I've had a problem with a recent batch and just don't know what's wrong. I'd really love to hear what you guys think!
I brewed a chocolate vanilla porter which has now had 2 months in bottles. Carbed to 1.7 as really careful not to overcarb. Looked at bottles today and noticed small balls of white substance floating on top of beer. Also slight white line around neck of bottle where liquid ends. Assumed this might be yeast just floating rather than dropping.
Opened a bottle (after chilling slightly) and heard that dreaded fizzing noise of air escaping, bubbles began to rise in the bottle and eventually pushed out the top of the bottle.
So I know this pretty much sounds like a classic infection, only I was super careful with sanitising bottles - in fact I soaked them in VWP (a combination of something like PBW and Starsan), then rinsed them a few times, THEN soaked them in star san solution and let that drain from the bottom. Can't work out what's going wrong.
The only thing that might be relevant is that the porter OG was 1.072, and I (underpitched) only pitched one vial of white labs british ale yeast. So it went down to 1.024 in the end, making it 6.4%. Is there a chance that all that's happened is gradually the yeast in the secondary fermentation has started to ferment the remaining sugars? Once the initial rush of the co2 has escaped the bottle and I've poured it, it doesn't absolutely erupt constantly in the glass like pale ales I've done before which have looked like they are attached to a fish tank bubbler! In the glass, the beer tastes as it did at 1 month, isn't overly fizzy and looks fine.
Really hoping this was a case of under-pitching rather than another infection as these infections are almost driving me to the point of not even brewing!
Would appreciate any advice you guys have to offer.
Cheers - Chris
I brewed a chocolate vanilla porter which has now had 2 months in bottles. Carbed to 1.7 as really careful not to overcarb. Looked at bottles today and noticed small balls of white substance floating on top of beer. Also slight white line around neck of bottle where liquid ends. Assumed this might be yeast just floating rather than dropping.
Opened a bottle (after chilling slightly) and heard that dreaded fizzing noise of air escaping, bubbles began to rise in the bottle and eventually pushed out the top of the bottle.
So I know this pretty much sounds like a classic infection, only I was super careful with sanitising bottles - in fact I soaked them in VWP (a combination of something like PBW and Starsan), then rinsed them a few times, THEN soaked them in star san solution and let that drain from the bottom. Can't work out what's going wrong.
The only thing that might be relevant is that the porter OG was 1.072, and I (underpitched) only pitched one vial of white labs british ale yeast. So it went down to 1.024 in the end, making it 6.4%. Is there a chance that all that's happened is gradually the yeast in the secondary fermentation has started to ferment the remaining sugars? Once the initial rush of the co2 has escaped the bottle and I've poured it, it doesn't absolutely erupt constantly in the glass like pale ales I've done before which have looked like they are attached to a fish tank bubbler! In the glass, the beer tastes as it did at 1 month, isn't overly fizzy and looks fine.
Really hoping this was a case of under-pitching rather than another infection as these infections are almost driving me to the point of not even brewing!
Would appreciate any advice you guys have to offer.
Cheers - Chris
