Post your infection

[unionrdr]

I used 1 tab of whirlfloc for a 1 gallon batch.
Most likely too much.
I will cut in half for my next small batch

1/2 of one tablet is good for a 5 gallon batch. I used a pill splitter to half mine & put'em back in the lil bottle.

 

[j_foamstache]

Guys, I think its infected. Left it in the back of my laundry room for 2 years and forgot about it. LOL. Smells like an apple orchard and tastes like a sock.View attachment 343590

You set out to make beer, made cheese instead. Great work, man!

 

[pablosbrewing]

Pretty sure this is not an infection, but does not seem right.
One gallon blonde ale, cold crashed for a few days and all the hops and junk did not settle
View attachment 345501View attachment 345502

You also may have used an entire pack of yeast for a 1 gal batch, which would be too much.

 

[ZmannR2]

Guys, I think its infected. Left it in the back of my laundry room for 2 years and forgot about it. LOL. Smells like an apple orchard and tastes like a sock.View attachment 343590

This is freaking hilarious!! I love it! Man you must have hella batches fermenting to forget one for two years! Lmao! Thanks for the pic!

 

[mattcass]

Well I hate to be posting again but images attached.

- There was nothing except a small white fleck on the surface when I added the hops for dry hopping
- Hop bag was boiled (a lot) before adding hops and placing in fermenter
- Surface is oil-like. Definitely a layer of something that's appeared in the last 7 days. Bubbles crusty looking
- FG is 1.010

Is it even worth bottling?

 

[NYShooterGuy]

What do you have to lose?

 

[mattcass]

Bottled.

 

[joshesmusica]

Well I hate to be posting again but images attached.

- There was nothing except a small white fleck on the surface when I added the hops for dry hopping
- Hop bag was boiled (a lot) before adding hops and placing in fermenter
- Surface is oil-like. Definitely a layer of something that's appeared in the last 7 days. Bubbles crusty looking
- FG is 1.010

Is it even worth bottling?

All of those hops and the bag sitting above the beer line, and in the now oxygen-filled headspace, are pretty good breeding ground for bacteria. Even if you did boil, you still handled the bag afterward didn't you? You more than likely let it cool as well right? Even though the hops are said to be anti-microbial in nature, there are still some bacteria and wild yeast that can live on those things. Most of the time that wouldn't be a problem when dry-hopping, but in this case, you've given them enough oxygen at the top to start going. What was your FG before dry-hopping? Was it still stable a week later?

If you did bottle, hopefully you went ahead and decided to under-carb it a bit. The bacteria will most definitely continue to eat away at the sugars while in the bottle. There's not much you can do to avoid that besides under-carbing it, refrigerating immediately after it's finished carbonating, and consuming quickly.

Can I ask why you don't just throw the hops directly in if you've gotten another infection from this, and obviously know it's an easy source of infection (going off of the context of your post)?

 

[m00ps]

@mattcass
I can assure you that is infected. No one can say for sure with what, but it certainly looks like the start of every mixed brett fermentation I have done.

You now have a situation on your hands. The bottles will either become overcarbed or explode and send shards of glass to every corner of the room you are storing them in. I would take precaution on put the bottles in some sort of container asap.

 

[mattcass]

Thanks. The hop bag wasnt the source of the last infection, it was an uncleaned spigot from the fermentation bucket. I'd previously used the bag multiple times without issue but from now on its loose hops and loose hops only.

 

[joshesmusica]

Thanks. The hop bag wasnt the source of the last infection, it was an uncleaned spigot from the fermentation bucket. I'd previously used the bag multiple times without issue but from now on its loose hops and loose hops only.

And also make sure you're taking apart the spigot and cleaning it real well after every batch. I use a toothbrush to make sure I can get into most nooks.

 

[panhandler]

Here is my amber ale after a week in primary. it just looks like bits of the krausen to me, but it seems like they shouldn't be there? this is my first bucket brew so not sure what to expect. thanks for help and input.

i took a hydrometer reading at this point (which was 3 days ago) and came out at 1.014, so it has definitely been doing some work

 

[joshesmusica]

Here is my amber ale after a week in primary. it just looks like bits of the krausen to me, but it seems like they shouldn't be there? this is my first bucket brew so not sure what to expect. thanks for help and input.

Can't see the first one. Second one is just yeast. Not unusual after only a week in primary.

 

[NoCornOrRice]

It looked like mother of vinegar, but it was something else, unsure what.

 

[Jwin]

One hell of an optical illusion there.

 

[Gibberoni]

It looked like mother of vinegar, but it was something else, unsure what.

If its drinkable... it has to be called Eye of the Beerholder.

 

[burninator]

It looked like mother of vinegar, but it was something else, unsure what.

A little Visine should clear that right up.

 

[Gibberoni]

This is freaking hilarious!! I love it! Man you must have hella batches fermenting to forget one for two years! Lmao! Thanks for the pic!

LOL Not so much that I forgot about it for two years. That was an exaggeration, but it was sitting there for 2 years and every week I was like... ehhhhh, Ill take care of it next week. 104 weeks later and we have this! I actually moved it the week I took the picture to dump it.. and its still not dumped...

 

[mrgrimm101]

I used 1 tab of whirlfloc for a 1 gallon batch.
Most likely too much.
I will cut in half for my next small batch

For what it's worth, I only use a 1/2 tablet for my 5 gallon batches.

 

[j_foamstache]

I don't think this looks all that weird, what I'm not sure what to think of is the portion that looks like dried, fragmented mud. Anyone seen anything like this before? It's an ESB that came back to life after about 2.5 weeks and as of right now it tastes pretty dang good.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/26160495742/in/album-72157666807479375/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/25980091750/in/album-72157666807479375/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/25980101290/in/album-72157666807479375/

Thoughts?

 

[NYShooterGuy]

I don't think this looks all that weird, what I'm not sure what to think of is the portion that looks like dried, fragmented mud. Anyone seen anything like this before? It's an ESB that came back to life after about 2.5 weeks and as of right now it tastes pretty dang good.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/26160495742/in/album-72157666807479375/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/25980091750/in/album-72157666807479375/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30832809@N08/25980101290/in/album-72157666807479375/

Thoughts?

Is that the active fermentation with krausen? Could be yeast and other goodies if it kicked off for a second time.

 

[j_foamstache]

Is that the active fermentation with krausen? Could be yeast and other goodies if it kicked off for a second time.

Yeah that's the weird thing. I pitched the yeast about 3.5 weeks ago and it was active for about 4 days. Totally normal. But because the gravity hadn't stabilized I left it in there - but there was no bubbling or visible activity for about two weeks straight. It was just doing it's silent work.

Then about a week ago it started bubbling again and developed a small froth on top. It looked normal to me so I left it. I took these pics yesterday and gave it taste test. Tastes normal, looks like the bottom of a dried up lake.

 

[rbeaird87]

Not an infection story - more of a bullet dodged. I had just finished bottling my coffee milk stout and was kicking back enjoying a brew and suddenly had a sinking feeling in my gut. I had forgotten to sanitize my bottling hose and filler. Thankfully I got away with it in terms of no infection. Unfortunately, the beer simply isn't very good.

 

[Pyg]

Checked on some bottles found one of my cream ales with odd patch on the side of the bottle.
None of the other batch show signs?
Infected batch or did bottle cause infection?
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1459899927.451195.jpg

 

[DrunkleJon]

Checked on some bottles found one of my cream ales with odd patch on the side of the bottle.
None of the other batch show signs?
Infected batch or did bottle cause infection?
View attachment 349068

Thats just the mountain. Did it turn blue when it was super cold?

kidding. Yeah, that one looks like a bottle infection. You would notice a little pellicle in the other bottles too otherwise.

 

[Pyg]

Thats just the mountain. Did it turn blue when it was super cold?



kidding. Yeah, that one looks like a bottle infection. You would notice a little pellicle in the other bottles too otherwise.

Is it still drinkable?

 

[j_foamstache]

Is it still drinkable?

Just like when a beer gets infected in a fermenter, see what it smells like and give it a small taste. You'll know what to do from there

 

[DrunkleJon]

Yep. Chill the bottle well. Open it over the sink. Pour into a glass if you can and give it a whiff. Taste it. If it tasted okay drink it otherwise dump it.

Nothing pathogenic can survive I'm beer due to the pH and alcohol. All that could really happen is it tastes terrible. Gove it a go. Otherwise dump the bottle anyway. Last think you want is for it to explode.

How long have they been in bottles? You may want to put the others inside something that could contain the shrapnel just in case it is not just a bottle infection.

 

[j_foamstache]

Hey Drunkle, any thoughts on my possible infection? My OP and photos should be on page 314 of this thread.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Yeah, that one looks like a bottle infection.

That looks like the label adhesive didn't come off fully (no oxy-clean soak), to me.