So ... Is this what i think it is?

[Moonraker]

Had a longer than usual lag time, later noticed the yeast was past date (lesson learned), and when kreusen fell a few days later I appear to have my first infection.

Is it what I think it is and what should I do next? Chuck it out and brew again?

 

[phenry]

Looks like yeast to me.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Looks perfectly normal to me. Let it sit for a few weeks and bottle it.

 

[BigTerp]

Doesn't look like an infection to me. But I'm far from an expert. Looks like some yeast/hop floaties.

 

[Slowfro]

What's it smell like? Draw a sample and take a taste...that'll tell you if it's infected. I suspect that's just some yeast and kreusen that hasn't dropped out yet. Don't dump until you're absolutely sure it's ruined!

 

[COLObrewer]

Yup looks like yeast, check gravity, taste it, proceed as normal. It should also fall.

 

[IrregularPulse]

No worries there. Just left over krausen that hasn't fallen yet.

 

[Ace_Club]

looks like yeast to me.

looks perfectly normal to me. Let it sit for a few weeks and bottle it.

doesn't look like an infection to me. But i'm far from an expert. Looks like some yeast/hop floaties.

what's it smell like? Draw a sample and take a taste...that'll tell you if it's infected. I suspect that's just some yeast and kreusen that hasn't dropped out yet. Don't dump until you're absolutely sure it's ruined!

yup looks like yeast, check gravity, taste it, proceed as normal. It should also fall.

no worries there. Just left over krausen that hasn't fallen yet.

+1

 

[IrregularPulse]

Yup looks like yeast, check gravity, taste it, proceed as normal. It should also fall.

Holy sig batman.

 

[COLObrewer]

Holy sig batman.

You like that don't you.

 

[Moonraker]

It smells pretty bad, kinda rotten-fruity, although that got better after a couple of days, but I read somewhere on HBT that I shouldn't worry about the smell from WLP530.

Thanks for all the advice, I'll take an SG reading later today and see how it tastes - any particular flavors I should be looking out for?

And maybe I'll just brew again this weekend anyway....

 

[cimirie]

Thanks for all the advice, I'll take an SG reading later today and see how it tastes - any particular flavors I should be looking out for?

The most common infection to look for is a lactic one. It will be sour. Other less likely flavors will be vinegar, or a musty cheese taste. To be honest, though, I'll bet you $10 right now it'll taste like green beer. You don't have an infection.

And maybe I'll just brew again this weekend anyway....

However much I don't think you have an infection, I'm always in favor of more brewing. +1.

 

[jwplessner]

It smells pretty bad, kinda rotten-fruity, although that got better after a couple of days, but I read somewhere on HBT that I shouldn't worry about the smell from WLP530.

Thanks for all the advice, I'll take an SG reading later today and see how it tastes - any particular flavors I should be looking out for?

And maybe I'll just brew again this weekend anyway....

Fermentation smells gross, that's all there is to it. Even worse is when you use a wheat yeast and it starts kicking sulfur gas into your home. Just be glad the rotten fruit is leaving your beer and going into the atmosphere.

 

[Moonraker]

Aaaaaaaand it tastes fine. Nothing sour or vinegary or cheesy.

Panic over; I just hadn't seen anything quite like that floating on top of the beer in any of my previous batches, and that combined with the lengthy lag had me worried...

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Simple solution... stop opening your fermenter. Brewing is not a pretty process. They say if you ever toured a chicken processing plant you'd never eat chicken again!!!

 

[COLObrewer]

Simple solution... stop opening your fermenter. Brewing is not a pretty process. They say if you ever toured a chicken processing plant you'd never eat chicken again!!!

. . . .however, if you brew a beer in a chicken processing plant it's a whole nother story baby!

COCK ALE (circa the 1500's) A real recipe from some obscure text found in the Scottish Highlands... Enjoy....

Procedure:"Take 10 gallons of ale and a large cock, the older the better; parboil the cock, flay him, and stamp him in a stone mortar until his bones are broken (you must gut him when you flaw him). Then, put the cock into two quarts of sack, and put to it five pounds of raisins of the sun - stoned; some blades of mace, and a few cloves. Put all these into a canvas bag, and a little before you find the ale has been working, put the bag and ale together in vessel.
In a week or nine days bottle it up, fill the bottle just above the neck and give it the same time to ripen as other ale."

Alternate recipe:Brutal, eh? I was also given a modern recipe written by some guy named C.J.J. Berry.... Here goes this one...
"Take a few pieces of _cooked_ chicken and a few chicken bones (approx one tenth of the edible portion of the bird) well crushed or minced.

Also take half of pound of raisins, a very little mace, and one or maybe two cloves. Add all these ingrediants to half a bottle of string country white wine. Soak for 24 hrs. Then make on gallon of beer as follows:

1 lb Malt extract
1 Oz Hops
1/2 lb demerarra sugar
1 gallon water
Yeast and nutrient


Add the whole of the chicken mixture to the beer at the end of the second day. Fermentation will last six or seven days longer than usual and the ale should be matured at least one month in the bottle. This cock ale is of the barley wine type. (This text is from the "Cats Meow 3" compilation of recipes)

Brew on my friends

 

[cimirie]

. . . .however, if you brew a beer in a chicken processing plant it's a whole nother story baby!

COCK ALE (circa the 1500's) A real recipe from some obscure text found in the Scottish Highlands... Enjoy....

Procedure:"Take 10 gallons of ale and a large cock, the older the better; parboil the cock, flay him, and stamp him in a stone mortar until his bones are broken (you must gut him when you flaw him). Then, put the cock into two quarts of sack, and put to it five pounds of raisins of the sun - stoned; some blades of mace, and a few cloves. Put all these into a canvas bag, and a little before you find the ale has been working, put the bag and ale together in vessel.
In a week or nine days bottle it up, fill the bottle just above the neck and give it the same time to ripen as other ale."

Alternate recipe:Brutal, eh? I was also given a modern recipe written by some guy named C.J.J. Berry.... Here goes this one...
"Take a few pieces of _cooked_ chicken and a few chicken bones (approx one tenth of the edible portion of the bird) well crushed or minced.

Also take half of pound of raisins, a very little mace, and one or maybe two cloves. Add all these ingrediants to half a bottle of string country white wine. Soak for 24 hrs. Then make on gallon of beer as follows:

1 lb Malt extract
1 Oz Hops
1/2 lb demerarra sugar
1 gallon water
Yeast and nutrient

Add the whole of the chicken mixture to the beer at the end of the second day. Fermentation will last six or seven days longer than usual and the ale should be matured at least one month in the bottle. This cock ale is of the barley wine type. (This text is from the "Cats Meow 3" compilation of recipes)

Brew on my friends

So, where do we sign the petition of the new BJCP style category: crushed and mutilated animal ale!

 

[Moonraker]

Simple solution... stop opening your fermenter.

Carboy hadn't been opened. I try to minimize exposure.