Infection brewing?

[thesanch]

Here's some background... Brewed my Holiday Ale on Saturday 1/10. Last Saturday 1/17, I took off the air lock for the first time to take a gravity reading. The gravity had come down to the recipe's prediction of 1.014. During the time I was extracting some beer using a sanitized turkey baster, I had the carboy's stopper sitting upside down on a nearby book shelf. I took what I needed for the hydrometer reading, and reapplied the stopper without sanitizing it again. It still had some krausen on it... I refilled the airlock with some sanitizing solution and popped it back up on.

Today I take a look at it, and am seeing some strange stuff (at least to me). It looks like there's some white stuff forming around the edge and other particles on the sides of the carboy that I didn't notice before. There has been of a heat wave recently. The temp probably hit 73/74 where the carboy is kept.

Hope this is one of those RDWHAHB moments. Click on the pictures for a bigger version.

 

[Pi Kapp Beer Guy]

I think this looks like trub. I would say that you should be pretty safe considering your wort has already made it through most of the fermentation process. This being the case the alcohol already present should prevent any infection from taking hold. But thats just me...

 

[oinyo]

OMG what is that horrid stuff?!

 

[frolickingmonkey]

Trub, hop resin, etc. You should be fine!

 

[WBC]

I would not worry about it as it is most likely yeast or trub. If it becomes infected you will know because it will not taste right after proper aging. During fermentation the yeast are multiplied and somewhat prevents infections because there are so many yeast already active in the wort along with lots of hops.

 

[Warped04]

This is what an infection looks like:

You just have some normal beer activity sticking to your carboy. It's normal.

 

[flyangler18]

My infection is better than your infection!

In all seriousness, what the OP is showing looks perfectly normal. In my case, this infection was purposeful as I was making a Berliner Weisse (recipe in my pull-down!), a type of sour beer.

 

[JoeMama]

But what is so funny is the fact that many a great beer have come from concoctions like those. (Ive read plenty) Ive gotten to the point of where I dont worry about if my batches are infected or not. You will more than know when you crack one open and taste it. Whats the worst thats gonna happen to me? Im going to get a swig of some goat piss? I think ive tasted worse in the Navy...
-Me

 

[Revvy]

You're fine...Fermentation is often ugly, and stinky stuff...and 99.95% of the time all is well. Despite what we may do..

Check out my thread on the subject...

Our beer is hardier than we think it is...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

You also may get something out of this thread as well...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/has-anyone-ever-messed-up-batch-96644/

It should help invoke a state or RDWHAHB in you.

 

[maltMonkey]

Looks 100% normal to me.

 

[Grinder12000]

Even this is not an infection - came out to be an awesome beer.

Different yeast will give you different looks

I get what the OP has all the time.

 

[thesanch]

How long did those infections take to set in and make it look like that?

 

[thesanch]

Thank you to all who responded with reassuring comments. I just hope my first batch is not slowly turning for the worse.

I plan on taking another Hydrometer reading this Saturday, and give it another taste. Hopefully the reading will be the same as last Saturday and it'll taste even better. This time though, I'll sanitize the stopper before putting it back on as an extra precaution.

 

[Warped04]

Thank you to all who responded with reassuring comments. I just hope my first batch is not slowly turning for the worse.

I plan on taking another Hydrometer reading this Saturday, and give it another taste. Hopefully the reading will be the same as last Saturday and it'll taste even better. This time though, I'll sanitize the stopper before putting it back on as an extra precaution.

I think you have too high of expectations of what your beer is supposed to taste like in the fermentor. Get a bottle of your favorite commercial brew, open it up, let it go flat, warm it up to 67 (or whatever your fermentation temperature is) and taste it.

Let the beer finish, get it into bottles, let it carb and chill before you judge it's taste. :rockin:

 

[Revvy]

I think you have too high of expectations of what your beer is supposed to taste like in the fermentor. Get a bottle of your favorite commercial brew, open it up, let it go flat, warm it up to 67 (or whatever your fermentation temperature is) and taste it.

Let the beer finish, get it into bottles, let it carb and chill before you judge it's taste. :rockin:

Yes!!!

It's really difficult for someone, especially on their first few brews to know what green (and yet still normal) beer as opposed to bad beer tastes like, especially warm and uncarbed. I recommend that people go ahead and taste, but not to judge/stress out about[/i] their beers until it's been at least three weeks in the bottle...sometimes even a little longer.

You won't be getting an accurate measure of your beer at this stage....

 

[thesanch]

When I tasted it on Saturday, it tasted like flat, warm beer with a distinct alcohol flavor. I really didn't have any expectations at all. Just taking it one step at a time. I'm not going to compare my warm uncarbed beer with that of a chilled, carbed, craft beer... that would just be silly.

When I said that, I just meant that hopefully it'll be better/same as my previous tasting, and not worse (if there really is an infection).

 

[thesanch]

I recommend that people go ahead and taste, but not to judge/stress out about their beers until it's been at least three weeks in the bottle...sometimes even a little longer.

You won't be getting an accurate measure of your beer at this stage....

That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Just trying to experience the taste and smell of each stage of my beer.

 

[JoeMama]

That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Just trying to experience the taste and smell of each stage of my beer.

LOL Be careful how far you take this! My first batch was so tasty when it was green, most of it was gone by the time is was 'ready'. Ask Revvy about this - its one of his favorite bedtime stories.
-Me

 

[thesanch]

LOL Be careful how far you take this! My first batch was so tasty when it was green, most of it was gone by the time is was 'ready'. Ask Revvy about this - its one of his favorite bedtime stories.
-Me

hehe - good advice. I'm going to tell SWMBO to hide a few bottles from me just to make sure I save a few.

 

[Revvy]

LOL Be careful how far you take this! My first batch was so tasty when it was green, most of it was gone by the time is was 'ready'. Ask Revvy about this - its one of his favorite bedtime stories.
-Me

I know how hard it is...but it's one of those things where patience will be rewarded. You think I'm not immune??

Read this...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/1071263-post322.html

But I know that if I like it now...I'm going to really love it after it's carbed and conditioned...and I'm willing to wait. That's why if I have a gap in pipeline, rather than guzzeling the unfinished beer, I go on "research expiditions" to the bottle shop for mix sixers...I get to try new beers (to get ideas to brew) and I also get to add to my bottle stock.