Looks like infection. Can anyone help

[Bertramus]

So this beer has been in primary for roughly 4 weeks. It was not hitting my final gravity target so I ramped up the temp to 22c to see if the yeast would jump back into action.

I originally held the brew at 18c for a couple of weeks then upped it to 22c for the last two weeks. I had not checked it for four days when I discovered what looks like infection.

Weird thing is there are no off smells and it tastes totally fine.

I have dropped the temp to 3c to discourage any further development of infection. Plan to move off yeast and cold crash.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance

 

[DrWill]

Any advice?

Thanks in advance

I've seen similar things in my brews and not had any issue, but I've got to admit it looks funky, doesn't it?

Were you leaving it so long in primary because it hadn't finished out?

Are you planning to bottle or keg?

 

[A2HB]

That beer is DEF infected.

If you plan on drinking it, best to do it ASAP.

 

[Bertramus]

Yep, was trying to get it to finish out by upping the temp. Plan to bottle. Will probably just bottle asap as at the moment it tastes totally fine.

Thanks for replies.

 

[55x11]

So this beer has been in primary for roughly 4 weeks. It was not hitting my final gravity target so I ramped up the temp to 22c to see if the yeast would jump back into action.

I originally held the brew at 18c for a couple of weeks then upped it to 22c for the last two weeks. I had not checked it for four days when I discovered what looks like infection.

Weird thing is there are no off smells and it tastes totally fine.

I have dropped the temp to 3c to discourage any further development of infection. Plan to move off yeast and cold crash.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance

what sort of beer is it? it does look suspicious but many krausens look patchy like this, especially on wheat beers. The film (does it look like a thin solid film?) and pellicle-looking like stuff is suspicious though.

 

[bucketnative]

Bottling ASAP runs the risk of bottle bombs down the road. I would drink it fast... And if the bottles seem to be getting over-carbed, then start thinking about measures to prevent bombs.

 

[day_trippr]

If one looks closely the radiating lines of infection from the "islands" are obvious.
That beer has bugs.
Could be good bugs, could be dumper bugs.
No way to tell from a pic...

Cheers!

 

[Bertramus]

It's an IPA. It's certainly a film but the wine thief went straight through it and came out with lots bits of the growth on it.

Plan is now to take it down to 0c and bottle tomorrow. I have loads of strong Belgian bottles so I am going to under prime and bottle in those. Then it is guzzle as quickly as possible!

Many thanks for all the input from everyone.

 

[jlvgolf]

I get a film like that sometimes from dry hopping and as I transfer it sticks to the side walls of the bucket and looks yellowish/greenish (so I would guess it's suspended hop particulate). Plus if everything smells/tastes normal, that's usually an indicator that everything is a-ok.

 

[Yooper]

Hard to diagnose from a picture, but it's definitely infection and probably with brettanomyces.

Like the others said, if it tastes good, drink up!

 

[Brew_G]

As others have said...that's infected. No matter what you plan to do with the beer, make sure to thoroughly disinfect any items that come in contact with that beer.

I'd also recommend *getting rid* of any plastic that touched the infection, as it's the only way to guarantee the infection doesn't get passed on via your equipment. That said, if you don't have the funds or easy access to new brewing equipment, then thorough cleaning/disinfection is your next-best option.

 

[Wiscohio_brewer]

That looks like what happened in spring with the dry Irish stout I made. All of a sudden it got hot outside and I lived in a 3rd floor apartment so it fermented pretty warm. That was 4 months ago and the stouts still taste good. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[tgolanos]

I had an Altbier that looked like that once. What you can do is bottle everything under the infected bit. Bottle-prime with carb tabs but leave about 2 or 3 liters in the bucket.

I'd second everyone else's advice and drink it quick. Bottle bombs suck!

 

[specharka]

I had an Altbier that looked like that once. What you can do is bottle everything under the infected bit. Bottle-prime with carb tabs but leave about 2 or 3 liters in the bucket.



I'd second everyone else's advice and drink it quick. Bottle bombs suck!

The infection is in the beer, not just the pellicle. He's risking bottle bombs either way.

 

[normonster]

......it tastes totally fine....

I have a never-dump philosophy going so far in my brewing career, but I might have to break the fast the day I see that monster in my fermenter.

For being brave enough to straight up sample without hesitation and ask questions later, you Sir, are my hero. I solute you.

 

[beergolf]

I have a never-dump philosophy going so far in my brewing career, but I might have to break the fast the day I see that monster in my fermenter.

That is infected but I have brewed many beers that have more knarly looking pellicles than that one. On purpose of course. If you brew a lot of brett beers and sours, a pellicle like that is a thing of beauty.

Like specharka mentioned. The infection is in the beer, so bottling early is definitely a risk of bottle bombs.

How does this one look? Pretty, isn't it?

 

[DrWill]

If one looks closely the radiating lines of infection from the "islands" are obvious.

That beer has bugs.

Could be good bugs, could be dumper bugs.

No way to tell from a pic...



Cheers!

Can you say more about these radiating lines? What does that mean in layman's terms? I'm guessing you've got some expertise (professional or otherwise) in microbiology. Thanks!

 

[normonster]

@beergolf it looks like you could roll it up and fry it for breakfast. OMG man....eeek.

 

[day_trippr]

Can you say more about these radiating lines? What does that mean in layman's terms? I'm guessing you've got some expertise (professional or otherwise) in microbiology. Thanks!

Pretty near zero expertise, just the beneficiary of the observations provided by 5 years of "Is This Infected?" threads

If you zoom in tight on the west edge you can see a nearly perfectly round colony that has radial lines of replicating bugs. Classic differentiator vs post-fermentation yeast rafts...

Cheers!

 

[Bertramus]

This has become weirder! After bottling everything looked fine, as it would. After two days at 19c I could visibly see the infection again, taking the form of a milky white film on top of the bottled beer.

Now the weird part! The milky residue did not progress and the pressure did not build either after another week at 19c. Left for a walking/canoeing weekend last Friday and on return, on the Monday, all top residue was gone!

The beer tastes fine but is under carbonated as I presumed full priming plus infection would equal potential bottle bombs.

I guess the question here is; can secondary fermentation/bottle conditioning fight off infection!!??

Cheers in advance.