What is this on the surface of my ris?

[cmoewes]

Went to bottle my ris and saw this on the surface... What is it?

It's grey and grainy plus some white gooey.

I added an oak spiral, vanilla bean and cacao nibs which I briefly submerged in vodka (under 20 minutes)

Is it infected? Do I bother bottling it?

 

[Yooper]

I can't tell, but it looks like brettanomyces from the photo. It's got some filmy crusts, though, and that could be lactobacillus. Very hard to tell from your photos.

 

[cmoewes]

I can't tell, but it looks like brettanomyces from the photo. It's got some filmy crusts, though, and that could be lactobacillus. Very hard to tell from your photos.

I tried to take a few more but it's so obscured by the curve of the bottle.

Assuming it is infected, this would be my first time so yeah.... welcome to that club.

So is it worth the work to bottle it? I'm not sure I'm overly interested in a sour imperial stout.

Should I consider that PET carboy no longer usable? Or only if I am going to brew a sour beer?

My instinct is to just dump it.

 

[cmoewes]

Plus if I do bottle it, then I'll need a new bottling bucket, auto-siphon hoses and all that stuff too won't I?

 

[Yooper]

Plus if I do bottle it, then I'll need a new bottling bucket, auto-siphon hoses and all that stuff too won't I?

I don't know. I've never bottled something like that. It's possible that simple sanitation can knock it out in the future.

As to the cause, you have a lot of headspace in the carboy. Bacteria love oxygen, and can take hold in an oxygen rich environment, so you'll know for next time.

 

[FlaglerBC]

Add some oak, let it sit for 6 months and see what happens!

 

[seagondollar]

I get this film on some of my beers, and never have a problem botteling or kegging. Usually when i add stuff to it. If it tastes fine, your good. That film will stick to the carboy as you drain it, so it wont go in the bottles. Def nerve racking to see it though.

 

[smiffbrewing]

Probably brett... lacto couldnt survive that kind of abv. taste it....does it taste like swamp water? It might be delightful with a touch of brett. If you do bottle it, the bottling equipment is now "sour" equipmet fyi.