I Got an Infection...I think....What do you think? (pics)

[ScrewBrew]

I so brewed some Graff late September and life and kids got in the way, so I haven't had a chance to bottle it until recently. Its been sitting on the yeast cake for almost three months (whoops).

There is something in my carboy that I've never seen before and I'm not sure if its an infection or some yeast byproduct. Nothing inside appears fuzzy.

Its been looking like this for a month with no change. Temperatures in my house fluctuate but the beer has been in storage between 64 and 72 degrees.

Here are some pictures. When I took the airlock off I took a whiff.....nothing out of the ordinary with my quick sniff. Smelt like cider.

 

[Moose_MI]

Yes...stop showing off. Looks great!

 

[ScrewBrew]

So do I have a cider infused version of Anthrax growing in there or just a happy protective layer made by yeast?

I had an aggressive fermentation leading to my blow off tube being blown off. So the carboy sat without an airlock during fermentation for up to 12 hours while I was at work.

There may have been some fruit flies that got in there as well.....it was that time of year.

That was a fun mess to clean up.

 

[RM-MN]

The second picture looks like a lacto infection. Take a hydrometer sample and taste it when you are done.

 

[nettekdl]

To me it definitely looks infected, that broken ice look is never a good thing. Also, that is way too much head space

 

[FVillatoro]

100% an infection... I know because I got one of those too some time ago.
The beer definitely had an off-ester that mellowed out-somewhat after some months of aging - never went away completely.

 

[ScrewBrew]

So if its a lacto infection.....all that does is add a sour milk taste right?

This is my first infection and I don't want to dump my beer. If it smell okay and tastes okay its okay right? We will see....I plan to bottle tonight.

I will enlist the wife to help taste without telling her there might be something wrong and see if she picks up on anything.

 

[bolus14]

From the pics I wouldn't say it's 100% infected. The really white stuff makes me think it is, but the top of the beer itself I have seen and mine wasn't infected. Especially if you added anything with oils, like chocolate, vanilla beans, etc.

 

[Sourz4life]

Looks to be some sort. But the pellicle its forming is no indicator of what it is as hundreds of thousands of micro organism's cause them. If it tastes good just roll with it.

 

[GPP33]

Also, that is way too much head space

What? Maybe in secondary but not for primary. I wish my carboys were big enough to have that much head space and still leave me with enough beer to fill a keg.

 

[nettekdl]

What? Maybe in secondary but not for primary. I wish my carboys were big enough to have that much head space and still leave me with enough beer to fill a keg.

I agree it is acceptable for primary, but not sitting for 3 months

 

[ScrewBrew]

So I've got an update. I don't think it was infected.

The aroma was normal and no bad tastes. It finished at 1.000 so it was pretty tart, almost as tart as strait apple cider instead of graff.

The other graff's I've done finish at 1.010 or so. This one attenuated completely and is a bit thin on mouthfeel.

I think I will let it sit in the bottle for another month or two to mellow out a bit.

I'm going to chalk this one up to experience.