Maybe wrecked what could have been salvaged?

[gcsowden]

I brewed a Pumpkin Ale two weeks ago and it was fermenting nicely. I took hydro readings on two days and things had stopped. I was ready to rack my stout from my carboy to a keg, and then put the Pumpkin Ale from the primary to the carboy. unfortunately my kegerator stopped working (start relay broke) and my C02 ran out so I didn't want to keg the stout quite yet. I waited a few days until I could get to the brew store and I got a new carboy. When I opened the primary to put the Pumpkin Ale into the new carboy a pellicle had formed on the surface.

I know that means it was infected by an airborne yeast (and it is in my woodshop so I am guessing when I opened the primary to take a hydro some wood dust in the air made its way into the primary). SO, that is what I KNOW about the pellicle.

...Here is my question...

In true novice brewer fashion I panicked and racked the beer into the carboy through the pellicle without consulting my trusty fellow brewers on hbt. After reading some threads I see that I could have let this sit for a few months and had some sort of belgian-i-dont-know-what as a result, but I didn't. I racked it.

...finally there...

Am I screwed? or should it be ok if I keg in a few days? or if I let it sit will it form again and then should I let it sit longer?

p.s. It smelled fine, no real sour-ness.

THANKS!

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

There's really no way to know what kind of infection you had, but I can pretty much assure you it happened BEFORE you took a hydro reading. A pelicle takes more than two days to form...so chances are, the beer was infected because of bad sanitation (happens to the best of us).

If it's brett (highly doubtful), then yes, you could let it sit for a few months and hope it turns out okay. Again, highly doubtful. If it's lacto, it'll get sour. If it's acetobacter, then it'll start out fine, but slowly turn your beer into vinegar. The latter is the most likely in my opinion.

Personally, I would keg it and try to drink it as fast as possible before the infection takes over and ruins your beer.