Infection??

[Jbt]

I have a batch I brewed on wednesday that I put in the fermenter and closed it up to cool over night. The starter was not yet ready in the morning so I figured I would give it till the evening to pitch. When I open up the fermenter to pitch it had a layer of pure white foam on top and a gas that stank so bad it could knock you out.. I was thinking bacterial infection from sitting so long before pitching so I crushed up 5 campden tabs threw them in and pitched it. Its fermenting away but smells just like before I piched. Is this a bacterial infection or is something else going on. This is the 2nd time this happened now I dumped the last one. I searched bacterial infections and the foam on top looks nothing like it at all. So is it really that or something else??
Thanks

 

[hoppymonkey]

Sounds like wild yeast to me

 

[Jbt]

Sounds like wild yeast to me

I did not think of that..

Will the campden tabs clean them up a bit? I had to move the fermenter to the basement it smelled terrible. This morning thou the smell is still there but not as bad.

 

[hoppymonkey]

I did not think of that..

Will the campden tabs clean them up a bit? I had to move the fermenter to the basement it smelled terrible. This morning thou the smell is still there but not as bad.

nope. it won't do a thing and wild yeast tend to be stronger than typical brewer's yeast, but you have two things going for you that may make it work out.

1. It is still fermenting
2. you pitched a massive number of brewers yeast to compete with the wildies

You will still end up with beer, but it will be pretty random as to how it tastes. There is big section on here about wild brewing. take a read and see what you have accidently got yourself into.

 

[Nowuries]

Sounds like wild yeast to me

I second that... are you using plastic buckets? It could be in your system somewhere, especially if your using plastic, given that it's happened before. Maybe in your tubing if your using that to transfer... Wait and see how low your final gravity is and if it's lower than what the yeast you pitched would have taken you you'll know it's a wild yeast.
If you are using a glass carboy, then you should be able to rid the wild yeast without getting rid of the glass carboy.

 

[neilph]

Im pretty sure you have some wild yeast...the white layer on the top is called a pelicle (Pel-is -el) and is exactly what you look for when brewing Lambic beers. I would try it, just to see how it is and then throw out everything it came in contact with!

Sent from my DROID PRO using Home Brew Talk...please excuse spelling and grammar

 

[hopsalot]

the white layer on the top is called a pelicle (Pel-is -el)

Pellicle (pel·li·cle)
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pellicle
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/pellicle-photo-collection-174033/

 

[Jbt]

nope. it won't do a thing and wild yeast tend to be stronger than typical brewer's yeast, but you have two things going for you that may make it work out.

1. It is still fermenting
2. you pitched a massive number of brewers yeast to compete with the wildies

You will still end up with beer, but it will be pretty random as to how it tastes. There is big section on here about wild brewing. take a read and see what you have accidently got yourself into.

I got it fermenting away I don't dump unless its un drinkable..

I second that... are you using plastic buckets? It could be in your system somewhere, especially if your using plastic, given that it's happened before. Maybe in your tubing if your using that to transfer... Wait and see how low your final gravity is and if it's lower than what the yeast you pitched would have taken you you'll know it's a wild yeast.
If you are using a glass carboy, then you should be able to rid the wild yeast without getting rid of the glass carboy.

Its a new bucket. I actually bleached everything then rinsed and starsaned it before filling. The racking cane and tubing gets cleaned and starsaned and kept in the freezer to keep safe from nasties. Then when I want to use them I run hot water thru them and starsan.

Im pretty sure you have some wild yeast...the white layer on the top is called a pelicle (Pel-is -el) and is exactly what you look for when brewing Lambic beers. I would try it, just to see how it is and then throw out everything it came in contact with!

Sent from my DROID PRO using Home Brew Talk...please excuse spelling and grammar

I took a look at alll the pics on that thread man is there alot!! But, none of them look like the foam that was on top. It was like a pure white head on a lite beer about 1/4in thick. But the gas coming off of it was awful not rotten eggs like a ammonia burn your nose smell.

 

[hoppymonkey]

yup.The more you describe it. The more it sounds like wild yeast. I had a spontaneous fermentation a week ago in a gravity sample i forgot about. it looked just like that