Post your infection

[brewnewb1]

Not sure if this is an infection or not. Was really hard to get a picture of it through the krausen up top. Its a pale ale. Been in the carboy for 5 days. Hoping it clears up.

 

[thisoneguy]

Not sure if this is an infection or not. Was really hard to get a picture of it through the krausen up top. Its a pale ale. Been in the carboy for 5 days. Hoping it clears up.

Looks fine. Give it 5 more days and check your gravity.

 

[rxp]

My American Amber has whitish flakes on the surface at 29 days and has over attenuated with (86.7% AA at 16 days).

The flakes are shown here, but dispersed when I inserted the autosiphon for a sample.

Does this also look infected to everyone else or is this some crazy yeast rafting phenomena?

 

[kombat]

Looks perfectly fine to me.

 

[rxp]

Thanks, kombat. Maybe I was unnecessarily suspicious due to the over attenuation (1.007 instead of expected 1.012) and the intense clovey flavors at two weeks (from a repitch of WLP001!). Re-reading my prior post, it may not be clear so I'll reiterate that the flakey skin did cover the entire surface. Since my earlier post, I have observed the sample does taste slightly sour -- perhaps that is from yeast now in suspension.

Edit: tasting again, I'm convinced something went haywire, I just don't know what. My American amber has resulted in a slightly sour pseudo-Belgian.

 

[kombat]

From your description, it sounds like perhaps your yeast may have been stressed. Can you describe your yeast pitching protocol? Was it dry or liquid yeast? If dry, how did you rehydrate? If liquid, did you do a starter? How much did you pitch? And finally, what temperature did you ferment at?

 

[Browningjr]

are these normal with all the foam bubbles at the top. its a pumpkin ale i started on this past friday

 

[rxp]

From your description, it sounds like perhaps your yeast may have been stressed. Can you describe your yeast pitching protocol? Was it dry or liquid yeast? If dry, how did you rehydrate? If liquid, did you do a starter? How much did you pitch? And finally, what temperature did you ferment at?

I think there's a good chance the yeast was stressed, actually. It was liquid (WLP001) and this batch was my first test of a brand new HI 190-M stir plate which locked up multiple times in the first three days. On two of those days, I came home from work to find it just sitting there idle with power -- who knows how long it had been that way. When I pitched, I thought it was probably less yeast than I was used to seeing but went with it anyway. I fermented at 62 but pitched at 68 due to my inability get the tap temp lower for the immersion chiller. I know I probably should have chilled it overnight, but I've not had much issues with a six degree drop for previous batches.

Ultimately, I couldn't get over the clovey flavors and dumped this batch since phenolics reputedly wouldn't dissipate. I've also sent the HI 190-M back and managed to find a Cole-Parmer 4815 in awesome condition for $67 (shipped) on eBay.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

you might be able to see an infection, but you really dont know untill you taste it! all of these photos look like normal crausen to me!

 

[LovesIPA]

I had my first infected batch yesterday. I don't think I sanitized my herb infusers (stainless mesh balls about 3" in diameter) that I use for dry hopping well enough. I didn't think to take a picture but I'm certain it was infected. It had a thin skin of white stuff on top of it that I've never seen in a fermenter before. I tasted it and it was awful - nothing at all like beer. I tried to rack from underneath it but the whole thing was tainted. I dumped it.

What should I do with the equipment that touched it? I'm not too worried about the herb balls. I can boil those. What about the plastic bucket? Can I use it for again or should I replace it? What about the autosiphon?

 

[JessGrogan]

hey guys. I hope this is the right thread. here are a couple of pics of an infection that i have going on in one of my carboys. I tasted it and it still tasted ok. I put it in the keg this morning. not sure what the next step is.

Could someone please inform me of what this infection is, please? I have no idea.

 

[JessGrogan]

Craziest Infection ive ever seen!!

ive got the same one in mine. did anyone ever figure out what this is? i posted 2 new pics on this thread a few minutes ago.

 

[LovesIPA]

hey guys. I hope this is the right thread. here are a couple of pics of an infection that i have going on in one of my carboys. I tasted it and it still tasted ok. I put it in the keg this morning. not sure what the next step is.

Could someone please inform me of what this infection is, please? I have no idea.

I'm not sure either, but it's exactly what I had in my bucket the other day.

 

[Channel66]

hey guys. I hope this is the right thread. here are a couple of pics of an infection that i have going on in one of my carboys. I tasted it and it still tasted ok. I put it in the keg this morning. not sure what the next step is.

Could someone please inform me of what this infection is, please? I have no idea.

That's a nice lacto infection from the look of it

 

[golfingdiver72]

are these normal with all the foam bubbles at the top. its a pumpkin ale i started on this past friday

Mine looks the exact same. Its been in the primary for just under 3 weeks now. I plan on transferring it to a secondary for a week and bottle next weekend. I hope it is normal to have that because of the pumpkin or the spices...

 

[haagiboy]

Info: 1 week after Fermentation started, I dry hopped for 2 weeks. Now after 2 weeks there is some formations of white/grayish moldy looking things on the top of my beer clinging on to the hops bag (actually a biab).

The bag was boiled before I added it to the fermenter.
Does it look infected? More pictures can be taken.

It doesn't smell anything (maybe a bit moldy and nail polish remover (aceton)) and it didn't look like this 1 week ago.

http://i.imgur.com/2BZLxyu.jpg
http://imgur.com/jR1DOCB

Btw, these are pictures from 2 different batches, brewed 1 day apart. I did not sanitize my biab, only boiled it for 10 minutes. I guess that was my mistake. Next time I dry hop I will just dump the pellets in.
I will certainly bleach all my equipment thoroughly for next brew day!

 

[frug]

Hello, this is a cocunut porter extract recipe I made, the cocunut was toasted and added in three small muslin bags. Safale 04 was used, 2 weeks in the pimary and transferred to the secondary on saturday evening, checked it this morning (monday) and think I see signs of a infection starting. I couldn't really get a good picture, but there's some hazy stuff on inside of the carboy above the water line (picture 1) and a cloudly bubble next to one of the bags (picture 2). Other stuff floating on the surface in the other pics. Sorry about the quality couldnt get my phone camera to focus.

I was thinking this could be starsan bubble residue cause there was a lot of starsan foam in there when I racked the beer in. or it might be some thing from the oils in the coconut. otherwise I think i have lacto infection from the muslin bags. one of the bags I had used for steeping grains. I put it through the wash and gave it a soak in starsan before I used it, but I probably should have boiled it and the other two aswell.

I was wondering should I just rack it off now to my bottling bucket and bottle up before it gets worse? It tasted GREAT before I put the coconut in.

[EDIT] cant seem to attach the pics, here's the links:

http://imgur.com/sin179E
http://imgur.com/KREaSw8
http://imgur.com/2KUL6Dq
http://imgur.com/SZmPFK6
http://imgur.com/fj5lsd8

 

[IslandLizard]

Hello, this is a cocunut porter extract recipe I made...I couldn't really get a good picture...Sorry about the quality couldnt get my phone camera to focus....

Are you sure these weren't taken with the Hubble Telescope before they fixed it?

 

[frug]

Ha!! yeah they're pretty dodgy photos alright. I'll try get some better ones this evening when I get home.

 

[IslandLizard]

Info: 1 week after Fermentation started, I dry hopped for 2 weeks. Now after 2 weeks there is some formations of white/grayish moldy looking things on the top of my beer clinging on to the hops bag (actually a biab).

The bag was boiled before I added it to the fermenter.
Does it look infected? More pictures can be taken.

It doesn't smell anything (maybe a bit moldy and nail polish remover (aceton)) and it didn't look like this 1 week ago.

http://i.imgur.com/2BZLxyu.jpg
http://imgur.com/jR1DOCB

Btw, these are pictures from 2 different batches, brewed 1 day apart. I did not sanitize my biab, only boiled it for 10 minutes. I guess that was my mistake. Next time I dry hop I will just dump the pellets in.
I will certainly bleach all my equipment thoroughly for next brew day!

You got a huge amount of fabric in that bucket!
Plenty of surface for bugs to cling on and hide. Your BIAB bag is covered with lacto and other bugs from the grain. Boiling it will sanitize it to some extend, but won't sterilize it. Molds are known to be tenacious, or something could have stuck to your bag after boiling.

The acetone smell may be the indication something is wrong. If the white spots look furry, it is mold. And that is never good in a beer, AFAIK.

Other bugs like lacto, pedio, or aceto will turn your beer sour. Bret and wild yeasts also change your beer. With those you may or may not end up with yummy beer. Some people have been successful carefully scooping off the mold rafts and save the beer. If the infestation is deeper, most likely not. You can taste some of the beer, and take it from there.

Use a roomy but much smaller "hop bag" next time and make sure it was boiled and then soaked in Starsan and agitated periodically for at least an hour. Or just drop 'em in without a bag. And filter out when racking.

 

[IslandLizard]

Ha!! yeah they're pretty dodgy photos alright. I'll try get some better ones this evening when I get home.

It could be just coconut fat floating there. It's hard to tell. If it is an infection it will spread and you'll know it in a few days.

 

[frug]

The cloudy bubbles are the real warning sign for me though... Could it be the starsan that the bags were soaked in catching co2 and foaming up? I've never used SS before.

 

[IslandLizard]

There was another thread recently where the brewer added coconut and it turned into an infection. I'm not sure if coconut flakes are safe to be added without some form of pasteurization. Toasting alone may not do enough.

The muslin (cloth) bags can trap all sorts of things. I prefer nylon bags, and even then...

Starsan foam would have dissipated by now.

 

[frug]

okay... i definately think it's the bags.. I had used one before for steeping, and I read today that is quite bad for lacto infections since they live on the raw grains. I might bottle tomorrow so before it gets any worse.

here's some marginally better pics

http://i.imgur.com/OhmErql.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EefRJ4O.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CDLVov7.jpg

 

[IslandLizard]

!!! NEVER bottle an infection !!!

 

[ballsy]

Info: 1 week after Fermentation started, I dry hopped for 2 weeks. Now after 2 weeks there is some formations of white/grayish moldy looking things on the top of my beer clinging on to the hops bag (actually a biab).

The bag was boiled before I added it to the fermenter.
Does it look infected? More pictures can be taken.

It doesn't smell anything (maybe a bit moldy and nail polish remover (aceton)) and it didn't look like this 1 week ago.

http://i.imgur.com/2BZLxyu.jpg
http://imgur.com/jR1DOCB

Btw, these are pictures from 2 different batches, brewed 1 day apart. I did not sanitize my biab, only boiled it for 10 minutes. I guess that was my mistake. Next time I dry hop I will just dump the pellets in.
I will certainly bleach all my equipment thoroughly for next brew day!

Dude...save yourself time and effort and just drop those pellets (or cones/leaves) right in to the bucket. I would wait more than 1wk too, typical is 3rd week drop em in and bottle 4th week if FG reached. Don't ever let anything touch your beer unless it has been treated with star san first no matter how clean it may be...

 

[daggers_nz]

does dry hopping with cones without a bag result in less hop dust and hazy gunk when it comes time to syphon for bottling?

 

[frug]

I guess I should to see if it definitely is an infection or just the fat from the coconut rather than bottle in a panic. there has been little growth in the "infection".. I would have expected it to be exponential. it still smells good.

 

[IslandLizard]

I guess I should to see if it definitely is an infection or just the fat from the coconut rather than bottle in a panic. there has been little growth in the "infection".. I would have expected it to be exponential. it still smells good.

That sounds better
You really scared me when I read your intent to bottle. Bottling won't stop an infection, but will create bottle bombs instead. That's why you have to make sure all fermentation has stopped before bottling.

I was at the National Homebrewers Conference this year and we were given cans of some craft beer. They were hard as a rock. Well, during those few days they started to explode left and right. The beer was gushing when opened, tasted slightly sour, but was actually very drinkable, and refreshing, partly due to the super-carbonation. Some bug must have gotten in during transfer to the canning truck, unless it happened earlier on. Some cans were worse than others, which is strange. If they had been bottles, the story would not be as funny.

See the yeasts we normally use run out of simpler sugars they can ferment and go dormant. Some wild yeasts and most bacteria aren't hampered by the larger sugar molecules and gobble most everything, down to 0.

 

[brewnewb1]

Not sure if this is an infection or not. Was really hard to get a picture of it through the krausen up top. Its a pale ale. Been in the carboy for 5 days. Hoping it clears up.

View attachment 148129

So this has cleared up a bit, but there are still some bubbles on top. Maybe air bubbles or something? It hasn't finished fermenting but it doesn't seem like there's anything too crazy going on...