Need Advice on Killing Lactic Infection

[jrhammonds]

I'm fairly certain I have a lactic infection in my beer. There is an oily/slimy presence on the surface of the beer, and after 2 weeks of fermentation, the airlock is still going every ten seconds and many tiny bubbles are still rising, surfacing, and collecting making a ring of bubbles around the edges. That said, the final gravity has (for the time being) stopped at .014 and the beer still tastes fine. So the question is: to avoid gushing and possible "soury" effects in the weeks/months to follow post bottling, would anyone recommend me to crush 10 campden tablets, wait another week, then repitch, add priming sugar, and bottle? If not--what other suggestions might you have?

Thanks!

 

[bottleopener]

I don't know too much about killing off a possible infection, but is it possible that you've already finished fermenting? What was your OG and yeast strain?

 

[BigKahuna]

I don't think you have a lactic infection...I think you're worrying too much. Lactic infections make beer VERY sour, and you'd not say that it tastes fine if you had one.
Leave it be for another week or so and ensure no change in gravity and go.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Revvy]

I don't think you have a lactic infection...I think you're worrying too much. Lactic infections make beer VERY sour, and you'd not say that it tastes fine if you had one.
Leave it be for another week or so and ensure no change in gravity and go.

Just my 2 cents.

I'll toss in 3 more and make an even nickle...

The oil slick is pretty likely hop oils and the remnants of the krauzen...Or if it is a "flavored" beer like a chocolate, or peanut butter stout, or something with fuit zest, you are getting some leached oils.

Hold it for another week and check it, for grav and flavor. Then bottle.

 

[jrhammonds]

Thanks for these comments! I'm worried because in my last batch I used peaches and I had plenty of gushing and a few mild off-flavors and am nervous some of the those critters snuck into this batch (even though I sanitized as usual).
The yeast strain I used for this brew was White Labs: Irish Ale Yeast--and Beer Alchemy said my FG would be around 19-12.

 

[zoebisch01]

They probably came in on the Peaches. If it is a Lactic infection, taste the beer and it should already be getting sour.

 

[Revvy]

They probably came in on the Peaches. If it is a Lactic infection, taste the beer and it should already be getting sour.

And if it is getting sour, let it...you might end up with a nice sour peach beer...

Like Kahuna's https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=76710

but you are probably fine.

 

[jrhammonds]

But if I DON'T want the sour--can i salvage it with campden tablets and then waiting to repitch some more yeast?