• Please visit and share your knowledge at our sister communities:
  • If you have not, please join our official Homebrewing Facebook Group!

    Homebrewing Facebook Group

Looks like infection before even pitching yeast

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
You have that a little mixed up. Sanitizing does kill germs, but it's not as effective if it can't pierce microbial buildup or biofilm. Cleaning is supposed to break up that build up or biofilm. Sanitizing is not effective without cleaning and cleaning does not kill germs.
No. Sanitizing does not kill germs. Sanitizing is not the same as cleaning. If you don’t clean properly then sanitizing will not help.
 
It smelled like sh$t and it tasted worse! lol

My friends described it as what a nasty, sweaty sock would smell like after wiping your ass with it lol

sorry to hear it turned out like a bad porno.....i once had half a batch start fermenting in my mashtun that i was keeping it in, till i got an empty fermenter...never tried it...
 
It smelled like sh$t and it tasted worse! lol

My friends described it as what a nasty, sweaty sock would smell like after wiping your ass with it lol
I had one like that. Nasty yeast. I kegged it and waited. 1 month later, same. 2 months later, same. Undrinkable. I forgot about it in the back of the fridge.

4-5 months later I needed a keg and was going to dump it. Seconds before I dumped, I decided to give it one last taste. Hooked up a picnic tap in the yard.

Best beer I have ever made..
 
Sanitizing does not kill germs.

Define “germs”. If you use Iodophor it kills yeast, mold, fungus, gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, spore forming bacteria, viruses and blood borne pathogens.
 
Define “germs”. If you use Iodophor it kills yeast, mold, fungus, gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, spore forming bacteria, viruses and blood borne pathogens.
Yeah. I realized after I responded to the post that I was incorrect in how I stated it. Just never bothered to do a correction. Brain fart. Sorry about that.
 
In my 105 year old basement my hydrometer sample, from the kettle, always seem to spontaneously ferment after a few days. Smells sour and I haven't had the courage to taste it.
 
An open wild fermentation like that probably wouldn't taste good.
  • Most wild yeast doesn't attenuate wort very well, so it would be too sweet.
  • It would be oxidized.
  • Oxygen suppresses yeast esters.
  • Bacteria off-flavors are likely present (e.g. isovaleric, butyric, and acetic acids).
  • Most of the greatness of spontaneous fermentation comes from Brettanomyces, which is unlikely to be present.
You could try it though if you want. It's likely to be safe if there's no mold.

Why is a hydrometer sample sitting around for days?
 
Why is a hydrometer sample sitting around for days?

First time was an accident. After that curiosity.

The 10 or so times it's happened they all smell the same. I once left it a couple weeks and it only got down to 20 from 50. I think my experimenting is over.
 
Back
Top