Looks like a white dust after I dry hopped

[outterbanks]

I am brewing an English Pale Ale. Nine days after I racked the brew I dry hopped it. I soaked the hop bag in a warm mix of beer brite and dropped the hops in after the bag cooled. I check on it three days latter and noticed a white dusting of something on top of the brew and the bag. Now I can see bubbles forming under the white stuff making the bubbles to look like pearls. I have never had a brew get contaminated so I do not know what I am seeing. Its ready to bottle, but I do not want to waste my time if it is bad.

 

[SenorPepe]

Got a picture? Powdery white film with bubbles growing in it doesn't sound good but we'll probably never know without a picture.

 

[jhamilt]

taste it, if the beer's sour, its most likely contaminated.

 

[ghpeel]

I got the same thing on a beer just a few months ago, and I was dry hopping in a bag as well. I boiled my bag for 10min before pulling it out and stuffing the hops in. I suppose the bag floating on the surface is too much of a bacteria attractant.

My beer turned out fine though, but I kegged it. If I were you, I would go ahead and bottle, and try to drink them young. Open at least 2 a week once you bottle, and if they start gushing, dump the rest before you get bombs.

 

[outterbanks]

Thanks, I will give it a taste test and go from there. Tried to take a photo but not to clear.

 

[outterbanks]

I decided to have a beer and spend the time brewing a new batch rather than waste the time bottling when it may be bad.

 

[bierhaus15]

Yeah man that's definitely infected. Bummer.

 

[jgerard]

This is pushing me away from using a muslin sack, gonna be pouring some citra straight in the carboy today. I had my first infection recently and its a huge bummer.

 

[IrregularPulse]

This stuff?
http://online1.ispcorp.com/en-US/Pa...eer&prodName=Polyclar® Brewbrite™&prdId=72452

Its a clarifier, not sanitizer. Next time soak your bag in starsanfirst.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

This stuff?
http://online1.ispcorp.com/en-US/Pa...eer&prodName=Polyclar® Brewbrite™&prdId=72452

Its a clarifier, not sanitizer. Next time soak your bag in starsanfirst.

Or boil it for a few. If you use whole hops, no need for a bag. On a side note, I can't really see the white stuff very good, but the bubbling is probably due to CO2 comming out of solution from the hops. That's normal and will happen no matter what hops you use.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Yeah man that's definitely infected. Bummer.

How do you know? Fermentation can look all kinds of gross. Especially when you start adding things.

Taste the beer. If it tastes OK, bottle and drink up

 

[Yooper]

It looks sort of waxy in the picture- if it is, that's a sign of infection. If not, it might be ok.

I know we go back and forth on primary/secondary and headspace with many brewers saying not to worry about headspace in secondary, but this is the third picture this week I've seen posted with worries about infection in a secondary with lots of headspace.

Headspace isn't a concern in primary, as the co2 produced helps protect the beer from any contaminates that can happen in an o2 rich environment. In secondary, with that much headspace, you're much more likely to have lactobacillus, aceterobacter, and/or mold than in primary. It's still not a huge risk, but obviously it does happen. Maybe racking it didn't harm it, as some of the c02 in the beer would have come out of solution and helped fill the headspace but opening it up again a week later to add the dryhops would also allow plenty of oxygen in as well.

When I do a secondary (rare), I try to flush with co2. For wines, where I rack many times, I make sure to have very little headspace to prevent oxygen from filling the headspace.