ESB seems to be refermenting 5-6 weeks later

[pd230soi]

Brewed an ESB (recipe at home) about 45 days ago, but very basic. Sat in primary at approx 62 degrees using WYEAST 1469-PC West Yorkshire Ale Yeast.

Moved it up onto a counter to siphon to bottle bucket and life got busy. I had popped open the lid to check gravity when my 3 year old did something silly. Never got back to it. Lid was placed back on but not snapped.

I went to past it last night (a week after popping lid), thought something smelled funky, and looked it.

It looks like a tan colored krausen little tiny volcanos popping up. I skimmed it off with a sanitized spoon and by morning it was back again.

While I do not yet have an FG and no picture, can anyone educate me?

I will check FG and taste it, but I really do not want infected bottle bombs going off near my kids play spaces....

Thanks
Jon

 

[Smokeater233]

Sounds to me like your original fermentation did not complete and the jostling helped rouse some of the yeast. Check your FG in a few days, but I'm willing to bet that's what is going on.

 

[pd230soi]

I really hope thats what it is. I was under the impression that once the wort was beer it was much harder to infect. Thus I didn't worry about snapping that lid down. I was really suprised to find a new activity in there....

 

[ultravista]

Fermentation picked up again after 45 days? Did you measure the gravity before bottling? In other words, were your numbers correct for the recipe?

 

[pd230soi]

Have not bottled it yet. I am just going to seal it back up and let it sit for another 2 weeks and then check the FG.

 

[Smokeater233]

I doubt you got an infection...I think you just hadn't hit your FG yet. Check in a week or so and I think all will be fine.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm not a believer in the "restarted fermentation by shaking". There are GOBS of yeast floating around in that wort. If there was anything to consume, they'd be doing it.

If the temperature changed before you saw renewed fermentation, all you are seeing is CO2 being released. This is probably what you're seeing.

It is also quite possible that you're seeing an infection beginning. First, don't bottle. Get a hydrometer and find out what is going on in there. They hydro is the only way. Don't bottle until it has stabilized for 3 days.

Your beer should not smell funky at all. It also won't smell or taste perfect.

 

[pd230soi]

I am just learning AG so my eff is not as good as it should be. In addition I have been seeing lots of trub in the pot so I was aiming for 6.5 G in BK at chilling time.

Kids and In-Laws visiting so I couldn't get to check FG. But the surface is again completly covered with tan lava looking gunk.

14 Lbs Base grain
.5 Lb 20L Crystal
4 Oz 120L Crystal
2 Oz EKG @ 60
1 Oz EKG @ 0
WYeast 1469 with Starter

OG = 1042 with 5.5 gallons in fermentor

 

[Smokeater233]

I'm not a believer in the "restarted fermentation by shaking". There are GOBS of yeast floating around in that wort. If there was anything to consume, they'd be doing it.

Hate to break it to you - but you need to believe it. I had a batch get stuck last year. Hydrometer confirmed it. I had the carboy sitting on a bench in my home office, and I decided to move it to the floor immediately next to the bench as I wanted to give it another week or so to ensure I could get no more out of the yeast and make use of the bench in the meantime. A few hours later I had a new layer of krausen. It wasn't CO2 gassing-off, krausen form when that happens - you only get the bubbles then. I'll admit it has happened just the one time, but temperature changes and other factors can and will put those little buggers to sleep, and rousing can occasionally wake'em up again...

 

[passedpawn]

Hate to break it to you - but you need to believe it. I had a batch get stuck last year. Hydrometer confirmed it. I had the carboy sitting on a bench in my home office, and I decided to move it to the floor immediately next to the bench as I wanted to give it another week or so to ensure I could get no more out of the yeast and make use of the bench in the meantime. A few hours later I had a new layer of krausen. It wasn't CO2 gassing-off, krausen form when that happens - you only get the bubbles then. I'll admit it has happened just the one time, but temperature changes and other factors can and will put those little buggers to sleep, and rousing can occasionally wake'em up again...

Well there's always something new with brewing. Thanks for your story.

 

[pd230soi]

This is what it looks like in the bucket right now around 50 days after brewing...

 

[Revvy]

That looks like a krausen to me...although most of the time when people post like this, they mean "my airlock is bubbling" which they don't seem to think that just moving the beer, WOULD CAUSE the airlock to bubble because they shook up the co2 in the trub layer.

But sometimes kicking up the yeasties if they are a little stuck, WILL cause this to happen.

 

[pd230soi]

Well, one of the guys I work with gave me good advice.... he said snap that lid back on and forget it for two more weeks then check the FG. I think thats the best course, but its just darn strange.

 

[Revvy]

Well, one of the guys I work with gave me good advice.... he said snap that lid back on and forget it for two more weeks then check the FG. I think thats the best course, but its just darn strange.

That's all you can do.....

 

[pd230soi]

And good beer at that.

I finally had time to bottle it and took a reading.
O.G. = 1042 @ 6 gallons
F.G. = 1001

I bottled it and stole a sip, hmmm, thats good. So I stole an entire pint.

I may repost in a month once its carb'd and cooled down in the fridge.

All right, so..... Thank you everyone.

 

[jsweet]

Thanks for updating us, it's always good to hear a happy ending

 

[passedpawn]

And good beer at that.

I finally had time to bottle it and took a reading.
O.G. = 1042 @ 6 gallons
F.G. = 1001

I bottled it and stole a sip, hmmm, thats good. So I stole an entire pint.

I may repost in a month once its carb'd and cooled down in the fridge.

All right, so..... Thank you everyone.

FG = 1.001? Yeast doesn't do that with wort. Not by itself. If those numbers are correct, there was some helperbacillus in there.

Maybe you meant 1.010?

 

[pd230soi]

i wondered about the "helperbacillus".

I swear it tastes good. It was no fooling just about 1000.

I think I was being generous saying 1001. Ok its always possible I'm crazy and reading my hmeter wrong, but I don't think so.

Can it get below 1000? I bottled it with 3 oz of suger to aim for style - with a helperbacillius can it get lower and create bottle bombs?

 

[jsweet]

I have heard saisons can get that low...

 

[passedpawn]

I have heard saisons can get that low...

Come to think of it, my ginger saison last year got nearly that low, but I added sugar. Wyeast 3711.

 

[jsweet]

Come to think of it, my ginger saison last year got nearly that low, but I added sugar. Wyeast 3711.

Yeah, I'm probably going to make a saison sometime this summer, and I was asking about yeasts... and several people recommended Wyeast 3711 for its very high attenuation, with one poster even claiming he/she got an FG of 0.999!

 

[passedpawn]

i wondered about the "helperbacillus".

I swear it tastes good. It was no fooling just about 1000.

I think I was being generous saying 1001. Ok its always possible I'm crazy and reading my hmeter wrong, but I don't think so.

Can it get below 1000? I bottled it with 3 oz of suger to aim for style - with a helperbacillius can it get lower and create bottle bombs?

Sugar will create a bunch of alcohol without leaving non-fermentables, so it will drive down your SG. It can get below 1.000, since the SG of ethyl alcohol is 0.787. With a bacterial infection, you can get very low SG and have bottle bombs unless they completely run out of sugars.

If it tastes good, and you don't have gushers, RDWHAHB. If you start getting overcarbed bottles, it's time to drink them down quickly.

BTW, I made up that helper term. I was trying to be clever and make a general term for bacterial infection.