Pellicle Photo Collection

[SansLune]

Something went wrong while putting it to secondary.

 

[Konadog]

That's no moon!

 

[IslandLizard]

Something went wrong while putting it to secondary.

That huge headspace isn't to your beer's advantage either...

Common rule for secondaries: fill them up to 1" under the bung.
Beautiful picture, though!

 

[Blou04]

Biggest bubble i've ever had. It is a 25l (6,5 gal) demijohn. It is a 4rth gen fermentation with a wild culture cultivated from apple cider. Couldn't get less reflections.

 

[VikeMan]

At first I thought it was just Brett. Well it actually it had some Acetic Acid...

I don't know what your infection was, but Brett can make acetic acid, in the presence of oxygen.

 

[arcticus]

Brewed a non-alcoholic beer and pitched Sourvisiae. After 3 days of no blow off activity we pitched Lallemand Windsor (our usual go-to NA strain). 2 weeks later we found this :0 Any thoughts on what happened?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

What usually happens when you pitch Sourvisiae?

 

[arcticus]

What usually happens when you pitch Sourvisiae?

It's my first time using it so I don't know!

 

[VikeMan]

Brewed a non-alcoholic beer and pitched Sourvisiae. After 3 days of no blow off activity we pitched Lallemand Windsor (our usual go-to NA strain). 2 weeks later we found this :0 Any thoughts on what happened?

Looks like wild yeast (probably some Brett strain) got in.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

It's my first time using it so I don't know!

That’s a lot like what a kettle sour I brewed with lacto P looked like so as long as you were going for a sour it looks okay. (I’m No expert about sours)

 

[skunkape]

had my first infection, the wife forgot to warn me she had reused my spare starsan sprayer for spraying water on her houseplants and not emptied it after use..... guess who grabbed the wrong sprayer to sanitise his fermenter? I didn't notice it wasn't foaming......

View attachment 748163

You could easily have convinced me this was a picture of methane geysers on the surface of Titan.
So... how did it taste?

 

[Kharnynb]

You could easily have convinced me this was a picture of methane geysers on the surface of Titan.
So... how did it taste?

i did a tiny taste test back then, it was nasty, more acrid than sour

 

[skunkape]

i did a tiny taste test back then, it was nasty, more acrid than sour

See... you are a Home Brewer. I knew you tasted it. I would have. How could you not?

 

[sweetcell]

Looks like wild yeast (probably some Brett strain) got in.

low probability that it's brettanomyces, as brett is relatively rare in the wild. something from the lacto family, or an enteric bacteria, are much more likely.

 

[Blou04]

 

[IslandLizard]

Beautiful! ^

What are you making?

 

[Panderson1]

Can you guys help me out?

I've never seen this on top in 10 years brewing. It's a Munich Helles. 4 weeks after fermentation started. We to check gravity but my hydrometer is cracked in half

Yeast 34/70

It smells good. It's for my Dad who's 80yo.

I kegged it last night.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Can you guys help me out?

I've never seen this on top in 10 years brewing. It's a Munich Helles. 4 weeks after fermentation started. We to check gravity but my hydrometer is cracked in half

Yeast 34/70

It smells good. It's for my Dad who's 80yo.

I kegged it last night.

Keep cold lagering until you serve it. My thinking is keeping it cold and under CO2 should prevent a new pellical from forming and slow any organisms of contamination from altering the beer, very much. If I’m wrong, surely someone with more experience and knowledge will chime in.

 

[ba-brewer]

It smells good. It's for my Dad who's 80yo.

How did it taste?

I would decommission the bucket and anything plastic that came in contact with the beer.

Might think about you what you did different on that batch to get it contaminated.

 

[Panderson1]

How did it taste?

I would decommission the bucket and anything plastic that came in contact with the beer.

Might think about you what you did different on that batch to get it contaminated.

Thx. Haven't tasted yet... I'm thinking it's something to do with dry yeast rehydration process. I'm so done with that. From now on I'm just pitching directly dry. Gonna toss the bucket as well.

 

[IslandLizard]

Keep cold lagering until you serve it. My thinking is keeping it cold and under CO2 should prevent a new pellical from forming and slow any organisms of contamination from altering the beer, very much. If I’m wrong, surely someone with more experience and knowledge will chime in.

The cold storage will indeed slow down or even stop the infection from growing larger in numbers, yes. The CO2 may prevent the pellicle from regrowing although it doesn't look that oxygen is a requirement to grow pellicles:

https://phdinbeer.com/2015/01/30/beer-microbiology-what-is-a-pellicle/

Since the infected beer is in a keg now, he'll be drawing from the bottom. Even if a pellicle regrows in a keg (e.g., during conditioning at cellar temps), it would be floating on the top, and won't show up in a fresh pour until the keg is ready to kick, as long as it doesn't get mixed in by shaking or so.

But let the glass of (infected) beer stand for a day or 2 it may regrow a pellicle, the "bugs" live in the beer.

Although pellicles themselves are generally harmless, and safe for consumption, some many people would be put off by the looks: "What's that skin floating on my beer?"

 

[IslandLizard]

I would decommission the bucket and anything plastic that came in contact with the beer.

Gonna toss the bucket as well.

Isn't that an over-reaction and a bit too radical?

Most smooth surface plasticware can be cleaned, and thoroughly sanitized. I have proof of that, and it's not all that difficult or time consuming.

First do a thorough cleaning with hot/warm PBW using a suitable non-scratching brush and/or a non-scratching, non-abrasive scouring pad or cloth. Soaking or spraying alone is not cleaning. The surface needs to be rubbed with a cleaner to remove any remaining biofilm.

After rinsing, follow up with a good sanitizer, Iodine based and/or bleach. Again, it needs a good solid contact with all surfaces, use a washcloth. I've had perfect results just from just doing those.

For all security you can put your already cleaned and sanitized equipment out in bright sunlight for a day (or a few days if in doubt). Make sure all surfaces receive an abundant amount of UV radiation from the sun, by turning them and pointing.

Pay special attention to hidden, forgotten, and hard to reach areas, such as the rim inside plastic bucket lids. And any rubber seals.
While you're at it, doing inspections, when was the last time you took your kettle valve apart? Or those bucket spigots?

Then resanitize right before next use...

 

[ncbrewer]

Pay special attention to hidden, forgotten, and hard to reach areas, such as the rim inside plastic bucket lids. And any rubber seals.

I thought only the items that contacted the beer would be suspect, but you mention the lid and seals. Do all items in the area with the infection need this extra cleaning?

 

[VikeMan]

I thought only the items that contacted the beer would be suspect, but you mention the lid and seals. Do all items in the area with the infection need this extra cleaning?

I would. (Or more likely, I would just throw all of that away.) There are air currents (driven by CO2 production) inside the fermenter that can carry bugs.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

Can you guys help me out?

I've never seen this on top in 10 years brewing. It's a Munich Helles. 4 weeks after fermentation started. We to check gravity but my hydrometer is cracked in half

Yeast 34/70

It smells good. It's for my Dad who's 80yo.

I kegged it last night.

Can you guys help me out?

I've never seen this on top in 10 years brewing. It's a Munich Helles. 4 weeks after fermentation started. We to check gravity but my hydrometer is cracked in half

Yeast 34/70

It smells good. It's for my Dad who's 80yo.

I kegged it last night.

Skull crawlers

 

[IslandLizard]

I thought only the items that contacted the beer would be suspect, but you mention the lid and seals. Do all items in the area with the infection need this extra cleaning?

To eradicate or prevent an infection, absolutely!

That includes the airlock, the lid, the rubber grommet in the lid (needs to be removed!), all hoses ("tubing"), racking canes, connectors, stoppers, bucket spigots (they need to be taken apart!), etc.
In short, everything that had contact with the beer that became infected before, during, and after fermentation. The bucket itself is actually the easiest to clean and sanitize, everything is smooth, with no hidden areas. Even areas with small scratches can be cleaned and sanitized, just give it the attention it needs. I have a fermentation bucket with a little scratch/pit in the bottom. Never infected any beer that was in it.

Even on the hot side, thoroughly flushing the kettle valve (while moving it between fully open and fully closed) after each brew is recommended.
Periodically take them apart, so they can be cleaned inside. There could be crud build-up (over time) in and behind the chamber in which the ball rotates. If you find no tarry substance inside, you have been flushing correctly.

 

[IslandLizard]

I've never seen this on top in 10 years brewing. It's a Munich Helles. 4 weeks after fermentation started. We to check gravity but my hydrometer is cracked in half

Are you opening the lid to take gravity readings during fermentation?

 

[Panderson1]

Are you opening the lid to take gravity readings during fermentation?

Never. I clean the crap out of the bucket before... similar to what you posted. Idk

 

[doug293cz]

I would. (Or more likely, I would just throw all of that away.) There are air currents (driven by CO2 production) inside the fermenter that can carry bugs.

Not just air currents, but bubbles rising thru the beer, and bursting when they reach the surface, launch micro/nano drops into the headspace, creating aerosols that can then migrate and contaminate surfaces away from the liquid.

Brew on