Fruit Flys AND larva in primary

[WahineArt]

Well, this is the worst that's happened in my brewing history (which is only 1 year old).

Tonight I went to transfer a Blonde Ale that's been in the primary for 1 month into a secondary and, while I was racking into the secondary, I noticed something moving on the lid from the primary. Then I noticed more light brown dots moving and panic started setting in. Upon finishing racking to secondary I grabbed my glasses and my wife's better eyes to view the moving creature and it looked like a tiny larvae, then another... Next I inspected the primary around the trub line and could see 12-16 dead fruit flies stuck to the side of the primary bucket.

When I originally filled the primary with wort there were no flies around. I did periodically check it, maybe 3-4 times during a one month period. I am deducing that probably early on a fly got in and reproduced and that's how I ended up with a primary full of flies and some larva.

I know there's people who will say go for it, the alcohol will kill the bad stuff but I did taste the brew and it was sour. I'm not too familiar with the taste of uncarbonated beer but the little experience I have, none have had a sour taste. I am dumping it tomorrow, it's too late tonight and I'm depressed

 

[jbaysurfer]

Dump it. It's happen to all of us. Not everybody always dumps their bad beer, but that's their problem.

Someone will probably tell you to age it LOL.

And truthfully, I bet it's perfectly safe to drink. Primate eat grubs (larvae) in nature all the time, and it's a survival tactic that humans use too. But that said, I would not serve larvae beer (although you could probably come up with a clever name). Sorry WahineArt.

The brewing is the best part anyway. I'd just clean like a MF'er and brew a replacement batch asap. Try to figure out how they got in there too.

Aloha.

 

[Justintoxicated]

maybe they got in through a starter?

 

[WahineArt]

jbaysurfer - Yes, I did clean like a MoFo tonight :rockin:. I grabbed some bottled beers and got in the cleaning zone, hope I got it all. I'm using plastic buckets but I don't have any scratches, at least that I can see in them, so I should be good for my batch.

Two ways the flies could've gotten in I believe. I remember checking one time and maybe my seal wasn't good and I fixed it (but obviously too late). The other possibility was I checked it and the fly entered then. My fermentor fridge is in the garage, so is the garbage cans. They are far away but things happen!

Justintoxicated - I don't think that's a possibility because I was really careful with my starter but ya never know

 

[WahineArt]

12 flies on the side of the primary probably equals 40 in the brew. 3 larva maggots crawling on the inside top lid probably means 2 hundred drowned in the brew.

Maybe I could call it Blonde Larvae Lager?

 

[Justintoxicated]

I had fruit flies sneak into my starter under the foil somehow, I had it on there pretty good too, but there must have been a tiny opening somewhere. Now I use a foam stopper.

 

[WahineArt]

Justintoxicated - Good advice! I will give a foam stopper a try. I'm using a rubber stopper that never seems to fit properly, thanks!

 

[passedpawn]

I'd dump. I have no problem with bugs, but they carry bacteria (acetobacter, namely) that can ruin your beer.

OK, I do have a problem with larvae / maggots. Screw that. I'd dump that so fast on the grass and never look back.

 

[BrewerBear]

I have never been one to dump a batch, but this sounds like one even I would dump. I have found then in my airlock but none have made it into my wort(yet or hopefully ever)

 

[passedpawn]

You're not the first to be surprised by maggots: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/yellow-white-creepy-crawly-things-my-beer-130714/

 

[WahineArt]

You're not the first to be surprised by maggots: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/yellow-white-creepy-crawly-things-my-beer-130714/

Yes, this sounds exactly like what happened to me.

 

[ChessRockwell]

Fruit flies... Those little bastards will find ANY way they can to get to the good stuff. I just bottled a batch yesterday and was looking in the airlock before I opened it. There were 3 or 4 dead in the starsan, which is normal for this time of year here, but one was stuck on the wall of the airlock, way above the starsan level on the OTHER side, like he somehow made it through the liquid and was crawling up the wall towards the beer... they're EEEEEEEEEVIL!!

 

[goldy81]

I haven't had maggots INSIDE a primary, but had one around the t-shirt that covered the carboy. (I used swamp cooler). Needless to say I started putting Bleach into the water after that.