I may have infected my wine somehow

[mythbustingpyro]

I started a batch of the potato wine from the wine recipe database. Its a 3 gallon batch (in a 5 gallon bucket). I let it had to let it cool overnight before pitching the yeast, and didn't get to it for a couple days. When I picked up the lid it had an inch or two layer of foam and smelled kinda sour. I pitched a packet of 71B anyways and it lost the sour smell a few days later.

I don't know where I could have gotten an infection, I starsan-ed everything. The only thing that didn't go according to plan is that the strainer fell into bucket on one of my pours and a few potato slices fell in (I got all but 2-3 back out)

Would you dump it? My cost analysis I do on every brew only puts it at costing $11 for the 3 gallons, but its going to be tying up my last 5gal fermenter for a while.

My last ferment in this bucket was a Rice Wine if its relevant.

 

[DoctorCAD]

You let it sit a "couple of days" without any protection...what did you expect? You wouldn't leave a pot of mashed potatos on the counter for a "couple of days" and expect to eat it, would you?

 

[bernardsmith]

You let it sit a "couple of days" without any protection...what did you expect? You wouldn't leave a pot of mashed potatos on the counter for a "couple of days" and expect to eat it, would you?

Completely agree with you.... BUT, let's say that the potato must has been contaminated and let's say that the bacteria contaminating have begun to break down some of the sugars in the must and let's say they are not life threatening bacteria or fungi. Might the kind of fermentation they provide not add to the complexity of the wine much like lambic beers? Might the pitched yeast now dominate the process and stop or slow the work of the contaminating bacteria? Of course, I am making assumptions here including the likelihood that the flavor and smell will be fine, but if the must has been contaminated unless you have even a poor reason to imagine that the contaminant is a health risk (e-coli, or botulism, for example) then why toss the liquor away. It may taste incredible. (I just saw someone claim that a good way to make elderflower wine is to add (amongst other things) vinegar.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

Actually, if I had potatoes sitting in a sealed cut container on the counter I would eat them (and have) but thats just me. The other parts of my life take precidence.

 

[Yooper]

It's a 3 gallon batch in a 5 gallon bucket? How long has it been in there? If it's been less than 5-7 days, that should be fine. Longer than that, and it's begging for contamination, though.

Did you use any sulfites/campden when mixing up the must? Letting it sit a couple of days, without any campden, is also a prime candidate for an infected batch.

Between the two issues, it would seem that this batch was not going to be able to fight off infection.

 

[mythbustingpyro]

It was around two days plus minus a few hours before the yeast was added.

I forgot the camden and sulfates on my last order, I thought the full volume being boiled would cover me overnight but life got in the way so it sat longer. It was really a spur of the moment brew, since my pot wasn't big enough for my beer kit.

 

[Yooper]

It was around two days plus minus a few hours before the yeast was added.

I forgot the camden and sulfates on my last order, I thought the full volume being boiled would cover me overnight but life got in the way so it sat longer. It was really a spur of the moment brew, since my pot wasn't big enough for my beer kit.

Well, I'm not sure which was the bigger issue, the lack of sulfites and keeping at room temperature without yeast added or the huge headspace. One would have probably caused the infection anyway, but taken together this batch wouldn't have had a change.

Bacteria and wild yeast LOVE oxygen and room temperatures!

 

[mythbustingpyro]

Thanks, lesson learned. Whats the max head space you would recommend for a bucket with wine? And next timeI buy ingredients I'll be sure to get some Camden.

I'll let this batch ride for a week and if it tastes off Ill dump it. Mayve ill get lucky and have a good tasting wild yeast or even some strange vinegar if not, then at least I got to eat the potatos.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks, lesson learned. Whats the max head space you would recommend for a bucket with wine? And next timeI buy ingredients I'll be sure to get some Camden.

I'll let this batch ride for a week and if it tastes off Ill dump it. Mayve ill get lucky and have a good tasting wild yeast or even some strange vinegar if not, then at least I got to eat the potatos.

NO headspace at all, once fermentation slows (after about day 5-7). For that, a carboy is a requirement. For one gallon batches, a big wine jug (the Carlo Rossi wines) would work great. For a three gallon batch, a 3 gallon carboy is a requirement.

 

[ACbrewer]

Boiling doesn't sterilize, it at best sanatizes (something about how much bacteria is left afterwards.) Before pressure sterlization (auto-claves) they had to boil 3 time - basically boil, let cool and boil again. The process is called Tyndallization (irrc). So say you have a good poil and kill 99.99% of the bacteria, that leaves .01%, well .01% of 100 million bacteria is ~10,000, which the yeast would dominate, but without the yeast, and 2 days, you have a good chance at growth. Bacteria can double every hour to 90 mins. Yeast is about 12 hours.


I don't think your headspace is as much of a problem, so much as a lack of chemical (camden) supressent. Usually it is recomened to beer makers to have about 20% head space - that is 1 to 1.5 gallons for a 5 gallon of wort. Hence brew buckets at 6.5gallons. Partly I'm sure it depends on compasition of the must. After all if you have lots of proteen, I'd expect more foam in the ferment. I've personally done much larger - like 2 or 3 gallons head for about 3 gallons of must, BUT I rapidly pitched (ie shortly after getting things in the fermentor).