Is this an infection?

[Bubbles2]

Hi All,
Thanks for looking in. I was curious as I was ready to bottle this morning and saw this on top.
Does this look like an infection? Any remedies?

The beer was smooth top, until I cold crashed it the night before last. Where upon bringing it in I noticed forced flocculation and activity in my air lock. This after I added 1 tsp of Brewers Choice Caramel flavoring to 4.5 Gallons.
Not sure if that would cause the yeast to be active? Which by the way the airlock is showing some slight activity...
I was waiting due to the cold crash and seeing some activity, have not measured gravity since it was stuck at 1024 for a few days (if you saw that thread?) hence the Cold Crash.

Wondering if this is just normal activity from either added flavor from yesterday, residual activity from crash as it comes up to 68º from the 44º cold crash (two days ago)

 

[flars]

Looks normal. Bubbles from CO2 coming out of solution. I would worry about the 1.024 SG. Cold crashing won't prevent fermentation from restarting in the bottles if there are remaining fermentable sugars. Was the high SG due to unfermentable sugars in the recipe?

 

[Bubbles2]

Flars,
Here is the link to the thread of my 1024...Challenge
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/stalled-at-1024-recipe-says-1013.643357/#post-8193507

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

No

 

[Bubbles2]

Are those 'them Yeast rafts' I was reading about?

 

[filthyastronaut]

Are those 'them Yeast rafts' I was reading about?

Those look like brown flakes floating on top of the beer. The bubbles are more than likely just CO2 coming out of solution, like flars said.

 

[foam_top]

I don't see any yeast rafts, just co2 bubbles. It's unlikely to see yeast rafts after a proper cold crash. Don't worry, looks very healthy at the moment.

 

[jheinikel]

This is just the brew expanding after contracting in the cold crash.

 

[DonGavlar]

Thats just bubbles of c02

 

[Bubbles2]

I've read some other articles on here and just add me to yet another worried Noob.

 

[DonGavlar]

Nope, nothing to worry about. Pretty sure every beer I’ve done now has had bubbles on the surface still come bottling day.

Your beer looks good, what is it?

 

[DonGavlar]

Just to add, you’ll know when you get yeast rafts. They can be very small to large brown “islands” floating around on top of your beer. Again, when you see them dont worry, completely normal.
I’ve had a full surface of rafts on bottling day, I just siphoned from underneath and they cling to the side of the carboy, never make it into bottles. But as someone stated, they should drop put in time, especially with a cold crash.

 

[Bubbles2]

Thanks DonGlavlar, Choc Stout it's in the bottle(s) now... at bottle I tested yet again.... what a great way to waste 7oz of beer... @60º 1024 solid maybe a - to the bottom side of the second 'tick on the meter. Many, on another thread, shared that it should be fine to bottle. IT was 2.5 weeks from start to finish.
I gotta say that opportunity for 'cold crash' really cleared that beer. It went from Satin to High Gloss from a painter's eye. I am doing the same with an IPA, it is sitting at 55º and it too went from hazy to getting clearer...A lot of hops in that one. Have not checked Gravity it's looking like the 65-68º Brew temp really has this Wyeast doing it's job and fast.

On that Stout after further thought and reading about Yeast and the types (some live on top while Say a Lager lives at the bottom). I may have pulled the stout off it's cake a couple days early when transferring to 2ndary. Where that may have been a reason (so I think...) that it just kinda lagged for 7-10 days on that 1024....Or Not?

Tasted nice, with an added 8oz of coffee, a pinch of Himalayan salt, and 1.5tsp of caramel flavoring at bottling. If you ever add salt when making coffee, it helps rid that 'bite' at the end.

 

[DonGavlar]

If its any help, I bottled a choc stout about a month ago and it finished on exactly 022. Did you add lactose to the boil for some unfermentable sweetness? If so, then finishing at that range is completely normal. My stout that finished 022 came out fine, carbed how I intended and tasted how I intended. I wouldn’t worry.

 

[Bubbles2]

Yeah Lactose, but it came with the recipe, one would think that if a company is sending a 'kit' and that is part of it the instructions and figures should jibe.
No bottle burst? What temp were they seasoning at?

 

[DonGavlar]

Yeah if you added lactose, then I see finishing at that gravity as completely normal. Lactose is used to add sweetness to the stout as lactose is unfermentable. So all that sugar you added is still in the beer, untouched by the yeast. I added a pound to my stout. I was expecting somehwere in the region of 020-025, bottled at 022.

I left the bottles at about 70-72F for three weeks before i fridged the first lot, I still have a couple boxes of it sat at room temp still. None have exploded and none have been overcarbed so far. Those that have been getting chucked in the fridge have quickly disapeared.

 

[Bubbles2]

I would have liked to have it a bit sweeter...However it prob is the recipe as I've seen articles about the woes of too sweet in the New America's.
I've got em in the boxes in the Kitchen @61º however that can go up to 68º at times. Due to weather.

I have that IPA Cold Crashing, another Stout coming and an Ale Orange Petite' on it's way..Then I have to wait for bottles, which means, retail and taxed beer... Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Modelo *****
While I got you on the line....If I add Lactose what is the formula to know what the FG will be? Is it the 5 points that my OG was compared to the recipe? OR is there a weight to gravity formula?

 

[DonGavlar]

You could try adding some extra lactose on the next batch and see if you get the sweetness you’re looking for, its all trial and error with home brewing.

I don’t know about a specific formula for lactose. However, if i enter a pound of lactose into my beersmith it gives me a 007 OG (into 5 us gallons). So take that as a rough esitimate but I guess you can estimate that for every pound of lactose you use you could expect around a + 007 gravity points. So say your expected FG was 016 and you added a pound of lactose you could expect a potential FG of 023.
Take that as a rough estimate though, of course that wont always be spot on. Your FG will also be effected by yeast and mash temps.