FESTA BREW pasterized wort question

[willy1]

Hi,
On the weekend I started two batches of FESTA BREW. If you have brewed this before maybe you can answer a question I have regarding contamination when getting the 23 L of wort into a fermentation bucket...

The plastic cap for the wort can be difficult to take off without spilling. Before I pried it off I did sanitize it but I didn't expect the difficulty in getting the wort cleanly into a bucket. When I lifted the bag containing the wort I'm pretty cure some was spilling/draining down the side of the bag before getting in to the sanitized bucket. I don't think I got enough sanitizer solution onto the bag underneath the spout because I was not expecting this to happen... Has anybody had this happen? If so, I guess this situation will most likely lead to some sort of infection? Both batches seemed to be fermenting well but this morning the air locks has really slowed down and its only been two days since I pitched the starters.

Thanks.

 

[audger]

sure its possible that you got an infection from the outside of the bag being unsanitized, but most likely you are getting worked up over nothing. airlock activity is NOT a reliable indication of fermentation. if there is an infection, theres nothing you can do now anyway. most likely the yeast will overwelm any few bacteria that might have made it into the fermenter.

take gravity readings to know when fermentation is finished. or just let it go for 2 weeks and then bottle/keg/secondary it. a 2-3 day vigorous fermentation isnt uncommon.

 

[willy1]

Thanks. I'll hope for the best, hopefully it turns out OK. I'm rather new to brewing as this is only my 5th batch. Having lots of fun though. When I brewed on Friday night everything was going well until this happened, quickly became discouraged. I also lost a bunch of wort on the floor and then the spigot leaked over night as well. I guess you learn as you go.

 

[willy1]

Update if anybody is reading this thread:

Both batches tasted great when I bottled the other night. I did add some L DME and boiled some cascade pellets for 12min when I brewed. Also dry hopped with more cascade and oak chips. The festa brew is a quality kit, you don't really need to add anything. This was more an experiment. I saw a video on youtube of someone brewing festa and they siphoned the wort from the 6.5 Gallon bladder bag into a bucket rather than trying to pour it straight in like I did. can be harder than it sounds if you have had a few brews.