infection?

[powerslave]

Hey guys. I brewed brooklyn brewshops coffee and donut stout a few weeks back and its currently in its 3rd week of bottle conditioning. After about a week in the bottle i noticed the top of the beer was kind of oily looking. At first i thought this might be normal since the recipe has coconut in it and i thought it may be the oil from that but after checking today now i see what looks to be strands. I took a pic but its kind of hard to see the oil... if you look you can see the strands. Lacto?

 

[unionrdr]

That broken ice pack does look like the beginnings of a lacto infection to me. Maybe from how & when you added the coconut?

 

[Math0]

I find it hard to say and see. At this point, you can't really do much. Wait and see how it will turn out in the next few days.

 

[powerslave]

The coconut was added to the boil. I sanitized everything with iodophor.. not sure how it could have gotten infected if it indeed did. Even if its not is sure doesnt look appealing now... if i cold crash them now.. do you think that shyte will fall out to the bottom?

 

[unionrdr]

No. An infection is forever. But you can rack from under it & lessen the effects till it's ready to drink.

 

[powerslave]

Ya im guessing its probably infected. Thinking back to fermenting in the carboy.. it wasnt just the usual foam on top.. it looked bumpy and kind of like oatmeal... im guessing my inexperience didnt pick it up and i bottled it infected.. the stringys didnt start until after i bottled it but i noticed the oil right away. Just thought it was the coconut.

 

[fearwig]

Racking from beneath is dubious practice, and a good recipe for bottle bombs, unless you let the bug ferment out (which defeats the purpose of racking, I think). You can always pateurize (hit 170f, then cool) and repitch. But I wouldn't do that unless I a) confirmed infection and b) could be certain it doesn't already taste like dumpster.

Of course this is in bottles, so it's moot of course. At least it's PET, but still watch for gushers.

 

[powerslave]

Is it safe to drink? If i can get over how gross it looks? Lol

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Try one and see if it's worth drinking. If it is, then invite your friends over for beer and doughnuts.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Is it safe to drink? If i can get over how gross it looks? Lol

Perfectly safe to drink.

 

[fearwig]

If you can stomach it you can drink it. It will probably either be milk sour or vinegar sour, if bacterial. Or maybe it's fine, too. But if it is infected know that it will keep carbing past 1.000 until you fridge it or kill it.

 

[powerslave]

Will it be difficult to properly santitize the pet bottles or carboy for the next batch? Bleach required?

 

[fearwig]

I like diluted bleach for anything that can take it, if there's reason to be concerned. Just rinse well. But starsan will likely do the job fine, just give it some extra time.

 

[powerslave]

I cracked open one of the bottles to check, the carbonation was perfect. The beer smelled like beer, it was not sour, and had no vinegar aroma or taste, if anything it was sweeter than I anticipated. Im kind of confused as to what could be causing the stringy stuff, there is a lot of crud floating around too from the sediment im guessing. Any other thoughts on what may be causing the strands?

 

[djfriesen]

Pieces of coconut that made it into the bottling bucket when you racked from primary? I've had lots of beers look similar to that while in primary, and never an infection.



How long did you ferment?

 

[powerslave]

Pieces of coconut that made it into the bottling bucket when you racked from primary? I've had lots of beers look similar to that while in primary, and never an infection.



How long did you ferment?

Fermented 2.5 weeks. Hydrometer gave 3 consecutive readings. They are a little too long to be strands of coconut.

 

[fearwig]

You prime with DME? If so it's krausen. Purely cosmetic. Didn't think about that.

Glad to hear the beer's fine.

 

[powerslave]

You prime with DME? If so it's krausen. Purely cosmetic. Didn't think about that.

Glad to hear the beer's fine.

I primed with maple syrup.