you wouldn't have to rub it all.

 

[Mase]

You could also ferment in a bag using the bum bucket. Makes yeast harvesting and clean up a snap as well.

 

[Krazykripple]

the sour cherry sounds like it could be good although i've never tried a sour beer. i have about 10 Litres (2.5 gallons?) of the infected porter, how many cherries should i use? would the canned variety be ok since they're out of season down under? i'm glad i don't have to ditch this right away

 

[Fid]

I honestly can't give any real great advise as I've never brewed a sour so I really only know what I've read.
Check this site out though:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/brewing-sour-beer-at-home.html
Theres alot of good info on fermenting sours along with a list of recipes to look at for some ideas. If I'm not mistaken he is also a fellow HBT'r.

 

[microbusbrewery]

the sour cherry sounds like it could be good although i've never tried a sour beer. i have about 10 Litres (2.5 gallons?) of the infected porter, how many cherries should i use? would the canned variety be ok since they're out of season down under? i'm glad i don't have to ditch this right away

Assuming it's lacto or some other "good" organism, I'd let it go a few months before adding cherries. Cherries can be expensive so let it go for a few months then taste it to make sure it's worth adding cherries to. Canned, frozen, or even dried pie/tart cherries should be fine. Just make sure they don't have any additives or preservatives that could cause problems in beer. With dried, sometimes they spray them with a light coating of oil (e.g vegetable, sunflower) to keep them from sticking. Do a minimum of 1 pound per gallon.

 

[SGFBeerBuzz]

You may want to consider moving to a glass carboy, or plastic better bottle. Lots of people use plastic buckets, and that's fine. If you're like me and you want to see your beer fermenting, the traditional carboy is the way to go.

I've always understood that breaking that pellicle will help acetobacter gain a hold an turn your beer into more of a vinegar sour rather than a lactic or Brett sour. The pellicle is there to protect the beer from oxygen, and racking to another container would not only break the pellicle but also introduce additional oxygen and bacteria to the batch. I would think that would be undesirable.

 

[Pie_Man]

I've always understood that breaking that pellicle will help acetobacter gain a hold an turn your beer into more of a vinegar sour rather than a lactic or Brett sour. The pellicle is there to protect the beer from oxygen, and racking to another container would not only break the pellicle but also introduce additional oxygen and bacteria to the batch. I would think that would be undesirable.

I meant that the OP may want to consider using (moving to) a carboy in the future as they asked about new equipment and mentioned they like to check on the fermentation. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm not an expert on sours (except for drinking them), but I believe you are correct. I think you're supposed to wait until the pellicle "falls" into the beer before doing anything.

 

[SGFBeerBuzz]

Fair enough. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Fennis]

no, just the brush i normally use to do my dishes, but even that might be too much

Is it a similar brush or the same one you use to do your dishes? If it is the same one, that is a huge part of the problem. There is an episode of mythbusters where they did a test on household objects and bacteria, and the number 1 worst source of bacteria was the sponge you use to clean your dishes. So, I imagine a brush used to do dishes harbors about the same types and amount of bacteria.

To clean my plastic fermenter, I use a microfiber wash cloth to do all the 'scrubbing'. It cleans without scratching and when I am done, I just throw it in with the laundry. Then I sanitize with a no-rinse sanitizer such as Star San or Idophor. I haven't had an infected batch yet doing it this way.

 

[soberJim]

I meant that the OP may want to consider using (moving to) a carboy in the future as they asked about new equipment and mentioned they like to check on the fermentation. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm not an expert on sours (except for drinking them), but I believe you are correct. I think you're supposed to wait until the pellicle "falls" into the beer before doing anything.

I've been told to bottle before the pellicle even forms, yet after final gravity is reached; that creating a better base for the carbonation side of things, giving a head most bought beers have.. but I really don't think it makes a massive difference unless open brewing, where there's a more definite time frame of when the brew should get bottled. Apparently... Same source there, so I'm unsure. Maybe this whole message is a waste of internet space, and this explanation isn't making it any less.

 

[Krazykripple]

i accidentally sloshed the beer while moving it and the pellicle broke up, so i just added a can of cherries which i boiled for a few mins. I'll check on it in a few months. in the meanwhile i've got a new fermenter and a bottle of starsan on the way

 

[soberJim]

Not to be hyper-critical or anything, but sanitizer is not the same thing as a cleaner or detergent. Simply soaking your gear, particularly plastic gear, in sanitizer is not really the best way to clean it. Plus, long periods of time in sanitizer can actually lead to damage of plastic parts.

I suspect that if you used something like PBW or Oxyclean to clean your parts, you wouldn't have to rub it all.

The sanitiser I use is the recommended one for the setup I have (sodium percarbonate), its a relatively weak mix so requires a minimum of 2 hours for it to sanitise, although over night is preferable; followed by a solid flow of water to rinse thoroughly.. To get the dried krausen off I use dissolved alkaline salts, they don't have anywhere near as much contact time