Unintentional spontaneous fermentation help!?

[DolfoMan]

So I brewed a chocolate milk stout yesterday. My counterflow chiller didn't get it down to temperature because we're in the middle of a heatwave were I'm at so I decided to let it sit in my fermenting fridge to drop it the rest of the way before pitching yeast. I of course sterilized my carboy and such so I figured it would be fine...the problem is that now, about 24 hours later I have discovered that my fermenting fridge is officially dead, it won't cool down at all anymore. When I checked on the beer just now I found about 1 inch of foam on top without having pitched any yeast. I will say it does not look like a proper krausen, but none the less, it looks like there's some activity.

My question is: Is there still chance to save this beer? Can I reboil it to possibly kill the bugs that may be in there and give it a chance at a clean fermentation? Or is it stuck where it is and better left to sour? I would prefer a clean fermentation, I don't imagine a chocolate milk stout souring very well. What do you all think?

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

you could stop whatever has happened to this point and kill everything off by boiling, but likely you'll still taste something from whats going on now. Taste the wort now and see if you think it's worth the effort. Bummer either way!

 

[DolfoMan]

Any chance this could just be the oxygen degassing from the wort?

 

[botigol]

It's pretty doubtful, but then I would also think that 24 hours would be a pretty short timeframe for wild yeast to kick up an inch of foam. I would follow Harvey's advice.