Good Infection or Bad Infection

[Mainer]

I'm working on my first sour, and it's been a hell of a ride. I pitched lacto, but didn't get much acid. I pitched brett and didn't get much funk. So I pitched a few pounds of raspberries to put come acidity in this thing. A couple weeks later, I'm starting to get this stringy growth where the floating berries meet the neck. Is this what I've been trying to get all along, or is this something unwanted that the raspberries put in my beer?

 

[Mainer]

I realize I posted this pretty late on a Friday night, so I'm gonna bump it and see if anybody has thoughts.

 

[Agate]

Nothing to worry about, pellicles can be weird sometimes. Even if something were alive on the berries, it'll have a tough time competing in there with the alcohol and brett.

 

[Dcpcooks]

How long did you wait for the Lacto and Brett? When did you brew this? You've got wild yeast on the raspberries plus other stuff? Did you soak the berries in vodka or take them to a quick boil? The only reason I ask these questions is if you rushed this you may have other wild bugs in play. What was your gravity when you pitched the berries?

 

[millsbrew]

Why would he need to boil if adding to a secondary with alcohol and a low pH already? Wouldn't a quick freeze kill anything and break the cell walls down without driving off the flavors?

 

[Mainer]

How long did you wait for the Lacto and Brett? When did you brew this? You've got wild yeast on the raspberries plus other stuff? Did you soak the berries in vodka or take them to a quick boil? The only reason I ask these questions is if you rushed this you may have other wild bugs in play. What was your gravity when you pitched the berries?

OG was 1.039. Gave the lacto 14 days on its own, then pitched kolsch. Gave that combo about two months. Then the brett for about six weeks. Gravity had been fairly stable at 1.007 before I pitched the berries, with no sanitization.

 

[Mainer]

OG was 1.039. Gave the lacto 14 days on its own, then pitched kolsch. Gave that combo about two months. Then the brett for about six weeks. Gravity had been fairly stable at 1.007 before I pitched the berries, with no sanitization.

Or something like that. Brewed this in mid-Feb. I'm out of town for the weekend, so don't have my brew journal in front of me. But it's been at least 3 months. Prob closer to 4.