Is this batch ruined?

[AbeLogan]

I'm using extract from my local homebrew shop to make my own concoctions using a Mr Beer little brown keg. (I know, I know, but I live in a one-bedroom apartment and don't have room for any real equipment). I've made hundreds of batches and seen a lot of weird-looking fermentations, but never once have I seen anything like this. I tasted a sample & it tasted fine. It doesn't have an odor to it either, not that I can tell, anyway. Should I dump the batch and perhaps throw away the keg itself too?

Thanks for any help,
Abe

 

[RPh_Guy]

That film is called a pellicle.

A pellicle indicates the presence of wild yeast and/or bacteria. We can't readily determine which organism(s) may be present. It is not dangerous to your health.

Since it smells & tastes fine, you may go ahead and package it.

Do you bottle? There is some risk of the beer slowly becoming overcarbonated. Monitor the bottles closely to catch it early and you'll be fine.
If you can, move them to the fridge after carbonating.

Consider stepping up your cleaning and sanitation practices:
Break down everything, soak in an oxygen cleaner.
Avoid abrasive scrubbing of plastic.
Heat sanitize what you can.
Use no-rinse sanitizer right before anything that comes into contact with cold-side wort or beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

Your beer is infected!
Usually due to bacteria or wild yeast that got in at some point. The white layer on top with the bubbles is called a pellicle. This one is beautiful!

If it still tastes like beer and tastes good, I'd say drink it as is, and ASAP, within a few days to a week. The pellicle and whatever microorganisms are 'growing' underneath are harmless. You could rack from underneath the pellicle, or try to skim it off with a spoon. Over time the pellicle will regrow and the beer will become (more) sour and may develop weird flavors as it progresses. Accidental sours are rarely good, but I've had some Milk Stouts that got a lacto infection that were very yummy, especially in the early stages.

If you try to carb it in bottles, it will certainly turn sour in the 3 weeks it takes, and may cause gushers or worse, bottle bombs if using glass bottles, due to the extra pressure that builds up. The infection will eat whatever sugars that are left in your beer, all the way down to 1.000, given enough time.

You can clean and sanitize the plastic 'barrel,' lid etc. Look for defects or scratches in the inner surface, and all parts, especially the spigot and its rubber seals. They can harbor bacteria.

'Bleach bombing' everything that has come in contact with the infected beer is probably best method to eradicate the infection vector. For that, soak everything in a bucket of water with a good dose of Chlorine bleach diluted in water. It will kill pretty much anything alive. Whatever has touched your infected beer should be 'bleach bombed.' This includes the barrel and all its parts, especially the little spigot which should be taken apart, scrubbed inside out.

If you decide to bottle (plastic bottles), you're probably best off to throw away any plastic (racking) hoses that came in contact with the infected beer, as they are difficult to sanitize and if not done 100%, may spread the infection to subsequent beers. The bottles should be bleach bombed too after being filled with this beer. You'll get the gist.

After bleach bombing, rinse well then soak in fresh water or lay outside in direct sunlight for a day, to get rid of any remaining bleach scent. Bleach doesn't belong in beer. The UV will also kill things. Then sanitize right before next use.

BTW, what sanitizer do you use?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Your beer is infected!
Usually due to bacteria or wild yeast that got in at some point. The white layer on top with the bubbles is called a pellicle. This one is beautiful!

If it still tastes like beer and tastes good, I'd say drink it as is, and ASAP, within a few days to a week. The pellicle and whatever microorganisms are 'growing' underneath are harmless. You could rack from underneath the pellicle, or try to skim it off with a spoon. Over time the pellicle will regrow and the beer will become (more) sour and may develop weird flavors as it progresses. Accidental sours are rarely good, but I've had some Milk Stouts that got a lacto infection that were very yummy, especially in the early stages.

If you try to carb it in bottles, it will certainly turn sour in the 3 weeks it takes, and may cause gushers or worse, bottle bombs if using glass bottles, due to the extra pressure that builds up. The infection will eat whatever sugars that are left in your beer, all the way down to 1.000, given enough time.

You can clean and sanitize the plastic 'barrel,' lid etc. Look for defects or scratches in the inner surface, and all parts, especially the spigot and its rubber seals. They can harbor bacteria.

'Bleach bombing' everything that has come in contact with the infected beer is probably best method to eradicate the infection vector. For that, soak everything in a bucket of water with a good dose of Chlorine bleach diluted in water. It will kill pretty much anything alive. Whatever has touched your infected beer should be 'bleach bombed.' This includes the barrel and all its parts, especially the little spigot which should be taken apart, scrubbed inside out.

If you decide to bottle (plastic bottles), you're probably best off to throw away any plastic (racking) hoses that came in contact with the infected beer, as they are difficult to sanitize and if not done 100%, may spread the infection to subsequent beers. The bottles should be bleach bombed too after being filled with this beer. You'll get the gist.

After bleach bombing, rinse well then soak in fresh water or lay outside in direct sunlight for a day, to get rid of any remaining bleach scent. Bleach doesn't belong in beer. The UV will also kill things. Then sanitize right before next use.

BTW, what sanitizer do you use?

Since we know know what microbes are there, we can't predict that it will sour, or ferment further, or whether it will change at all.

I disagree about bleaching and throwing away equipment.

 

[IslandLizard]

I disagree about bleaching and throwing away equipment.

Same sentiments here.
As long as the OP knows how to clean and sanitize thoroughly, there's no need for either. Although the bleach/UV bath does have some merit at times.

I don't think throwing equipment away, due to a small scratch or an infected batch, is necessary either. I still use my original racking hose from 2008 and plastic brew buckets from 2013. I actually have an old abused plastic bucket from the late 90s that's scratched to hell, I'm willing to bet I can get a clean batch out of that.

 

[AbeLogan]

Thanks for all the replies!

Based on what I've read here, I'm going to bottle it, carbonate it for 10 days, stick it in the fridge, and then drink it all ASAP to avoid and gushers or bottle bombs.

As for the keg, I'll clean it well with a non-abrasive sponge & some hot water with bleach, taking the spigot off & cleaning that too, then super-rinse it all out & hope that gets rid of the infection.

To answer questions, I bottle with 16.9oz swing-top bottles and use BrewMax no- rinse sanitizer.

Thanks again for all the help! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[IslandLizard]

I've made hundreds of batches

BrewMax no- rinse sanitizer

Having made 100s of batches must prove that Brewmax 'sanitizer' seems to work for you fine. From what it looks to me it's Oxiclean, Sodium Percarbonate. It's not really a sanitizer, more a cleaner. The 'rinse free' claim doesn't gel with me, but I doubt the carryover from residual cling (washing soda) is significant enough to taste.

I can recommend using Oxiclean (fragrance free) for cleaning, it's fairly cheap especially the generics. But for proper sanitizing, Starsan would be a much, much better choice. A working solution (6 ml of concentrate per gallon of water) can be kept for months or longer, while spot-sanitizing using a spray bottle is easy and effective.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm going to bottle it, carbonate it for 10 days

Yeah, keep checking on them. Now 10 days for carbonation seems a bit short, 3 weeks is more typical. But with the lingering infection, 10 days may be just right.

Since you can't detect any sourness or off flavors yet, the infection seems to be light. It may have entered after most or all of the fermentation had already completed. So try to trace back what could have brought it on late in the game. Simply opening the lid to check could do it.

That's why using a dedicated sanitizer (e.g., Starsan) can prevent a lot of those from happening, as anything that touches your chilled wort or beer (basically anything after the boil) should be properly sanitized.

Also remember, you cannot sanitize anything that isn't clean already. So there are 2 distinct steps: Clean and rinse, then sanitize right before use.

 

[IslandLizard]

Also... you're not alone.

Here's our main thread exhibiting pictures of various pellicles. Many are truly beautiful and some quite unique:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/pellicle-photo-collection.174033/

If you want you can add yours to that collection and pellicle history.
That pellicle you've got is very good looking!

 

[JonC555]

I'm gonna add something here too, I used to have one of those Mr. Beer kits and if I'm corrrect that there is a little tap on your fermenter for bottling?
Make sure you clean out that tap really good too, it's possible you could have missed it in your cleanings and it built up bacteria and that's where your infection came from.