Two dumpers in a row... what gives??

[trevelynzx]

Hey all. Brewed up a second batch of the RR R2H56 clone after the first got infected. Unlike the first time I went straight through the whole mash/ boil brew day in one shot to avoid any unexpected kettle souring. Thanks to @IslandLizard for the input in the other thread.

Anyway, batch #2 - about 5 days in and tasted great. Held in the Unitank @ 66F (005). Day six I bumped the temp up to 69 and all of a sudden there is a murky, vinegary taste that i can only guess is an aceto infection. What the heck?

Same recipe, built a starter from yeast I harvested from the last starter. Hope were from the same 1lb bag i got from MB.

Questions-
1) Anyone ever run into an infection carried in by hops? I’m asking because the hop package is a commonality between the two failed batches.

2) All around the fermenter are tons of little black gnats (not fruit flies) that seem to love landing/ dying in my sanitizer/ cooler of chilling water. Even though i’m using a sealed SS Unitank is it possible they’re working their way in to the fermenter? Blowoff is via a hose into a bucket of sanitizer. Probably about 40-50 dead gnats in there. Last point- if they are indeed getting in, the only way i can imagine is via the sampling valve since i tend to take samples about every other day - anyone else ever experience that?

Finally, since the last failed batch i did a PBW (home made) wash, rinse, and saniztier wash through the unitank, all CIP. have done about 6 batches in this unitank so far with no other issues.

help please :/ — so disappointing to lose two in a row.

 

[universalfrost]

You mentioned that you also have a commonality between the yeast starter..

I would guess that is the culprit....

 

[trevelynzx]

Could be, and that will be one of the things I switch out for my next batch. But the starter smelled normal and appeared healthy and the first 3 to 4 days of fermentation were tasting normal and good. So I’m not convinced it’s the yeast yet.

 

[GoeHaarden]

All around the fermenter are tons of little black gnats (not fruit flies)

If you're getting vinegar tastes, and you're seeing these types of bugs then I would say that's your problem. I'm not entomologist so I wouldn't be able to say it's one species and not another for certain...

Maybe try one of those two-stage mason jar blow-off setups so it's more of a sealed system and you can evaluate if they're getting past the first bottle...or ferment under pressure since you have a unitank!

EDIT: On second thought, your Unitank is probably bad and you should send it to me for disposal. I'll pay shipping!

 

[eric19312]

An infection that leads to dumping beer is bad news!

How about full disassembly and hand cleaning/inspecting every part of that tank and all equipment that is involved in transfer of the beer from brew kettle t the tank? That includes breaking down valves etc. You didn't mention how you are chilling. If counter flow or plate chiller that needs to be ruled out too. After doing the full cleaning/inspecting by hand reassemble and possibly consider sanitizing with iodophor, letting that air dry then hitting it again with a true no rinse sanitizer before brewing.

I do also suspect that sampling valve. Make sure to inspect it will. If it is a ball valve there is a hole in it that can easily harbor some sort of biofilm that could carry infection batch to batch. Squirt some sanitizer into it after taking a sample. Plug it to keep those gnats out when not in use. Maybe hold off on sampling until day 6 or so when you can be pretty sure the beer is inhospitable

Dump that yeast. Figuring out if that is harboring the contamination is not worth the effort.

I have heard of brewers suspecting hops as source of infection. But that was on dry hop side and was a big charge of wet hops used in dry hopping.

Clean up the fermenting area to try to get rid of those gnats. Most important to get rid of any sources of food or moisture that is attracting them. Then perhaps some fly paper or similar just to make sure and to force you to notice if they suddenly come back.


Finally just in case all of these steps were not enough I would do a wort stability test next time I brewed. Get some sanitized mason jars. Idea is to collect some wort (before you pitch yeast), keep it covered (not tight, don't want jars exploding), in a warm place - 80F if you can, and see how long it takes for bugs to start growing. Samples might include wort leaving the brew kettle. Wort leaving the plate chiller. Wort from the unitank sample valve. Three days no activity in the sample is supposed to be indication of acceptable level of sanitation. Four or five days is even better.

 

[trevelynzx]

Great replies so far all, much appreciated. if this batch is indeed a dumper i’ll be taking the whole unitank apart for a good cleaning.

If that doesn’t work out i’ll send the scrap to @GoeHaarden !!

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I had a batch infected by the hops once. Eeewww. It’s was gross.

 

[lablover]

he only dumper I ever made was due to using a yeast smack pack that was inflated when I received it in the mail. I'd dump the yeast since they are common to both.

 

[trevelynzx]

Thanks guys. “Fermentation” has finally stopped so i’m going to give it one last taste before deciding to dump or not.