Sad day - first bad batch of beer

[ninjai]

I've been brewing for years but I can't figure out where I went wrong. This time I took apart everything and cleaned/sanitized everything. I've only recently started using Starsan, however.

I was brewing a winter ale. When I cracked the lid open there was zero obvious signs it was bad. Looked like good normal beer. It as, however, a little red and it was supposed to be dark.

I added vanilla bean to it, and realized I didn't do anything to the beans before I popped them in the fermenter. Could this be the cause? They were in a sealed container.

In addition, I'm using a spray bottle and maybe I didn't add the right amount of starsan so I'm not getting enough sanitization solution up in the mix?

With Starsan, I typically spray everything down and then just go at it with whatever I'm doing. Should I be rinsing it off or waiting before going ahead?

I'm using plastic fermenters. No secondary racking, I have always just done primary for the most part.

 

[billl]

I think you are going to have to describe the issue a little more than just "bad batch" to get constructive feedback.

 

[woo_pig]

It was probably the vanilla beans

 

[ncbrewer]

If you're not sure you made up the correct Star San dilution, that could also be the problem. No need to rinse off the Star San. It does need contact time. I think the instruction call for one minute, but Charlie Talley(the inventor) stated that 30 seconds is good.

 

[IslandLizard]

3 things could have caused the infection:

Insufficient sanitation, large headspace filled with air after lifting lid, vanilla bean. Since the infection occurred after adding the vanilla bean, the latter 2 are the more likely cause.

Most of us slice the bean and soak it in Vodka, Bourbon, Rum, etc. for a few weeks. Then add the liquor to fermentor or when packaging.

Use a small washcloth drenched in Starsan to mop around in your bucket, rim, lid etc. Spraying alone may not be enough. Also clean and sanitize well around the lid area before removing it.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

My first contamination came from vanilla beans. That gets my vote.

The next one came from the next batch of beer in the same fermenter, despite soaking in bleach, really hot water, then star san.

 

[ninjai]

3 things could have caused the infection:

Insufficient sanitation, large headspace filled with air after lifting lid, vanilla bean. Since the infection occurred after adding the vanilla bean, the latter 2 are the more likely cause.

Most of us slice the bean and soak it in Vodka, Bourbon, Rum, etc. for a few weeks. Then add the liquor to fermentor or when packaging.

Use a small washcloth drenched in Starsan to mop around in your bucket, rim, lid etc. Spraying alone may not be enough. Also clean and sanitize well around the lid area before removing it.

See this is what I'm thinking. The vanilla beans. Last time I made a christmas/winter ale with vanilla beans I don't recall soaking them in vodka, but I remember that's required sometimes to sanitize them.

My first contamination came from vanilla beans. That gets my vote.

The next one came from the next batch of beer in the same fermenter, despite soaking in bleach, really hot water, then star san.

Now I'm nervouse to use that bucket again. I still have 2 more batches that I bought that I need to brew so I hope this isn't going to be an issue going forward.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Now I'm nervouse to use that bucket again. I still have 2 more batches that I bought that I need to brew so I hope this isn't going to be an issue going forward.

IMO, heat is your best friend to kill infections. Fill your fermenter with boiling water and let it sit for an hour or so, or better (if you can) recirculate 190F water in your bucket. I've found my HDPE fermenters are soft with near-boiling water in them, but don't deform. The ducks-nuts of methods is to do a citric-caustic-citric soak (this is what many breweries do), but caustic is quite dangerous to work with. It may be easier, safer and give piece-of-mind to just get a new fermenter.

 

[RedlegEd]

It may be easier, safer and give piece-of-mind to just get a new fermenter.

+1^^^. Is your time, energy, effort, and money worth risking another infected batch? HBT is full of posts where someone soaked their once infected fermenter in bleach, hot water, whatever, and still got another infection in the same bucket. Better to say goodbye to that bucket & lid and get yourself a new one. Ed

 

[wilserbrewer]

How long was this beer in the fermenting bucket?

At what points was the bucket opened for checking gravity and adding the vanilla beans? IMHO once a bucket fermenter is opened and the beer is exposed to the air, best to move along in the process with a vessel with less head space.