Post your infection

[day_trippr]

I'm not seeing anything suspicious in those pics.

Remain calm and ferment on...

Cheers!

 

[normonster]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449029159.518047.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449029172.900454.jpg

Wow.

 

[Jwin]

Forget about the gallon of yogurt you sat one the counter last week?

 

[normonster]

Rice wine gone wrong (I think).

 

[unionrdr]

Or it's a close-up of Ganimede? Too fuzzy to be sure. But maybe krausen & yeast rafts?

 

[normonster]

Or it's a close-up of Ganimede? Too fuzzy to be sure. But maybe krausen & yeast rafts?

No, it literally is my rice wine, gone way wrong. LOL. I think.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Oh rice wine. Rice wine grows fuzzies. You may be okay.

 

[normonster]

Oh rice wine. Rice wine grows fuzzies. You may be okay.

You think? I kinda scrrrd. That is only 5 days in...can't imagine the wonders to come over the next two weeks.

 

[DrunkleJon]

You think? I kinda scrrrd. That is only 5 days in...can't imagine the wonders to come over the next two weeks.

I am no expert on rice wine. You can check this monster of a thread, but I seem to remember reading that rice wine is fermented using a combination of yeast and fungi. The fungi can get kinda funky looking though.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=361095

Then again it could be mold. What do I know? I am just a guy on the internet looking at pictures of weird things in peoples fermentables.

 

[normonster]

Haha. Yeah, mold & bacteria do the starch conversion and then the yeast takes over but I can't find any other images of rice wine with THIS much mold.

Posted in that thread to see what people say but just in case I fired up a new batch with a different kind of rice.

 

[indibeers]

Hello guys!

My first post here. And the very first time I am brewing.

Slightly embarassed to admit that I do not own a hydrometer yet - so I haven't taken any readings. I have left it to ferment for 13 days now and this is what it looks like. Can you tell me if there is something to worry or if it looks ok.

Also, another question - though it has been 13 days, I am still able to see bubbles in the airlock. Since I do not have any SG readings to go on, should I allow it another week before I bottle? Don't want to end up with a bottle-bomb factory.

Appreciate your inputs!

 

[kombat]

Looks fine to me.

 

[Brew_G]

Hello guys!

My first post here. And the very first time I am brewing.

Slightly embarassed to admit that I do not own a hydrometer yet - so I haven't taken any readings. I have left it to ferment for 13 days now and this is what it looks like. Can you tell me if there is something to worry or if it looks ok.

Also, another question - though it has been 13 days, I am still able to see bubbles in the airlock. Since I do not have any SG readings to go on, should I allow it another week before I bottle? Don't want to end up with a bottle-bomb factory.

Appreciate your inputs!

I agree that your beer looks perfectly fine!

Do you have any way of getting a hydrometer? If so, let the beer be for now, and when you do get the hydrometer, take readings a couple days apart. If they're the same, then bottle away. If not, then let it ride for a bit more until the readings are stable.

That said, depending on the kind of beer and the strain of yeast, there's a pretty good chance that the beer is done fermenting after two weeks. Another week in primary should guarantee it, but, again, it all depends on the recipe and yeast.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, it could be done in two weeks. But don't be too surprised if it takes three or three & a half weeks to finish & settle out clear or slightly misty. Getting a hydrometer would be a good thing at this point. they're like 6 bucks.

 

[Viking_Brewing]

This is with a coopers English bitter. I've been super busy and kinda forgot about it so its been sitting there for a couple months. When I tasted it a while back it tasted kinda off, but I wasn't sure if that was just part of the "bitter." But now something seems to be really wrong. Can it be fixed? Should I just dump it? What do you think went wrong?

View attachment 1449185396483.jpg

 

[unionrdr]

Looks to me like you've got a pellicle going there. How's it taste now?

 

[Viking_Brewing]

I haven't tried, it looks to gross. Should I?

 

[indibeers]

Looks fine to me.

I agree that your beer looks perfectly fine!

Do you have any way of getting a hydrometer? If so, let the beer be for now, and when you do get the hydrometer, take readings a couple days apart. If they're the same, then bottle away. If not, then let it ride for a bit more until the readings are stable.

That said, depending on the kind of beer and the strain of yeast, there's a pretty good chance that the beer is done fermenting after two weeks. Another week in primary should guarantee it, but, again, it all depends on the recipe and yeast.

Yeah, it could be done in two weeks. But don't be too surprised if it takes three or three & a half weeks to finish & settle out clear or slightly misty. Getting a hydrometer would be a good thing at this point. they're like 6 bucks.

Hello and thanks for the replies. Glad to hear that the beer looks fine. Yeah, wasn't a problem with buying the hydrometer but it wasn't readily available. Will get it in a few days. I couldn't wait for it before I started brewing

Anyways, decided to leave it to ferment for a week more. Hopefully will be ready by then for bottling.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I haven't tried, it looks to gross. Should I?

Just so you know, nothing pathogenic can grow in beer. Once there is alcohol in solution and the ph has dropped nothing that can hurt you can grow. True it may taste terrible, but you may also have had a happy little accident as Bob Ross would say. Never hurts to try it.

 

[unionrdr]

I heartily agree! At least try it to see if it's a good flavor you might like. If it tastes like a$$, dump it & move on. It very likely is one of those beers that shouldn't sit for too long, before temp changes, etc cause a suck-back & the incoming bit of air had nasties in it.

 

[Viking_Brewing]

Is there a way to remove it? I just tried it and its pretty mediocre

 

[unionrdr]

Nasties aren't only in the pellicle floating on top, they're all through the beer.

 

[msa8967]

Here is a photo of a Belgian wheat/wit beer. Cannot tell if these are yeast rafts or an infection? I am hoping for yeast rafts but I realize it may be infected. Thoughts?

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like yeast rafts to me...

 

[Rkb1983]

Okay, I think I got one. Witbier, 3 weeks in fermenter (don't mind the muslin bag). Checked on it to find a white film on the surface. Can't really tell. My big issue is that this is a plastic bucket, so if it is an infection, how should I best clean/sanitize it to kill of all the bacteria?

Funny, I also have a witbier with a similar looking film on top. I also have two bags but I used them to dry hop. I soaked the bags in vodka first though to try to disinfect them. It doesn't look like the film is really growing anymore right now, hopefully it's salvageable.

To those in the know: I'm hoping to get a keg setup and fridge in the next week or two, and I was going to try to rack this beer. Is this not recommended on the chance that it would infect all of the keg equipment? Does the PBW take care of an infection like this, or am I better off dumping it?

 

[Jwin]

Funny, I also have a witbier with a similar looking film on top. I also have two bags but I used them to dry hop. I soaked the bags in vodka first though to try to disinfect them. It doesn't look like the film is really growing anymore right now, hopefully it's salvageable.

To those in the know: I'm hoping to get a keg setup and fridge in the next week or two, and I was going to try to rack this beer. Is this not recommended on the chance that it would infect all of the keg equipment? Does the PBW take care of an infection like this, or am I better off dumping it?

Don't dump anything until you taste it
Odds are it's ok. And your keg equipment will be fine. That's all stainless steel except the hose, which the beer doesn't exactly sit it.
Now, I would replace your siphon hose and clean the siphon well if it was infected.

 

[wallybangbang]

Rice wine gone wrong (I think).

I make rice wine and it is not suppose to look like that. Sometimes you get a thin layer of white fuzz(can't remember the scientific name) but that dark green/ black mold is no good. Rice wines are susceptible to mold and growth in the first few days, after that your usually in the clear because it has so much alcohol in it. You are making rice wine and not sake right? There is a big difference . The thread someone else posted for you is a good read for ghetto rice wines, which are delicious and easy to make.

 

[normonster]

I make rice wine and it is not suppose to look like that. Sometimes you get a thin layer of white fuzz(can't remember the scientific name) but that dark green/ black mold is no good. Rice wines are susceptible to mold and growth in the first few days, after that your usually in the clear because it has so much alcohol in it. You are making rice wine and not sake right? There is a big difference . The thread someone else posted for you is a good read for ghetto rice wines, which are delicious and easy to make.

Yeah, when my second batch caught up I realized that first one was a goner and dumped it. It was still growing strong!! Lol. Second and third batches look much better.

 

[normonster]

And yes, ghetto rice wine not saki.

 

[Rkb1983]

Don't dump anything until you taste it
Odds are it's ok. And your keg equipment will be fine. That's all stainless steel except the hose, which the beer doesn't exactly sit it.
Now, I would replace your siphon hose and clean the siphon well if it was infected.

I took a sample last night... It was really quite good! I think since I was planning on moving completely to kegging, I will try to bottle this batch as my last one. I'd rather have to replace a bottling bucket, bottling wand and hose that I've used for a year and probably won't need again for a while than worry about compromising brand new keg equipment on the first batch. There doesn't appear to be any new growth and hasn't been bubbling in a long time, so there shouldn't be a concern with bottle bombs (knock on wood).