Infected IPA - An Opportunity in Disguise

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SeamusMac

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Hey all,

I brewed up a 2.5 gallon batch of Sam Calagione's Imperial Pale Ale a couple of months back and it still remains in bulk aging. I had to move this beer a lot, 4 transfers to be exact and somewhere a long the way it picked up some unexpected guests. The infection looks similar to the one pictured below, although not as widespread.

2826541577_c1f0a44a51.jpg


I thought that it may have been the hop oil bubbling up from the depths but I've inspected it numerous times and I've noticed pellicle-like structures hanging below the surface. That's something, which doesn't come up in discussions about hop oils in beer...

None the less I'm excited to try something new! I'm going to tuck the beer away for a long time, perhaps 6 months as the infection is only young. Is there anything I should do to facilitate the growth of the bacteria? Also, when the time comes should I dry-hop as per the original recipe?

Pics will be up tomorrow.
 
I'm interested to see how it comes out. I'd probably still dry hop as it might mask any undesirable flavors. You might want to grab a wine theif and steal some out to taste. That might give you a better indication of both it's later suitability for drinking and hopping plans.
 
I'm interested to see how it comes out. I'd probably still dry hop as it might mask any undesirable flavors. You might want to grab a wine theif and steal some out to taste. That might give you a better indication of both it's later suitability for drinking and hopping plans.

Thanks for the suggestion dantose. I'll take a bit out to test when I'm taking pictures this evening.
 
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