One bad bottle?

[HBKidJr]

Hey everyone. Been lurking around the forums for a while now. I ordered all my stuff and brewed my first beer a few weeks ago and bottled it last night. Sampled it last weekend and while bottling last night, and even after all my concerns, everyone here was right in their motto "RDWHAHB". (Did I do that right? )

I did pretty much everything I could do to screw up my first brew (used bleach to sanitize, left my back door wide open to help cool the wort, used bagged ice from a vendor, touched a sanitized mug while getting my first sample) and it was fine all the way up until I did a check on the bottles a few minutes ago.

My first question, for those still hanging with my long post, is this:

Do I have a contaminated bottle on my hands? I have a brown spot around a portion of the top of the bottle, and the bottle seems to have quite a bit of carbonation in it already, after barely 24 hours in the bottle. I attached a picture for everyone to check out.



So like I asked, is this one single bad bottle out of the batch? How much carbonation should I have at this point? The other bottles don't seem to be this...fizzy...

Oh, I used StarSan for the bottling. I did alot of research before I used the bleach, and I didn't get any smells or off flavors (samples both tasted awesome), but I just wanted the ease of use SS offered. I also have the bottles stored in a VERY dark place, since I used recycled clear bottles for the first go around. They were all cleaned multiple times and soaked in StarSan for 4-5 minutes each.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[JonM]

Continue to RDWHAHB. All is well.

 

[jpabian]

No none pathogens can live in alcohol, so, like JonM says, RDWHAHB.

Who knows, you just might have had a little dirt in the bottle. And maybe even that dirt is sanitized. While I'm not proud to admit it, I once had a dead spider in one of my bottles. He made it though my sanitation process, (dishwasher), and my beer did not taste spider-y at all.

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like yeast & hop dregs to me. Maybe let the beer settle longer in primary after FG is reached. Usually 3-7 days to settle out clear & leave that stuff behind. I have gotten the lil ring of bubbles in my bottles before. Went back & busted my hump cleaning a good number of them again after nearly 2 years of rotation.

 

[HBKidJr]

Thanks for the replies guys. I separated this bottle from the rest just in case I get a bottle bomb, since it's displaying alot more signs of carbonation than the others. Time to sit back and wait now!

 

[billl]

On an unrelated note - you should snag some brown bottles (or just save them from commercial brews.) Fresh beer doesn't like being exposed to light. Make sure to store those clear bottles in a dark spot.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I gotta disagree with the general concensus here. That looks slimy to me like something was in the bottle that you missed. whoever posted that nothing bad can grow in beer is correct. However I would have a hard time not pouring that single one out...ESPECIALLY if none of the others had anything like this. The idea of a single bottle with hops debris is a bit of a stretch to me.

 

[unionrdr]

Look at the colors of that wet caky stuff. Maybe he just hasn't noticed it in any other bottles yet. And it wouldn't be up on the sides if it just floated off the bottom ime.

 

[HBKidJr]

On an unrelated note - you should snag some brown bottles (or just save them from commercial brews.) Fresh beer doesn't like being exposed to light. Make sure to store those clear bottles in a dark spot.

Oh yeah they're locked up in a dark, never opened closet, and covered with a blanket. The only reason I have the clear ones is because one of the guys chipping in on this project cheaped out and only ordered half the bottles he was asked to order. Only 16 of the clear bottles are in use, the rest are dark blue.



As for the other concerns, I just got done checking the other bottles just in case, and none of them have this. They're perfect from the bottom up. Do you think a lid improperly applied could be the cause? I think it's possible this one didn't get put on correctly. Nothing visibly incorrect, though.

 

[unionrdr]

See if you can turn the cap by hand. If it does,it's probably leaking. I'm also thinking of using a paper towel wetted with starsan to wipe the lips of the bottles before placing the caps. Lil bits of grit can do weird things.

 

[HBKidJr]

A leaking bottle would explain the rising bubbles I suppose. Oh well, I'll just make this one bottle the one I open Saturday.

 

[Epimetheus]

Meh, it will be more obvious when you open it. If it smells nasty, they you have a "learning experience" about poor sanitation. I am just starting, too. My second batch, a few of the dozen filled bottles were suspicious. So, now I know to be more rigorous in cleaning. You too.

Some people start with all-grain 5 gallon batches and have no problems. Ever. For me, absolutely nothing works out the first few times.