Infection in bottles... the cause???

[Samuelouellette]

So I brewed a Pilsner 2 months ago and 3 weeks ago I bottled it from the keg. I stored some in the fridge and some in room temperature. Unfortunately those that were stored a room temperature developed an infection. The side and the bottom of the bottle have colonies. It dosent' have a pellicule per say.

The taste is a bit leathery so could it be Brett? I'ts not vinegary or foul tasting as of now. There is a couple of floaties inside every bottles and I'm wondering if it's may be the cause of the infection?


The F.G lowered just by 1 point. I thought at first it was my bottle cleaning procedure (2 hour Oxy soak/ star san) but maybe it's my keg that has a odd weld inside it.

Any clue of the source, the type of critter and if anyone can relate to such infection

 

[Mojzis]

The ones in the fridge will also have an infection, cold temps will slow down microbes.

As to source, its much too hard to tell you. I've had one infection before. I didn't bother finding the source, I just meticulously cleaned everything that touched the cool wort. I believe the source was the fermenter/spigot. I would clean all of that equipment (or throw out if cheap enough) and get new hoses. If this doesn't fix the infection issues you'll need to look into process.

 

[max384]

How did you fill the bottles? Did you use a beer gun? Bottle straight from the tap? From a growler filler?

My first inclination would be to blame the faucet for the infection, if it was filled from that or a growler. Did you sanitize the faucet? If you did, how did you do it?

 

[Samuelouellette]

Mojzis,

I know it's hard to tell, I just bough PBW (I used Oxy clean before) and I today I changed my beer lines except the faucet since it was new. The keg I used, has scratch inside and a odd weld so it might be the source. Thanks for the advice!.


Max384,

I used a cheap beer gun like (cobra tap+ tube), and the faucet tube/everything was sanitized for at least 2 min in starsan. It's the same solution I used to sanitize the bottles and the keg. The infection seems to be more from a wild yeast to a bacteria. The beer has an IBU of 40.

Thanks again!

 

[madscientist451]

There's something in your beer pipeline that's not sanitized. How are you transferring from Brew kettle to fermenter and then from fermenter to keg?
How do you pull samples for gravity readings?

 

[Samuelouellette]

brewkettle--->fermenter I'm using a funnel with filter (both sanitized in starsan)

Fermenter--->O.G sample. I use a turkey baster sanitized in starsan (at least 1min exposure)

fermenter--->keg. I use an autosiphon using starsan.


Most starsan solution come from the same batch in a closed contanier or grolwer. But I think one possible source is maybe since it can be old and maybe there can be accumulation of dust that ends up in the solution. When the solution goes opaque, I add a bit of starsan concentrate.

I think since all bottles are contaminated, I probably comes from the keg, fermenter or beer lines.

 

[Mojzis]

You should dump the batch of star san when it turns opaque. Fresh water, fresh acid.

What kind of fermenter?

Do you have another keg you can use? Eliminate any variable you can think of.

I might even remove the ball valve from the kettle and give it a good soak in star san, making sure you open and close it a few times while submersed.

Good luck!

 

[Samuelouellette]

I use a glass carboy 3 gallon. I use oxyclean to clean it overnight than rinse it with water than fill it with starsan until the next batch.

Ya, I just bought a AEB keg, so I'll keep this one and probably sell for cheap the other one.

I don't have a ball valve in my kettle, I just dump it in the funnel to transfer into carboy.