Fermentation/Infection Question

[tapthis]

Just to give you an idea of my experience, I am on my 7th extract brew right now.

I brewed an Oatmeal Chocolate Stout that I let sit in the Primary for 7 days. And when I transferred my beer to the secondary this last Saturday (Feb 2), the air lock was bubbling once every 3-5 minutes when I did the transfer.

My question is, what are the chances that the yeast started fermenting faster again after they initially slowed? The air lock has picked back up bubbling (once every 2 minutes give or take) and there was a nice layer of foam on top of the beer again.

What concerns me is, yesterday when I checked my secondary there were just a few floaties/minimal foam lacing and I am afraid that what is happening might be a sign of an infection. I just haven't seen/heard of something like this happening before

Thanks in advance

 

[Upthewazzu]

It's mostly just off-gassing. As long as you had hit FG, then you're fine.

 

[frazier]

"Good" floaties look like little tan flakes on the surface, with nothing connecting them.. "Bad" floaties involve gray fuzzy or hairy dusty looking film, with tentacles stretching across the surface.

The idea that your fermentation might appear to kick off again after transfer is because the agitation involved will shake things up, put yeast back into suspension. Generally it's best to wait on the transfer until the beer has reached a stable gravity, i.e. it's done. Every time you touch the beer, you introduce risk of infection, oxidation, etc. I'm a believer in the idea that you only do a secondary if there's a good reason. YMMV.

Cheers!

 

[tapthis]

"Good" floaties look like little tan flakes on the surface, with nothing connecting them.. "Bad" floaties involve gray fuzzy or hairy dusty looking film, with tentacles stretching across the surface.

The idea that your fermentation might appear to kick off again after transfer is because the agitation involved will shake things up, put yeast back into suspension. Generally it's best to wait on the transfer until the beer has reached a stable gravity, i.e. it's done. Every time you touch the beer, you introduce risk of infection, oxidation, etc. I'm a believer in the idea that you only do a secondary if there's a good reason. YMMV.

Cheers!

The floaties I have are the "good" floaties, I have been playing on this site (and google searches) throughout work all day trying to figure out whats going on. I thought it might have been the agitation that kicked back up the yeast, it just has been around 5 days since the transfer and it is just now starting to get noticeably quicker fermentation. that just makes me nervous.

And my gravity was stable at 1.020 when I checked it before the transfer (and the estimated final gravity for the kit i bought was 1.018).

 

[Dark_Ale]

The first time I brewed a stout I thought I had a infection....but it was just the yeast finishing up. The White Circles were just really small bubbles.