Fermenting question for a newbie

[big boy brewing]

So its been over 10 years since my last brew. I have 5 gallons fermenting away since Saturday afternoon. Checked this morning and still going strong, bent down to check temp and noticed the inside of the carboy on the sides look like it has a film over it and smells very strong sour smell. I bought this system used and cleaned everything before using, used star scan to sanitize everything before and during the brew. Worried this smell and film could be an infection. What's everyone thoughts? I will try to get a picture tonight and attach it. Thanks in advance.

 

[mac_1103]

People smell things differently, but if it really smells sour then you probably made a sour beer. Only way to know for sure is to let it finish and taste it.

 

[Dgallo]

The film is probably just yeast that stuck to the side of the fermenter. It’s possible you didn’t rinse it well enough and their some residue left by what you used to clean it.

Smelling sour, that could likely be a lactobacillus. You won’t know until you taste it. You could sanitize a ladle and taste it now or just let it finish and try it. That will be definitive if it’s soured

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

As noted it's best to just let it run it's course unless you can taste a sample to be sure

What style of beer are you brewing? Depending on that there might be some ways to save it if it's not really bad. I've had some less than stellar beers that have been saved with some fruit extract. Some can be saved, some feed the septic tank.

 

[BrewerofBeers]

What you see sounds like a krausen film, no? Smelling yeast during fermentation isn't always nice. It can be sulfurous, sour, mildewy, cardboardy, cidery... all sorts of stuff. Taste is a much better indicator of the beer quality but even that changes as time goes on and the yeast finish up.

What yeast is it? Different yeast are known for different things.

 

[BrewZer]

Before you ferment again, mix a strong bleach/cold water solution and fill that carboy to the rim. Let it sit overnight then rinse in hot water.

WARNING: dropped/exploding carboys can be extremely dangerous! Use a crate or cradle to move your carboy around!

 

[refect]

So its been over 10 years since my last brew. I have 5 gallons fermenting away since Saturday afternoon. Checked this morning and still going strong, bent down to check temp and noticed the inside of the carboy on the sides look like it has a film over it and smells very strong sour smell. I bought this system used and cleaned everything before using, used star scan to sanitize everything before and during the brew. Worried this smell and film could be an infection. What's everyone thoughts? I will try to get a picture tonight and attach it. Thanks in advance.

First thing. Stop opening it up and exposing it to oxygen. Oxidation will stale your beer post fermentation. You also increase chances of infection from constantly opening your vessel if its not already infected. You are likely fine and don't have an infection though. I've had krausen never fully drop and leave a thin layer on top of the beer. It will also be caked onto the sides as it drops.

As others have mentioned, yeast sometimes don't smell good. I've had some questionable smells coming from yeast blow off, but it all ended up delicious in the end. Last time I used helio gazer, those guys were exploding out of my blow off tube. The bucket with all the blow off smelled pretty sour, but the beer was exploding with grape fruit/passion fruit from the yeast.

I'd stop messing with it and let it finish up. Sample at bottling/kegging and determine what is going on from there. If gravity drops unreasonably low from your target and it tastes pretty sour then you'll know it was infected. However, you'll likely be happy with the end result.

 

[MaxStout]

Anytime I buy used gear I assume it's been through the worst. Maybe stored for years in a dank, musty cellar, for all I know. Starsan won't be enough to kill some of the stuff that might be lurking. As @BrewZer suggested, a good bleach soak is a good idea.

BTW, while bleach is fine for glass, it's not a good choice for stainless steel, as it can corrode it. If you have stainless equipment, iodophor is a good choice. Mixed to disinfectant strength (>100ppm), it will kill better than Starsan. At that strength, it needs to be rinsed.

 

[ncbrewer]

Some of Palmer's best advice from How to Brew, 4th Edition "If you keep messing with it, you will probably screw it up."