Well...I am 98% sure I have my first infection.

[bigdawg86]

Brewed a Bourbon County Stout clone... OG was a little low at 1.118 and I have to look at my notes to verify but finished primary somewhere in the 1.022 range. Used TYB Dry Belgian. Primary for 4 weeks. Tranferred to secondary 40 days ago and it is still showing bubbles and the surface of the beer looks suspect. I was planning on aging it, but now am not sure what to do.
See video of beer in action and picture of surface. Other than verify gravity... any suggestions? Part of me just want's to let it ride, but I have never heard of a wild fermented stout haha

 

[AzOr]

Taste it. You’d probably pick up on off flavors quickly.

 

[bigdawg86]

Taste it. You’d probably pick up on off flavors quickly.

I plan to check gravity and taste this weekend. It seems unlikely for a 13-14% brew to pick up an infection though right?

 

[seatazzz]

Hard to tell from your pic, but those bubbles don't look slimy to me. Just looks like a bit of yeast and some co2. Taste it!

 

[bransona]

Looks like a syrupy beer holding onto some CO2. Definitely interested in the result

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Looks OK to me.

 

[chickypad]

I agree I don't see anything that definitely looks like a pellicle, just some offgassing of CO2 with surface bubbles.

 

[bigdawg86]

Just seems like off gassing at nearly 90 days is a little odd. I'll check it when I'm off work.

 

[chickypad]

Does seem a little long, has there been a temp increase recently?

 

[bigdawg86]

Does seem a little long, has there been a temp increase recently?

Nope. It's been in a dark closet in my house at 70 degrees from the start.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Doesn’t look like a traditional infection to me.

Brett could survive and grow in that alcohol level but after 90 days I’d expect a pellicle. You do not have a pellicle.

That yeast is diastic so it can still be working ever so slowly on long chain dextrins or a change in barometric pressure can trigger offgasing.

Taste and a gravity reading are your best bet. Though I’d be far more concerned with taste at this point.

 

[FVillatoro]

Take gravity readings to see if it has stabilized or if it keeps on dropping. Although it visually looks okay, a wild yeast strain may have infected it and they don't necessarily create pellicles.

Taste and take readinre before you decode what to do with it. Good luck mate

 

[bigdawg86]

Ok... took a gravity reading and it definately has made progress. For some reason I can't find my brew notes, but I recall it being in the 1.02ish range when I racked it to secondary (it was stable across 3 days)... right now it is sitting at 1.014 which puts me at a BOOZY 13.65% ABV and 87% attenuation... well within the advertised range of TYB Dry Belgian. The sample tasted has no off flavors, but like mentioned its definitely thinner than the real Bourbon County Stout, yet still has drinkable body to it.

Should I essentially lager it at this point to stop fermentation and get the yeast to drop out as best I can? Should I let ride, with possibility of it drying out a bit much? I mean, I can always toss in some lactose need be?

 

[RM-MN]

Let it ride until it stops. The yeast knows what it is doing. It may have decided to take a break (stall out) for a while, then restart. I've had that happen with one batch.

 

[divrack]

Ok. You should send me the 98 percent of it then.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Are you going to bottle or keg it? If your kegging you can rack it, carb and age it in the keg.

If your going to bottle you need to make sure your done. I’d pull a sample next week and see if it changed. I’d suspect you are but with a diastic Belgian strain you need to be sure prior to bottling.

 

[bigdawg86]

I am not sure... I have a extract version of this beer which I bottled. Even with TYB Dry Belgian would not bottle carb. I ended up having to pop the tops and add champagne yeast. Luckily it worked. The idea of having a beer like this fail at the last step worries me a bit, although would prefer to bottle carb it.

 

[PoorBoy]

That looks okay to me.
I made a big stout for my brothers wedding several years ago, and bottled it before the yeast was done, even after aging it (three months primary, racked three batches into a speidl for two month batch secondary bulk aging). I have had one bomb yet (bottled in 2013), but they have been gushing. Too bad, because it’s delicious. Be patient with it, keep an eye on it.