treacheroustexan
Well-Known Member
So a little back story. I bought a grainfather in January and have been making some awesome beers. In July, I got my first infection. I dumped it and brewed another IPA and it turned out awesome. I cleaned everything really well with oxyclean and then sanitized with star san. I brewed an english mild after that and it showed signs of starting to become infected, but I drank it immediately and it tasted good. Brewed a pumpkin ale after that, and I opened the fermenter today after 3 weeks and pellicle...It was a little tart, but nothing too bad. Tasted decent. I kegged it today anyways.
I have no idea where this infection is coming from. A few thoughts... I ferment in a cool brewing bag, so my fermentation is enclosed in the bag the whole time. I can honestly admit I don't clean it very well. I have had some spilled beer from the airlock on the side walls of the bag, and while I scrub it down once in a while with water, I know the bag itself isn't 100% clean. Any chance wild yeast from the bag not being clean is getting into my fermenting beer and that could be causing the infection?
Another thought would be the way I am handling/rehydrating dry yeast. The beer that turned out good after the first infection was the only beer out of them to use liquid yeast. When I use dry yeast, I either don't rehydrate at all, or when I do rehydrate, I use my every day cooking measuring cup to rehydrate in. I always cover the measuring cup in star san though. I use hot tap water, so I don't boil when I rehydrate.
The third thought was maybe it was coming from my grainfather counter flow chiller. I don't think this is the case, but figured I would include it anyways and your thoughts are appreciated. Pre brew day, I run oxy clean and hot water through my grainfather/chiller. Flush with hot water a couple times. I hot loop the wort back into the grainfather (as instructed) before I start chilling to sanitize the counter flow chiller. When I clean up after brew day, I run more oxy and hot water through, flush with hot water, let air dry for a day and then put it back into storage. I don't believe this is the issue though.
I tossed my bucket/lid, airlock and autosiphon and will be replacing it all before I brew again on Saturday. I'l be buying a big mouth bubbler so I can watch the fermentation without wanting to open the lid. My brew will be a french saison so I won't be fermenting the cool brewing bag since I don't need temperature control, and I am making a liquid starter friday.
Moving forward, anything else I should replace before brewing? After pitching, I don't touch it or look at it until I keg it. Any ideas are appreciated!
I have no idea where this infection is coming from. A few thoughts... I ferment in a cool brewing bag, so my fermentation is enclosed in the bag the whole time. I can honestly admit I don't clean it very well. I have had some spilled beer from the airlock on the side walls of the bag, and while I scrub it down once in a while with water, I know the bag itself isn't 100% clean. Any chance wild yeast from the bag not being clean is getting into my fermenting beer and that could be causing the infection?
Another thought would be the way I am handling/rehydrating dry yeast. The beer that turned out good after the first infection was the only beer out of them to use liquid yeast. When I use dry yeast, I either don't rehydrate at all, or when I do rehydrate, I use my every day cooking measuring cup to rehydrate in. I always cover the measuring cup in star san though. I use hot tap water, so I don't boil when I rehydrate.
The third thought was maybe it was coming from my grainfather counter flow chiller. I don't think this is the case, but figured I would include it anyways and your thoughts are appreciated. Pre brew day, I run oxy clean and hot water through my grainfather/chiller. Flush with hot water a couple times. I hot loop the wort back into the grainfather (as instructed) before I start chilling to sanitize the counter flow chiller. When I clean up after brew day, I run more oxy and hot water through, flush with hot water, let air dry for a day and then put it back into storage. I don't believe this is the issue though.
I tossed my bucket/lid, airlock and autosiphon and will be replacing it all before I brew again on Saturday. I'l be buying a big mouth bubbler so I can watch the fermentation without wanting to open the lid. My brew will be a french saison so I won't be fermenting the cool brewing bag since I don't need temperature control, and I am making a liquid starter friday.
Moving forward, anything else I should replace before brewing? After pitching, I don't touch it or look at it until I keg it. Any ideas are appreciated!
