YAIQ - (Yet Another Infection Question)

[Rhuarc]

I brewed a clone of the Caribou Slobber from Northern Brewer (mine was a clone of that kit)

Everything went fine, and it has been sitting in Secondary for several weeks now. I went to check it to bottle it tonight and was greeted by this.

I know that various yeasts can create strange looking krausen. Does this look like an infection? I tried my gravity sample taken from the spigot on a bucket and it tasted fine, at least to my unrefined tongue. I have always been very careful with sanitation and use StarSan on everything.

Looking for recommendations. Since it is in a bucket is it ok to transfer to a bottling bucket making sure to not transfer any of the top stuff?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Definitely an infection!

Really cool pellicle, be proud.

More than likely some form of Brettanomyces, but could be a number of things, nonetheless, cool!

Cheers!

 

[kapbrew13]

Nasty!! That's in the secondary? How's it taste? Sour, vinegar, etc..

 

[duckmanco]

I'd say definetly an infection, don't know what kind though. I'd let it sit for a year either way though and see how it develops over time.

 

[Rhuarc]

Safe to bottle at this point? It doesn't taste bad, maybe very slightly sour.

 

[ArcticBear]

Looks a little gnarly but if it tastes fine I'd soldier on and test with results of a finished product. Kinda looks infected though lol

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Kinda looks infected though lol

"Kinda"?

Cheers!

 

[g-star]

Yet another reason not to secondary...increased opportunities for exposure to infection.

 

[Rhuarc]

Bottled last night! I will give it several weeks to carb and see what it tastes like. The taste right now isn't bad, so hopefully the yeast will be able to kill of the infection.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Bottled last night! I will give it several weeks to carb and see what it tastes like. The taste right now isn't bad, so hopefully the yeast will be able to kill of the infection.

Your yeast will not out-compete that infection in the bottle. I would suggest testing one for carbonation after week one and then on until you have sufficient carbonation, then I would chill them down to eliminate the possibilty of bottle bombs.

If the infection is bacterial (it looks like Brett, so probably not.) it may continue to chew up any residual sugars in the beer, and you could have some explosive results down the line.

IMO, you could have let it sit for a couple months, and sampled from time-to-time, you may have ended up with a unique beer with a nice complexity.

Then again, maybe sewer water, would have still been neat to see ;P

Cheers!

 

[Rhuarc]

What if after they are carbonated I pasteurize the bottles at pasteurization temps? This should stabilize the beer, killing both the yeast and the bacteria, correct?

 

[bmeyer46]

I think I would have pasteurized the wort, then repitch with some viable yeast and try fermenting again...of course not sure if that would work or not if all the sugars have already been eaten by the nasty infection, but I'm afraid that the priming sugar eating nasty yeast in the bottle would do nothing but make nasty carbonated beer...but what do I know?