Infection (I'm assuming)

[No Outlet Brewing]

After brewing for over 5 years and probably 60+ brews under my belt I believe I have my first infection. This was to be my Oktoberfest this year and was brewed about 3 weeks ago. We just got back from a 5 day vacation and this is what it looked like. Looked fine when we left. Do infections usually take that long to manifest themselves and is there any chance this can be saved? Only other bit of info that could possibly be pertinent is our A/C went out right before we left so it's a bit warmer than usual in our house but still probably not more than 70F where that was sitting. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[GFHomebrew]

After brewing for over 5 years and probably 60+ brews under my belt I believe I have my first infection. This was to be my Oktoberfest this year and was brewed about 3 weeks ago. We just got back from a 5 day vacation and this is what it looked like. Looked fine when we left. Do infections usually take that long to manifest themselves and is there any chance this can be saved? Only other bit of info that could possibly be pertinent is our A/C went out right before we left so it's a bit warmer than usual in our house but still probably not more than 70F where that was sitting. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sorry for your loss mate.
You've got a better win loss infection rate than I do.

Yup if my brewing brain is right today that thar is lactobaccilus exactly what sort I'm not sure.

I recently had this same white film growing atop of my sour Kraut which mind you turned out just fine sour being what I was going for.

Welcome to brewersfriend if you've not posted before.

You like sours by any chance maybe decant some of the wort into another Demijon or something and let is age a month or two just for kicks.

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

So I took a small sample and tasted it and it does not taste sour. I can only assume it's done fermenting, so is there such a thing as racking it off the pellicle and then maybe bring it to a boil for a short period of time to kill the bugs and then putting it back into a carboy and then cold crashing it? Just throwing out ideas here in hopes of saving it.

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

Ok, after a bit more research, boiling is out of the question as I don't want an NA Oktoberfest if I can avoid it. What about skimming the pellicle and then cold fermenting the beer for a few more weeks before bottling? Maybe this will keep the infection at bay as it will be consumed quickly after bottling. Secondly, will a good cleaning with PBW and a starsan soak get my equipment right or is there something more to be done to avoid this in the future?

 

[Minbari]

I wouldn't even risk it. The stuff on top is just what you can see. It's everywhere in the beer.

I would give it a good clean then soak in iodofor for 10 minutes. Make it good and strong

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

Part of me wants to experiment with this and maybe boil some for a "near beer" option and maybe bottle some and hope for something along the lines of an Oud Bruin but does this put my other things at too much risk such as my racking cane, bottles, etc? Is it worth the risk or just dump and be done with it?

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Playing with fire, that is unless you want to focus on sours.
I mean you can have some fun with it, but anything that comes in contact with the wort will need long term soaks and sanitation.
Even then, tubing and seals should be boiled or discarded.
I believe that can also become airborne, so care when moving it around is also a good idea.
If it were me, I'd seal it up tightly, carry it outside, dump it and soak the vessel outside before washing and then sanitizing.
Let us know what you decide.
Cheers,
Brian

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

Also trying to determine the source of this infection. Correct me if I'm wrong but it had to be something on the cold side of brewing so that leaves mainly the carboy and maybe a strainer and spoon I use to filter hop solids when transferring to the carboy. Is there anything else I may be missing? Does this particular pellicle determine the type of bacteria infection? Someone had mentioned lacto. I do brew a lot of kettle sours with lacto but, to my knowledge, there should be no risk of infection with kettle souring because the souring takes place pre-boil. Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[Minbari]

Assuming it is lacto (maybe?). Could have been cross contamination. Little sprinkle and your touch it, then it gets in your fermentation.

Other than that. Making sure that ANYTHING that touches the beer post boil is sanitized. It could have been in the air and you just got unlucky. I have had 1 infection in 8 years and it was doozey. Green slime, gross.

 

[Kgbow]

Very interesting to see. I've only ever brewed extracts and my first ever batch was infected. Was a brown slime. Tasted foul and smelt worse. Once i tipped the brew away I saw the source of the infection..... a big long dog hair had gotten into my brew.... I've had fleas ever since.

Learnt my lesson. I wont even breathe too heavy near my beer now haha

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I bottled a beer with a similar look to yours. I bottled it because other than tasting a bit sour/tart it tasted and smelled ok. The flavor never did come around and after a couple of (contained) bottle bombs I dumped them all. So, if you do proceed with this experiment, be cautious and keep all bottles cold in the fridge or in a cardboard box.

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

I bottled a beer with a similar look to yours. I bottled it because other than tasting a bit sour/tart it tasted and smelled ok. The flavor never did come around and after a couple of (contained) bottle bombs I dumped them all. So, if you do proceed with this experiment, be cautious and keep all bottles cold in the fridge or in a cardboard box.

This is good to know. I was leaning towards dumping based on other responses but this pretty much seals the deal for me. I don't need more headaches. Win most, lose some I guess. Just heartbreaking dumping any beer.

 

[Donoroto]

My condolences on your loss. Everybody gets a dumper now and then.

Iodophor seems to be in your future. StarSan sanitizes, you need sterilization here. PBW is only a cleaner.

Chlorine bleach can be used, but rinsing is a chore. And new hoses and stuff - like fittings or valves you cannot scrub or boil - are relatively inexpensive.

 

[No Outlet Brewing]

My condolences on your loss. Everybody gets a dumper now and then.

Iodophor seems to be in your future. StarSan sanitizes, you need sterilization here. PBW is only a cleaner.

Chlorine bleach can be used, but rinsing is a chore. And new hoses and stuff - like fittings or valves you cannot scrub or boil - are relatively inexpensive.

Will idophor stain pet carboys? I use the big mouth bubblers. Will high concentration starsan sterilize? Any other sterilization options better suited for pet?

 

[Sunfire96]

Will idophor stain pet carboys? I use the big mouth bubblers. Will high concentration starsan sterilize? Any other sterilization options better suited for pet?

You could use strong iodophor for less than 10 minutes, it shouldnt start staining the plastic in that time. StarSan won't be as efficient at killing bacteria, even at high strength. A bleach solution would also work, but you need to REALLY rinse it out well

 

[Donoroto]

Will idophor stain pet carboys? I use the big mouth bubblers. Will high concentration starsan sterilize? Any other sterilization options better suited for pet?

No, iodophor will not stain PET even at the higher recommended strength, which is pretty dilute. StarSan is not a sterilant. Iodophor is the best option.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

I've used idophor in all of my plastic fermenters and no staining whatsoever.

 

[Sunfire96]

No, iodophor will not stain PET even at the higher recommended strength, which is pretty dilute. StarSan is not a sterilant. Iodophor is the best option.

Well, Iodophor WILL stain if left in contact with the plastic for "a while." It may take days with PET plastic, but I don't think any plastic/rubber products are immune from Iodophor staining

 

[Donoroto]

Well, Iodophor WILL stain if left in contact with the plastic for "a while." It may take days with PET plastic, but I don't think any plastic/rubber products are immune from Iodophor staining

Agreed, but in an hour or two it is fine. Even then, the staining would be mild after a few days.

 

[Sunfire96]

Agreed, but in an hour or two it is fine. Even then, the staining would be mild after a few days.

I've left iodophor overnight in vinyl beer line tubing and it's permanently stained