Is my beer screwed? Fruit fly landed while racking.

[FVillatoro]

I'm so bummed right now. I just brewed a cream Ale with 5.2% alcohol, and as soon as I opened the lid and went for my racking cane I saw some small fruit flies. I quickly tried to swat them away and then I noticed a small one had already fallen on my beer.
I scooped it up with a sanitized spoon and racked the beer without further intrusions I think.
Am I screwed or will the low pH and alcohol save me?
Thanks guys... Man what a day.

 

[cshamilton]

RDWHAHB!

Really you should be fine at this point. Is there a tiny risk? Sure, but not likely to matter anyway unless you were going to age it for a long time.

 

[Calder]

RDWHAHB!

Really you should be fine at this point. Is there a tiny risk? Sure, but not likely to matter.

^^^^^ This.

The beer already has contamination/bacteria in it (nothing is completely sanitized) and it is the low PH, alcohol and hops that are protecting the beer. Should be fine.

 

[Sailingeric]

Don't listen to them, it is bad. Bottle it and send it all to me for disposal.

 

[FVillatoro]

RDWHAHB!

Really you should be fine at this point. Is there a tiny risk? Sure, but not likely to matter anyway unless you were going to age it for a long time.

^^^^^ This.

The beer already has contamination/bacteria in it (nothing is completely sanitized) and it is the low PH, alcohol and hops that are protecting the beer. Should be fine.

Thanks fellas. This is the first time I used RO water with minerals and controlled the PH and so far it was coming out as my best ever.
I will cold condition it for a month (it's in the keezer right now), and will drink it fast.

I'm going to do that bottle and unfiltered vinegar and dish soap now in the garage to catch those pesky little bastards.

I was going to re-use the yeast but I may just go buy a fresh pack.

Thanks again!

 

[JJack887]

Depending on what flies, they may not even carry something voracious enough to infect.

 

[SoggyWood]

if you think about it, even if the fruit fly had introduced something to your beer, it now has to overcome: near freezing temps, no oxygen, increased atmospheric pressure, lowered ph, and high(er) alcohol levels. Amongst other things people smarter than me will point out.

it will be fine.

 

[Frilock]

Ever done an open air brew before? I have. One day I woke up, went to look at it and saw maybe a dozen dead flies on the top. Tasted great. The beer, not the flies.

 

[HopJunkieIPA]

You should have chucked a frog in it to eat the fly. Then a snake to eat the frog. Now I'm not a scientist but I can imagine they will all die happy because everyone loves a beer with a meal.

 

[Frilock]

You should have chucked a frog in it to eat the fly. Then a snake to eat the frog. Now I'm not a scientist but I can imagine they will all die happy because everyone loves a beer with a meal.

I totally read that in Cave Johnson's voice. :rockin:

 

[fun4stuff]

Had this happen more than a few times with mead and melomel and never had any ill effects. Some of it I aged more than 5 years in bottles even. I think alcohol and lower ph and residual yeast are good enough to keep most infection at bay... You're likely fine unless you're introducing a high bacterial load... E.g. pooping in your wort.

 

[FVillatoro]

Hahaha you guys crack me up! I did put an open bottle of unfiltered apple vinegar with some liquid soap to catch any that get in when I transfer (hopefully ).

Ever done an open air brew before? I have. One day I woke up, went to look at it and saw maybe a dozen dead flies on the top. Tasted great. The beer, not the flies.

Are you serious about open air brewing? Wow I wouldn't be able to sleep since all the sanitation that i've read made me paranoid of stuff like that.
Just curious, what kind of beer was it?

 

[FVillatoro]

Well, on a positive note, I just brewed a brown ale this past Sunday and I hit a 5.4PH on it (my first time ever using brun'water) and added measured amounts of calcium chloride and gypsum... I believe this will be my best beer so far.

I was going to repitch the US05 yeast from the Cream Ale and mash really high to keep some body, but since the fly made me uneasy I drove to the local brew shop and bought some WLP002 yeast that was 4 days old! FRESH!
I made a starter, pitched the next day and holy cow it... was just churning away 8 hours later like crazy!

Now I can use the WLP002 for my future brews (ESB is next and then we'll see).

Thanks fellas!

 

[Bilbo1usa]

You're likely fine unless you're introducing a high bacterial load... E.g. pooping in your wort.

Ha!
'Scuse me honey, gotta introduce a high bacterial load...'

Don't sweat the fly.
I've dropped worse in my beer.
The alcohol will clean up after him.

It may actually become the best beer you've ever made.

 

[chisena]

Your beer is juuuuust fiiiiiiine. I have done so much worse and had beer turn out just fine. After 6 years of brewing, I am convinced one must really be a slob to contaminate a batch. Never happened to me unless it was intentional.

 

[Horseshoot]

Years ago I brewed my American Pale Ale, and was finishing up late in a he evening. Just as I was finishing racking to the fermenter, a huge moth landed in the wort. This was BEFORE fermentation. No alcohol to protect it. I scooped it out with a sanitized spoon, pitched the yeast, and hoped for the best. The beer was great.
Earlier that season, I pushed the grommet through the ale pale lid. With none to spare, I stuck my entire sanitized arm into the sweet wort, to fish it out. Again, it was fine.

 

[NothingRhymesWithCurtiss]

Hopefully the fly didn't have Zika. #TooSoon?

 

[Frilock]

Are you serious about open air brewing? Wow I wouldn't be able to sleep since all the sanitation that i've read made me paranoid of stuff like that.
Just curious, what kind of beer was it?

Yep. I was reading through a thread about sanitation and infection, and someone mentioned in the old days they used to brew in open vats. I really wanted to get over my paranoia about infection so I decided to try an open air brew. I went with my own variation of this India Red Ale. Turned out great. Funny thing was the very next brew (which I did the normal, covered way) got infected. New bucket too. That was the first (and so far only) infection I've ever head!

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

You're likely fine unless you're introducing a high bacterial load... E.g. pooping in your wort.

Give it a month; it'll be a new-age health craze.

It may actually become the best beer you've ever made.

That'd actually kind of suck, if OP wasn't able to replicate it...

 

[jwelch1103]

I had a fruit fly problem, made several traps and caught a bunch of them. Then I learned they were probably coming out of the drain. In my case the floor drain in my basement. I hit that drain with bleach about once a week and rarely if ever see any fruit flies, living or dead in the traps I still keep.