What kind of infection does my beer have?

[evbrewco]

A smoked Porter FYI. It was fine in the primary for about a week and a half. I moved it over to the secondary (kind of late) and a week later this happened. I've already bottled it. My biggest concern is bottle bombs. Should I be concerned? I bottled it last Thursday (2/13). There is a small white film in the bottles as well.

New to brewing so sorry for all the newb questions

Thanks in advance!


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[wildactbrewer]

I'd say your biggest issue right now is that "Patriots" sticker on the carboy...j/k! Looks like lacto but I'm not sure

 

[evbrewco]

I'd say your biggest issue right now is that "Patriots" sticker on the carboy...j/k! Looks like lacto but I'm not sure

Haha I knew I was going to get that. Not my carboy! Lol but is there any danger to bottle bombs?


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[kombat]

Any time you have an infection, bottle bombs are a risk. The problem is that the organisms that constitute an infection are able to slowly chew on the unfermentable sugars left behind by the brewing yeast, producing an excess of CO2. If sealed in a bottle, that extra CO2 has nowhere to go until the pressure exceeds the design limit of the bottle and/or cap, and ruptures.

Yes, I'd be worried about bottle bombs if I were you. After letting them carb for the standard 3 weeks, I'd move them into the fridge to at least try and slow down the infection, and possibly store them in a plastic bag (still in the fridge). Drink them quickly, or if you don't like the taste (I don't), just dump them and start over before they have time to start exploding.

 

[evbrewco]

Is 3 weeks too long though? If they are carbing up quicker shouldn't I move them to the fridge ASAP?


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[davygoat2]

I wouldn't sweat it, my smoked bourbon porter did the same thing 1 1/2 weeks in secondary.
I tasted fine and that skin seemed to dissappear soon as i moved it.
I did have trouble with carbonation, some 22oz. bottles were fine and some were flat but not sure if that was related to the skin on top or conditioning temps after bottling. I will lessen the headspace in secondary,next batch of porter.
Don't freak. I did and didn't do me any good.

ps. I didn't have the film in the bottles, IRMV.

 

[boydster]

Have you tasted it? Most infections work pretty slow, so if you bottle it you'll just want to drink them quickly rather than aging them. Putting them all in the fridge once they are carbed instead of leaving them at room/cellar temp will also help slow down the infection. You could also just let the beer age in the carboy for the next year or so and see if you end up with a nice sour...

 

[evbrewco]

Ya I know "relax and have a home brew". Leaving them in the bottles for a couple weeks should be ok then? Even with this infection? The person who originally responded to me has me a bit worried about this...


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[evbrewco]

It did taste fine before I bottled it. Maybe a slight sourness to it but overall pretty good. Like I said before my biggest concern are those 40 bottles shattering into flying glass


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[kombat]

Ya I know "relax and have a home brew". Leaving them in the bottles for a couple weeks should be ok then?

Yes, you should be fine for at least a couple of weeks.

After that, it wouldn't hurt to open 1 bottle every week just to see where the carbonation is at and keep an eye on the progression of the infection. When you start opening gushers, you know bottle bombs aren't far behind and you'll have to make a decision to drink 'em quickly, or open them and dump.

 

[evbrewco]

Yes, you should be fine for at least a couple of weeks.



After that, it wouldn't hurt to open 1 bottle every week just to see where the carbonation is at and keep an eye on the progression of the infection. When you start opening gushers, you know bottle bombs aren't far behind and you'll have to make a decision to drink 'em quickly, or open them and dump.

Appreciate you talking me off the ledge! I'll report back with my findings


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[evbrewco]

So just a quick update. I did crack one open last night just to see if it's carbonating any faster than usual. Happy to report it was mostly flat with a little fizzle. (It's been about 6 days since I bottled it) It also tasted good. It did have a funk smell after I initially opened it but once I poured it into a glass it smelled great! Crossing my fingers....


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[evbrewco]

*Update*

Cracked a few more open last night. It tasted really good! The hint of sourness was there but overall I'm pretty happy. Some of friends even said they enjoyed the hint of sourness. I would normally think they are just being nice but I thought it tasted good as well.


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