Infection?

[dilbone]

I have had infected beer before. I had a lager that went terrible on me with a well formed white flaky bubbly pellicle on top. I bottled it and it was fine at first and is undrinkable now.

This doesn't look the same as the infected lager but is unlike what I typically see 3 weeks after pitching.
It is an IPA with home grown cascade and Nottingham yeast. Any thoughts?

 

[seatazzz]

I don't see anything slimy, or resembling the start of a pellicle. I think that's just yeast rafts. If you start to see some slimy-looking big bubbles floating on top, then you can be a mite concerned. Looks like you had a good healthy fermentation based on the krausen ring sticking to the side. RDWHAHB!! And keep the lid on! Every time you open the fermenter, you're opening yourself up (pun intended) for possible infections from airborne weird stuff. Leave it alone.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Agree, definitely not a pellicle.

 

[dilbone]

Thanks you two. I was planning to bottle today or tomorrow and checked the gravity this morning just to make sure it had finished well since it was so cold near the end of fermentation.

It finished at 1.011 with an OG of 1.066, it smells fantastic...can't wait to give it a taste.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks you two. I was planning to bottle today or tomorrow and checked the gravity this morning just to make sure it had finished well since it was so cold near the end of fermentation.

It finished at 1.011 with an OG of 1.066, it smells fantastic...can't wait to give it a taste.

Since you have had the entire lid off long enough to take the picture, bottle it today if you can. You have lost the CO2 that was preventing infection and exposed it to the air with whatever airborne bacteria you have in you brewing area.

 

[dilbone]

Since you have had the entire lid off long enough to take the picture, bottle it today if you can. You have lost the CO2 that was preventing infection and exposed it to the air with whatever airborne bacteria you have in you brewing area.

Thanks. I did bottle later that day, but even with the lid off I'm not too concerned about oxygen. The CO2 blanket is still largely intact since it is denser than air. I'm always very careful to cause as little disturbance as possible.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks. I did bottle later that day, but even with the lid off I'm not too concerned about oxygen. The CO2 blanket is still largely intact since it is denser than air. I'm always very careful to cause as little disturbance as possible.

You might be surprised at how quickly that blanket disappears.

 

[HomeBrewMasterRace]

Looks like saccharomyces cerevisiae got in and started to multiply

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Thanks. I did bottle later that day, but even with the lid off I'm not too concerned about oxygen. The CO2 blanket is still largely intact since it is denser than air. I'm always very careful to cause as little disturbance as possible.

If I didn’t chime in, I’m sure someone would.

Think of our atmosphere. It has oxygen CO2 and Nitrogen. If CO2 maintained a blanket dividing you beer from air then also it would displace the air on earth and we would all suffocate. Air mixes and readily with the CO2 in your fermentors headspace when the lid is taken off. The idea of the blanket came about from dry ice in water and how it makes a blanket on top of the water. In actuality that mist from dry ice is water vapor and separates from air much more readily because it is very dense comparatively.

 

[dilbone]

Comparing a sealed motionless bucket to our atmosphere is a stretch IMO.

My experience in physics and chem with gases of different densities there can certainly be stratification...of course this must be in an environment where convection is limited.

I'm kinda surprised about all of this fuss over the lid removal. I've heard sooooooo many guys say it's a non issue. RDWHAHB

 

[NeverDie]

I have had infected beer before. I had a lager that went terrible on me with a well formed white flaky bubbly pellicle on top. I bottled it and it was fine at first and is undrinkable now.

This doesn't look the same as the infected lager but is unlike what I typically see 3 weeks after pitching.
It is an IPA with home grown cascade and Nottingham yeast. Any thoughts?
View attachment 609242View attachment 609243

It looks a lot like this one: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/krausen-or-something-else.628013/

 

[RPh_Guy]

Many/most people don't notice oxidation or don't mind drinking oxidized beer.
It's pointless trying to tell them how to avoid oxygen. It seems like they just get offended.

 

[Jtvann]

Gas particles move very fast. That's what makes them gasses and not liquids or solids. Whether there are outside convective currents is irrelevant. Gasses mix. The idea of a CO2 blanket is a myth that should die. It is incorrect in all forms.

I wish I had the time to post a more credible link, but this will have to do for now.

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/213903/behavior-of-two-gases-in-a-closed-container

 

[day_trippr]

I've always used this gif when battling the "CO2 Blanket Myth".

It usually wins the day

Cheers!

 

[dilbone]

Many/most people don't notice oxidation or don't mind drinking oxidized beer.
It's pointless trying to tell them how to avoid oxygen. It seems like they just get offended.

I'm not sure who you're referring to as being offended but it certainly isn't me.

Just because I disagree on a certain point doesn't mean I'm offended.

 

[dilbone]

I've always used this gif when battling the "CO2 Blanket Myth".

It usually wins the day

Cheers!

Absolutely, I should not have used the term blanket for sure...I agree 100% with you.

I'm less concerned about the little oxygen introduced that's bouncing around with mostly CO2 for a few days in the bucket having been cracked for a reading than I am for the O2 exposure during bottling...and I'm not concerned about that even a little.

I normally don't crack the bucket at all until bottling day but my last batch seemed to stop a few points from where I had hoped it would which I think resulted in an over carbonation problem for me. I just wanted to make sure this one was down where it should have been since it was so cold in my basement near the end of the fermentation otherwise I was going to have to warm it up and try and get the yeast going again.

 

[Home_alone1]

I’ve got my own take on oxygen in beer . I think it plays a role in historical accuracy in recreating old beer styles and the drinking experience .

Modern beer fermentation is controlled in ways that we’re not even thought of 200 years ago . I look at it as it should be minimized but I’m not going to try and eliminate it entirely. I mostly focus on older beer styles and my brewing style is very labor intensive.

Now saying that I do believe modern practices are better , especially for the shelf stability of the product and some modern styles are particularly effected by oxygen in ways that a marzen or a Pilsner might are not ( at least to the same extent ).

I say don’t worry about it unless you want to , then worry all you want ! It’s a hobby and I think good beer can be made either way , I might not be able to create a shelf stable NEIPA but I can make a nice Marzen that will last from March to September !

 

[Ninoid]

Cold crash it or pour gelatin, wait few days and this will be gone.

 

[LittleRiver]

...Think of our atmosphere...

You mean that place where gases are exposed to differential heating due to day/night cycles, heat differentials between water and land masses, heat differentials due to latitude, and many other forces that create some impressive winds? Yeah that's exactly like the conditions inside a small closed temperature controlled fermenting vessel.