Timeframe for infection onset?

[MBasile]

I'm wondering how long it takes for visual signs of an infection to present themselves. I brought my primary inside the other night so I could rack to secondary. When I got up the next morning I saw that the airlock had fallen of. I cursed, and put it back on. After I ate breakfast I noticed it had fallen off again! I repeated the process as before (cursing, then putting it back on.)

I racked the beer to the properly sanitized secondary where it has been for about 24 hours now. If it's going to grow a nice layer of mold, when should I expect to start seeing that? It's a stout, so it shouldn't be hard to see white fluffies at the top if/when they form.

 

[COLObrewer]

It should be fine, beer creates its own layer of CO2 protection. The airlock is to let excess gas release without blowing up your fermentor, etc. Why was the airlock falling off? Are you sure it's not plugged up?

By the way your beer IS infected, it just happens to be infected with a yeast of your choosing.

 

[MBasile]

It should be fine, beer creates its own layer of CO2 protection. The airlock is to let excess gas release without blowing up your fermentor, etc. Why was the airlock falling off? Are you sure it's not plugged up?

By the way your beer IS infected, it just happens to be infected with a yeast of your choosing.

It was actually half of an airlock fitted with a tube for use as a blow off tube. I didn't position the cup of sanitizer well so the tube pushed the airlock out. Fermentation was done so there wasn't a great buildup of pressure to push it out.

 

[davesrose]

Since the beer already fermented, I think you'll be totally fine. I tend to be more concerned with air barriers after I've pitched the yeast and when I'm waiting for krausen. After that time, the beer is very well innoculated: the yeast have done their thing to colonize the wort before any bacteria strains have. To get a desired soured lambic, keep in mind that those beers are always kept out in the open and with a large surface area. The chances from getting enough bacteria to do harm to the beer is very tiny. But if you're wondering about how long it takes to form a pellicle...it totally depends on the strain: it can range anywhere from a couple weeks to a months...just depends on the strain and how large the bacteria colony can get.

 

[broadbill]

The time-frame for the greatest chance of infection is between that time when the wort drops cools to below 140F and when the yeast begin to take off and ferment the beer (24-48hrs after pitching).