Post your infection

[wich3r]

Hellow fellas, looks like summer kicked me second year in a row.
That's my altbier, 3rd week of primary. Week ago it looked great/crystal clear but I haven't time to bottled and only took sample. That's how it looks today, some white stuff appard and weird film. What to do? IF it infected can I...distill it?

 

[kcgator88]

Thanks, guys. It's already starting to look better. The yeast was Safale US-05.

 

[tgolanos]

Hellow fellas, looks like summer kicked me second year in a row.
That's my altbier, 3rd week of primary. Week ago it looked great/crystal clear but I haven't time to bottled and only took sample. That's how it looks today, some white stuff appard and weird film. What to do? IF it infected can I...distill it?

The floating things look like proteins or yeast rafts. Nothing to be concerned with from them.

I had a film like that on a Pils I just bottled. Tasted fine and it seems to be carbing well. My guess is it's hops oils or something, but I'll let someone else chime in with a more definite answer.

 

[rtracer]

i'm pretty sure that in the first photo there is a huge eye of a huge monster fish looking at the camera

Haha, looks like Moby Dick staring at ya

 

[JosephN]

This is a pumpkin ale that I brewed about three days ago. The pics were taken early this morning after about 60 hours in primary. Obviously, I know about krausen, but this is my fourth batch, and the bubbles seem a bit large compared to prior krausens I've had. Plus, I've seen a few infection pics in this thread that are pretty similar (to me at least). Is this just krausen? Thanks!

(sorry for the one sideways pic)

This is perfectly normal top cropping yeast. This is the good stuff...

 

[JohnnyBeers]

Not an infection just cool yeast rafts...I think lol View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1473983052.033536.jpg

 

[msa8967]

Anyone have an opinion on if this is an infection or not? The large white floaters are pieces of flaked oatmeal from making a stout. Not too sure about the silver/gray pieces. Thoughts on dumping or kegging?

 

[burninator]

Did you put the oatmeal directly into the fermenter? The large white flakes look like an infection to me.

 

[msa8967]

I was wrong about the white flakes. They are infection pieces. I tossed the whole bucket or beer just to be safe.

 

[griffi]

Okay been brewing for almost a year and a half - never had an infection until now. Here's something that just formed on the surface of my 2 week old Octoberfast ale. I'm sure somebody here knows what it is...

 

[IJesusChrist]

I was wrong about the white flakes. They are infection pieces. I tossed the whole bucket or beer just to be safe.

safe from what? if it's infected it's already infected... you might as well see if it turns out ok.

infection doesn't mean it tastes bad or is toxic... in fact most infections I've seen in this thread end up having only minor flavor effects, if any.

 

[Reality_Check]

Newbie brewer here - 5th batch in and my first Stout (Brunch Stout from Northern), didn't notice the blowout opened the lid just a hair in my Big Mouth Bubbler - even though I had a couple of 3lb dumbbells on the lid. Changed out the Airlock but I'm pretty sure bugs or something else got into it. Left it in primary for several weeks and this is what it looked like when I opened it:

https://goo.gl/photos/STBq5nQmafHAZG3G9

I also have to mention that the 3 piece airlock was chalk full of tiny little gnats. I thought the sanitizer in the airlock was just browned by the stout's blowoff - but it was so full of bugs it was disgusting. I've never seen anything like it.

Figured what the heck, didn't taste too shabby (and what do I know, anyway?), so I racked it into secondary. Three or Four days into secondary it looked like this:

https://goo.gl/photos/2rmEusqtCuoAWAnk9

https://goo.gl/photos/93X51u6GyU8qx4F56

I already put in the time and effort, so I refused to throw it away. Just primed & bottled it last Saturday. I'll try it in a few weeks just to see. Was told that if it is sour that I could pasteurize the bottles in boiling water for 10 min - but that seems awfully dangerous to me! Who knows - I might just like a sour Stout, or it might not be sour at all.

 

[ZmannR2]

Dang Reality, I'm super curious how that turns out.....looks wicked!

 

[ZmannR2]

OK, I bite, here is my beer 16 days in primary,2 days into Cold crashing. I plan on kegging tomorrow. The is my APA that I dry hopped last Friday with 4 oz of pellets.
Start of infection or hop residue? Couldnt get a good picture, but it is slightly green, like the hops and looks slightly....uhh I guess grainy or mealy would be a way to describe it?

EDIT:I just swirled the carboy pretty good and some of it clumped up and little dust like particles were snowing down thru the beer. I am thinking hop residue?? Beer is currently 38*

PICS

looks awesome to me man! Ya I've had some stubborn hops residue cling up top due to surface tension while cold crashing too.....swirling does the trick as you found out

 

[JohnnyBeers]

Alright, I thought for sure it was yeast rafts but they're still there after over a week of fermentation, any thoughts? View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1474421682.954933.jpg

 

[Jwin]

Alright, I thought for sure it was yeast rafts but they're still there after over a week of fermentation, any thoughts? View attachment 370762

Yea
Yeast rafts
A gentle swirl or cold crash should take care of it

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I already put in the time and effort, so I refused to throw it away. Just primed & bottled it last Saturday. I'll try it in a few weeks just to see. Was told that if it is sour that I could pasteurize the bottles in boiling water for 10 min - but that seems awfully dangerous to me! Who knows - I might just like a sour Stout, or it might not be sour at all.

You need to be really careful. That is definitely an infection. The gnats were also probably fruit flies, which carry acetobacter. Bacteria will keep on eating away far beyond what yeast will eat. In other words, you could be at significant risk of bottle bombs. If you really want to ride it out, place the bottles in a tub or other container for protection. Open a bottle a week and see what's happening. If you start getting gushers, dump them all before they become bombs. And you're also going to want to replace your BMB. If it's plastic it may not ever be sanitized completely.

 

[beergolf]

I agree with BHB on this one. It can be very dangerous to bottle an infected beer until it has had plenty of time to reach a stable FG. Some infections can take a beer down really low and eat stuff that sach cannot. Be careful.

 

[Reality_Check]

I agree with BHB on this one. It can be very dangerous to bottle an infected beer until it has had plenty of time to reach a stable FG. Some infections can take a beer down really low and eat stuff that sach cannot. Be careful.

I let this Stout age plenty, though I admit I don't have gravity readings. I've got these bottles in cases, and the cases underneath a big stainless steel tub from Runnings. If they blow, it'l be contained . I just don't want to waste any beer if I don't have to!

 

[foodplusbeer]

I agree with the previous 2 comments... they're probably going to explode, check them often enough and if you get to a point where you're satisfied with the carbonation I would pasteurize to be safe. If not, keep testing for gushers.

For what its worth, I made a sour stout once (intentionally), and wasn't very happy with the result. Flavors just didn't work well, though I think it could have been good if I had saved it for blending.

 

[auhsojjones]

Question for you guys (sorry I don't have a photo of this) - I like to give away beer to co-workers and one of them gave the bottle back (Hefeweizen) and it had black fuzzy material and what looked like a flat, round, solid jelly like thing. It was definitely bacteria or mold im sure, i just can't find anything on the internet that looks the same. I'm not sure if it grew in the bottle before she drank it or maybe she just left the bottle out and didn't clean it. Wish I had taken a pic, but I was at work and didn't think about it. Any ideas?

 

[beergolf]

If it was an empty bottle then it was just something that grew in there after it was emptied. An empty bottle that has not been rinsed is a ripe environment for stuff to grow in.

 

[KepowOb]

Yeah I had some bottles gifted to me that hadn't been rinsed. A good soak in PBW did the trick. Was some nasty stuff in there, but I'm still using them two+ years later with no issue.

 

[Brew_G]

If it was an empty bottle then it was just something that grew in there after it was emptied. An empty bottle that has not been rinsed is a ripe environment for stuff to grow in.

Almost certainly correct.

 

[Brewbrewman]

hello everyone, although what i am about say is not a infection issue it would be awesome if you all may provide some help. I am on my 5th batch of beer. The last two batches were brewed one week after the other. The first was a wheat ale while the later was a IPA. they both seem to be extremely healthy, in my newbiness i didn't consider labeling the fermenters to be able to identify them 2 weeks later. I need to transfer the wheat ale to the secondary to add the raspberries. but i have no way of identifying the 2. maybe one of you salty experienced brewers may be able to assist me. i think my only option is to taste them both.

 

[shortyz]

ya, taste em man.

 

[unionrdr]

Hard to say absolutely, but my money's on the bottom one being the wheat. The trub ring is lighter. Gotta agree with golf on the other one. That had to be moldy gunk from the bottom of an uncleansed bottle floating loose.

 

[joshesmusica]

hello everyone, although what i am about say is not a infection issue it would be awesome if you all may provide some help. I am on my 5th batch of beer. The last two batches were brewed one week after the other. The first was a wheat ale while the later was a IPA. they both seem to be extremely healthy, in my newbiness i didn't consider labeling the fermenters to be able to identify them 2 weeks later. I need to transfer the wheat ale to the secondary to add the raspberries. but i have no way of identifying the 2. maybe one of you salty experienced brewers may be able to assist me. i think my only option is to taste them both.

Should've just been bottling both immediately after that picture as you exposed both of them to the outside for quite some time just to get a picture...

If you did them right according to style, you should've been able to lift the lid slightly on each one to figure it out from the smell alone.

 

[djlang]

I think bottom one with lighter foam ring is the wheat one. Next time take care and put labels on with date and OG and Recipe or reference so you can trace back.

 

[Cxs324]

Any idea what this is?

This is an IPA. Tastes okay from a spout near the bottom.