Identify the bug?

[drksky]

I drew a gallon of my Chocolate Milk Stout from the keg and wanted to add some fresh cherries to it. Everything was sanitized. I pitted and roughly chopped the cherries and soaked them in vodka for about three days (in the fridge). Added the cherries, vodka and juice all to the one gallon fermenter and capped it with an air lock.

After a couple of weeks, this is what happened. Any ideas? Is it a dumper?

 

[texwake]

Hmmm looks like something was overlooked in the sensitization department. Lots of questions: Did you add the cherries before or after fermentation? ...You said you drew it from your keg so I'm assuming after....was it already carbonated? Was the keg sealed or did it have a airlock? I'm just wondering why you went from a keg to a carboy.

 

[drksky]

Hmmm looks like something was overlooked in the sensitization department. Lots of questions: Did you add the cherries before or after fermentation? ...You said you drew it from your keg so I'm assuming after....was it already carbonated? Was the keg sealed or did it have a airlock? I'm just wondering why you went from a keg to a carboy.

Yes, already fermented and carbonated. I wanted to experiment a bit with what I had in the keg. Keg was sealed and had been pulling drafts from it. No off flavors or weirdness before or after pulling this gallon. The plan was to let the cherries soak for a couple of weeks then bottle condition.

 

[passedpawn]

haha, very interesting. Looks like you've got a fine experiment going there. Normally I'd say dump it, but my best sour beers (intentional sours) had cherries added to them. Cherries favorably augment Flanders Reds. So, in this case, maybe give it a few months to finish and try it.

BTW, it looks like you've got an active krausen under the Bubbles of Shame there. I'm really surprised it got infected, especially because of the CO2 content in the beer that should have been evolving from the beer and filling the headspace.

 

[drksky]

My thoughts as well. It is possible that I might have had a hand in it, though. I had taken a sample (with a thief) a couple days prior to this picture. I hit everything with StarSan: Thief (inside and out), cap and airlock before and after removal, my hands, etc.

My plan now was to let it sit until around Christmas and get another sample and see what's going on. I've got it tucked in a dark corner of the basement to do what it will.

 

[djonesax]

Unless you disassembled, cleaned, and sanitized it, my guess is that you picked something up from the inside of the tap while filling the carboy.

David

 

[drksky]

Hmmmm...interesting theory. If I do this again, I'll use a loose hose with a picnic tap to draw off the keg.

Although, I fill bottles all the time using a BMBF connected to a growler filler adapter stuffed into the tap and have never had a problem.