• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Possible infection?? Need opinions fast.

Ck27

Grandmaster Brewer
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
529
Reaction score
0
Is this a infection, this was supposed to be a Pilsner and it looks weird but doesn't smell off.



 
Greetings cK27 - I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like that. I assume the photo was taken while looking down into your formenter???  So, how long has your beer been in the fermenter? My knee jerk reaction is to suggest you have an infected batch.  But I'm not certain.  What yeast are you using? Hat temperature are you fermenting at?
 
To echo the previous post, it looks dicey but it's hard to be certain from a photo.  Krausen can get pretty rocky, but there are some odd colours there that would make me nervous (as I imagine they have you).  I'm always disinclined to dump a batch before fermenting it out, but that takes up space and time. Are you getting any odd odours? If you taste a sample, (assuming you have a good way of pulling a sample) does it taste funky? Are you comfortable enough with a microscope to pull some of the odd bits and take a look?  I hope some others will be able to offer more concrete help.

W
 
It is a Pilsner that was fermented at 50 degrees as specified on the yeast packet, which was Saflager W-34/70 it's been in fermenter for 22 days today.. That is taken looking down into a Speidel fermenter. It doesn't have w off odor so I'm not sure. I want to dump it, I have never seen anything quite like it and I'm not trying a sample lol.
 
It sounds like you should be fermented out and so have that gunk on top would really concern me. If you're not willing to drink a sample I can't imagine that you'd be willing to drink a pint!

W
 
DrWill916 said:
It sounds like you should be fermented out and so have that gunk on top would really concern me. If you're not willing to drink a sample I can't imagine that you'd be willing to drink a pint!

W

I just got off a ear infection and I'm not willing to put something that might not be safe in my body right now lol.
 
The blue/green color could be hop debris or mold. The whiteish stuff could be yeast or mushrooms or mold.

I believe all the pictures of Speidel Fermenters I've seen have spigots that can let you pull a sample without risking getting any of the whatever-it-is-on-top into your sample. I'd suggest pulling a hydrometer sample to see if it's fermented out and to get something you can smell and (if it smells OK) taste.

Have you ever tried a sour beer? I have no idea if this is what a sour beer looks like during fermentation, but maybe you've done something wonderful.

If you're really worried about tasting it, drive over to the hospital and stand outside the ER to taste it.
 
durrettd said:
The blue/green color could be hop debris or mold. The whiteish stuff could be yeast or mushrooms or mold.

I believe all the pictures of Speidel Fermenters I've seen have spigots that can let you pull a sample without risking getting any of the whatever-it-is-on-top into your sample. I'd suggest pulling a hydrometer sample to see if it's fermented out and to get something you can smell and (if it smells OK) taste.

Have you ever tried a sour beer? I have no idea if this is what a sour beer looks like during fermentation, but maybe you've done something wonderful.

If you're really worried about tasting it, drive over to the hospital and stand outside the ER to taste it.

Lol, that's one idea haha. As to the spigot I don't have it installed I'm using the plug cause I didn't need spigot as I would just pump it out. I never thought that it might be a sour beer, I am going to clean fermenter with some star San and some PBW and reuse it as it's not a cheap fermenter.

 
[/quote]

I just got off a ear infection and I'm not willing to put something that might not be safe in my body right now lol.
[/quote]

*snerk* I'm pretty sure it won't make you physically ill, but I can't guarantee you won't sick all over your brewery floor.  ;)

If you do have a wild yeast or a bacterial infection, it's possible, as some have suggested, that you'll end up with something sour and tasty; that's how the first sour beers were made after all.  I think it's more likely you'll have something that tastes like vinegar, nail polish remover, or a sticking plaster.

W

 

I just got off a ear infection and I'm not willing to put something that might not be safe in my body right now lol.
[/quote]

*snerk* I'm pretty sure it won't make you physically ill, but I can't guarantee you won't sick all over your brewery floor.  ;)

If you do have a wild yeast or a bacterial infection, it's possible, as some have suggested, that you'll end up with something sour and tasty; that's how the first sour beers were made after all.  I think it's more likely you'll have something that tastes like vinegar, nail polish remover, or a sticking plaster.

W
[/quote]

Yeah lol, someone else tried it and volunteered to be my test subject haha. Said it tasted extremely sour and sorta like rubbing alcohol.
 
If it tastes like rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover best you can do is dump👎🏼 Sounds like you got so acetobacter in there.
 
mac21st said:
If it tastes like rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover best you can do is dump👎🏼 Sounds like you got so acetobacter in there.

I dumped it and sanitized the shit out if the fermenter with PBW,One Step and Star San, I'm 99% confident I got whatever was lurking in it.
 
That looked infected.  You may want to replace any plastic that came in contact with that brew.  Racking canes, buckets and what ever.  Plastic can scratch and bacteria can develop and hide.  Plastic is very hard to clean.  Did you use a glass carboy?  If it is plastic I would be concerned about contaminating future brews.  Just been through this(I was making sours and that was not my intention).  I have 10 carboys, 7 kegs, and a lot more.  So I made an inventory of all my brewing equipment.  I documented what was cleaned; bleached, PBW'ed and StarSan'ed.  Then replaced all plastic(racking cane, buckets, beer lines, blowoff tubes, funnels and anything plastic that came in contact with my infected brews. 

Good Luck
Cheers!!!!!
 
 
Beer Lover said:
That looked infected.  You may want to replace any plastic that came in contact with that brew.  Racking canes, buckets and what ever.  Plastic can scratch and bacteria can develop and hide.  Plastic is very hard to clean.  Did you use a glass carboy?  If it is plastic I would be concerned about contaminating future brews.  Just been through this(I was making sours and that was not my intention).  I have 10 carboys, 7 kegs, and a lot more.  So I made an inventory of all my brewing equipment.  I documented what was cleaned; bleached, PBW'ed and StarSan'ed.  Then replaced all plastic(racking cane, buckets, beer lines, blowoff tubes, funnels and anything plastic that came in contact with my infected brews. 

Good Luck
Cheers!!!!!

I kept the fermenter and as stated it is a 7.9 gallon Speidel fermenter and I cleaned it and its got a good brew going in it right now, no issues, and I know its not scratched its brand new, I just didn't use star san the first time that I used it. Hence where the infection came from I'm almost 100% sure.
 
Ck27 said:
I kept the fermenter and as stated it is a 7.9 gallon Speidel fermenter and I cleaned it and its got a good brew going in it right now, no issues, and I know its not scratched its brand new, I just didn't use star san the first time that I used it. Hence where the infection came from I'm almost 100% sure.

Well there's yer problem. :D

There's always a learning curve with any new equipment. Glad you're back on the horse.
 
DrWill916 said:
Ck27 said:
I kept the fermenter and as stated it is a 7.9 gallon Speidel fermenter and I cleaned it and its got a good brew going in it right now, no issues, and I know its not scratched its brand new, I just didn't use star san the first time that I used it. Hence where the infection came from I'm almost 100% sure.

Well there's yer problem. :D

There's always a learning curve with any new equipment. Glad you're back on the horse.

The latest brew in it is bubbling away right now so I know it's fermenting well enough. My other fermenter doesn't bubble it's a bucket fermenter but it never has let me down so I'm sure it's just a bit of a seal issue. Have had a Muntons kit in that one for testing. Using Muntons yeast I had lying around. I used 2 packets of yeast which should be enough I under filled by a gallon to get a bit more of a body in the beer.
 
Back
Top