Is my beer infected w/Pics

[bsyas89]

So I am making a coconut vanilla porter. Everything throughout the brewing process went smooth, noticed no off flavors/krausen issues.

I had two secondary additions with this beer. My first was vanilla beans (soaked in vodka) when I took the lid off, I noticed no filmy layer or bubbles. At this time I noticed a little boozy flavor, but I chalked it up to the vodka.

My secondary addition was toasted coconut. When I opened the lid I saw what you see in the pictures below plus I still got the boozy flavor.

I have started a cold crash. Maybe I am just looking at oils from the coconut. But wanted to run it by everyone to see that they thought.

 

[BeerGrylls]

I hate when pics infect my beer!

On a serious note, it looks like oils to me. Coconut is fatty so it's bound to happen. How does it taste? Are you planning on drinking it fresh? If so, then even if it's some type of infection it doesn't matter. Drink it if it tastes good, and if you're concerned with the appearance you can rack from below the slick or try to skim it off.

If you were planning to long-term bottle age it, that's a different story. Nobody like bottle bombs. In that case I might bulk age it for a little longer to see if anything odd forms, but it doesn't look like a pellicle to me. Keep in mind that coconut flavor seems to dissipate kind of quickly.

 

[DrKnow]

Coconut oil turns to a solid at room temp and below. It's the main ingredient in that "magic shell" ice cream topping you may remember from your childhood. If you can scoop it out and it stays more or less intact, that's probably what it is.

 

[PLOVE]

I'd be a bit concerned about the bubble-looking air pockets in the top pic. They look like a possible infection. On the other hand, given that they're floating on top, they're also likely aerobic. I've had similar situations many times before and successfully racked beer from underneath a pretty thick layer of these little buggers. Beer turned out fine. If it tastes good, and is completely done fermenting, I wouldn't worry too much about bottle bombs. These little buggers won't do well in a bottle once carbonated.

Good luck!
pete

 

[bsyas89]

Thank you for your replies.

Any idea what would have caused the alcohol bite? Suprised the vodlka soaked beans cause it. They were barely covered.

 

[m00ps]

It could just be that the coconut oils with the vodka were floating near the top? I dunno. I wouldn't worry about it until after its bottle conditioned.

Also, it could just be your taste buds at the time. Beer can taste drastically different based on whatever is lingering on your pallette. I've read about people trying the same bottles of an IPA with no food prior and after eating. With a clean palette they got a pleasant hop flavor after eating it was unpalatably bitter

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

Probably just the coconut oils..the only problem i see is the head retention on the finished beer from having oil in your brew

 

[broadbill]

Coconut oil turns to a solid at room temp and below. It's the main ingredient in that "magic shell" ice cream topping you may remember from your childhood. If you can scoop it out and it stays more or less intact, that's probably what it is.

If it was solidified coconut oil floating on the top, then it had to have been heated to be extracted from the coconut ; otherwise it would have stayed solid and with the coconut.

OP: I gotta say it looks like an infection...did you santitze/sterilize the coconut in any way?

 

[feinbera]

What are your original and final gravities, and how long ago did you brew? If it's a bigger porter, and you're only a couple weeks in, the booziness could just be an issue of young beer.

 

[balauru_327]

Infected beer wil turn 99% into a citric/sour taste in the first week. If the taste is ok, is no infection

 

[bsyas89]

If it was solidified coconut oil floating on the top, then it had to have been heated to be extracted from the coconut ; otherwise it would have stayed solid and with the coconut.

OP: I gotta say it looks like an infection...did you santitze/sterilize the coconut in any way?

The coconut was toasted at 350 degrees for 30 min.

 

[kev211]

The coconut was toasted at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Definitely sounds like it was just the oils then. Being a new brewer I couldnt tell you what an infection looks like, but I know that heating up something oily (like a coconut) is bound to extract some oils. And coconuts are so oily that you can actually extract the milk/oil by pressing them. So I wouldnt be surprised if just being in your beer extracted oils

 

[DurtyChemist]

Boozy flavor could come from the recipe having a higher alcoholic content than expected. BYO there 65 % mash efficiency for all grain so you could hit 75% and have higher alcohol content. Nothing looks infected. If you're worried about an infection google Pelicle and look at true bacteria infections from sour beers.

 

[MattGuk]

I had a couple beers do this, although they were basic ales with no additions and they looked like this.
After some digging it seemed a had a pelicle, maybe package it asap, and remember to avoid getting that stuff in with the bottles/keg.
OTH it may just be oils and such like, just to me, it looks like the early start of a pelicle