Attention All Who Use Or Have Used A Tooheys Home Brew Fermenter

[bum]

Well, he only used it once and gave up... made a Tooheys brew (I think) and left it for about a month, found it smelt rank and poured it out. He then rinsed it and gave it to me. It smelt pretty disgusting at that time, but a few pink stains soon fixed that.

I've never used it but I'm wondering if perhaps pink stain might not be the answer to the problem here?

Might...spend next weeks pay on a 30L brewcraft one.

Shit. I though my job was bad...

Coopers fermenters are fine but there are cheaper options about.

Yeah I remember your previous thread about these white floaties. Do you still wash your bottles in the dishwasher? I still think that might have something to do with it, could be wrong.

So his potentially substandard method of bottle washing it psychically causing these white floaties in his fermenter?

Good call.

 

[Brewman_]

Hi,

IMHO, once you get a bad infection in a Plastic fermenter, that is the end of it.

I learnt a hard way.

So when I get a new fermenter, I:

Number the lid and bucket like a batch number;
Write the first date you use it on the lid and bucket;
Log all beer made against the fermenter batch number.

This will help narrow down a dodgy piece of fermenter.

This really works. I have 4 fermenters at the moment the oldest is 10 years old and still in use. The youngest is 1 year old, but I have a fermenter & lid 2 years old I never use for beer any more, just for say dog food, since I identified it as a cause of an infection.

Fear_n_loath

 

[bum]

since I identified it as a cause of an infection.

WRONG.

But numbering your shit does help in isolating problematic gear, I'm sure.

 

[Brewman_]

WRONG.

But numbering your shit does help in isolating problematic gear, I'm sure.

OK BUM, So how do you do it?

I am sure it helps, in fact it clearly identifies a number of beers that have a certain infection and root causes based on the fermentation vessel.

Fear_n_loath.

 

[bum]

I don't have serial infections BECAUSE I WASH MY SHIT.

 

[Brewman_]

I don't have serial infections BECAUSE I WASH MY SHIT.

BUM,

I reckon you do wash your stuff. Experienced brewers wash all of thier stuff, but just because you do, does that mean that everyone does? I am not preaching to clean, just good record keeping and an additional element of that - get it??

And is my comment WRONG? Or not just what you do?

Fear_n_Loath

 

[bum]

Do what you wish but blaming something internal to your fermenter for any infections (which I'm sure the majority of us have had before - myself included) is only inviting further infections. This is my point.

 

[Brewman_]

Hey man, an old plastic fermenter can get brittle / infected from age, UV, and Bio infection, you can clean your gear how ever you like but what I am saying it has a use by date, regardless. My point is that once it happens the fermenter may not be serviceable for brewing.

I have seen heaps of bad practice like leaving fermenters in the sun to dry- for days, or soaking in water for weeks. These are going to be detreimental to the fermentaion vessel itself, besides all of the other good brewing techniches employed.

Hey man just because you and I do not do this does not make it wrong.

Fear_n_loath.

 

[hirns]

One and a half points that have not been explicitly mentioned.

One, when you say you clean and sanitise, have you removed the tap with its washer and soaked it in the open position along with taking the o-ring out of the lid, especially when the cooper's yeast has been up there dancing.

Point, point five : I've had to me what sounds as the same infection. It left a white grease like scum on the top of the beer in the fermentor and later the tallie without imparting any real taste. This infection occured for two batches in a row.

My solution was to do what I call "bombing" the fermentor. I bomb using a different chemicals to what I usually use as some bacteria can build up an immunity to certain sanitisers. I personally "bomb" with a capfull of napisan sodium percarbonate or sodium metabisulphite(more dangerous yet again, don't inhale the gas, and do it outside) disolved in in boiling water. I then pour the mix into the fermentor and fill nearly to the top with water before I then add a cup of unsented bleach :blink: . Place the lid's air lock grommet (not mentioned earlier) in the fermenter and screw the lid on so that the solution comes up through the air lock hole as well. DON'T add the bleach directly to hot water with either sodium as the gas produced, if inhaled will burn your lungs out! I do this every so often with my fermentors and they are nearly ten years old. (Only half a point as I believe that this is what Bum was stating when he suggested that the pink wash may be the problem. It's not affecting your other fermentor, but it may not have the same bacteria to begin with.)

Cheers :beerbang:

Hirns

 

[///]

I was making hop teas may years ago and not letting the tea cool before adding to the beer - net result white flakie beer as you have. Can also be an infection, will not matter what you ferment in as long as you are clean and follow good practice to be honest ...

 

[lukemarsh]

One and a half points that have not been explicitly mentioned.

One, when you say you clean and sanitise, have you removed the tap with its washer and soaked it in the open position along with taking the o-ring out of the lid, especially when the cooper's yeast has been up there dancing.

Point, point five : I've had to me what sounds as the same infection. It left a white grease like scum on the top of the beer in the fermentor and later the tallie without imparting any real taste. This infection occured for two batches in a row.

My solution was to do what I call "bombing" the fermentor. I bomb using a different chemicals to what I usually use as some bacteria can build up an immunity to certain sanitisers. I personally "bomb" with a capfull of napisan sodium percarbonate or sodium metabisulphite(more dangerous yet again, don't inhale the gas, and do it outside) disolved in in boiling water. I then pour the mix into the fermentor and fill nearly to the top with water before I then add a cup of unsented bleach :blink: . Place the lid's air lock grommet (not mentioned earlier) in the fermenter and screw the lid on so that the solution comes up through the air lock hole as well. DON'T add the bleach directly to hot water with either sodium as the gas produced, if inhaled will burn your lungs out! I do this every so often with my fermentors and they are nearly ten years old. (Only half a point as I believe that this is what Bum was stating when he suggested that the pink wash may be the problem. It's not affecting your other fermentor, but it may not have the same bacteria to begin with.)

Cheers :beerbang:

Hirns

My Guinness! You are 100% correct! Everything you mentioned is spot on, man... The white grease you got two brews in a row that eventually developed in the tallie, exactly what's happenin here with me. Two brews in a row. Also, I do take the tap and sediment reducer out and open the tap and leave in the pink stain wash (I fill 5L in fermenter with hot water, swirl and roll around to heat up all surfaces of fermenter, add 50g pink stain and then fill to the top with warm water and leave, with all the other gadgets floating in the top). I will see how my last brew comes out, if it also has floaties... if it does then I'll blow the shit out of the fermenter as you say, with different cleaning agents and chemicals and see how that goes. Also, I've never taken out the o rings in the lid or the grommets, I didn't think you had to? Should I do this every time?

 

[DUANNE]

Should I do this every time?

YES. also agree that some better cleaning chemicals would probably help.try some pbw or home brand napisan and fill right up and soak overnight. rinse well and use iodophor or starsan and soak for 20 minutes so. i would also advise either replacing the tap or popping it apart .

 

[DU99]

you could use anti bacterial solution and soak your tap and other small items 25ml to 2litres..comes in litre bottle for about $5..same stuff you use for baby's bottles

 

[winkle]

YES. also agree that some better cleaning chemicals would probably help.try some pbw or home brand napisan and fill right up and soak overnight. rinse well and use iodophor or starsan and soak for 20 minutes so. i would also advise either replacing the tap or popping it apart .

+1 dismantle and clean then sanitise the tap, as well as the other stuff.

 

[hirns]

Yep! As said you need to do all of this stuff. Look at the o ring in the lid as being a rubber sponge (especially with these smaller fermentors). When you unscrew the lid it sucks in stuff from your brew being decompressed. With the next brew, you screw the lid on and possibly squeeze out the goodies of your last brew :unsure: ! Another reason for why so many brewers simply use the cling wrap method!


Hirns.

 

[manticle]

Hi,

IMHO, once you get a bad infection in a Plastic fermenter, that is the end of it.

I learnt a hard way.

So when I get a new fermenter, I:

Number the lid and bucket like a batch number;
Write the first date you use it on the lid and bucket;
Log all beer made against the fermenter batch number.

This will help narrow down a dodgy piece of fermenter.

This really works. I have 4 fermenters at the moment the oldest is 10 years old and still in use. The youngest is 1 year old, but I have a fermenter & lid 2 years old I never use for beer any more, just for say dog food, since I identified it as a cause of an infection.

Fear_n_loath

This is very unscientifically in line with my own experience. I had a spate of infections over summer and no matter what I threw at the fermenters (napisan clean followed by bleach followed by boiling water rinse followed by sod met followed by starsan) they seemed to recurr. One day in a fit of pique I destroyed a fermenter which had just shown me signs of infection and chucked it away. To this day all has been well.

 

[felten]

You can get bacteria and such living in micro scratches in your plastic that the sanitiser wont be able to penetrate. Don't take anything to your fermenter that could scratch it.

 

[Lodan]

Can you provide any pictures? Any details about the size, shape, texture or hardness of the particles?

You said the taste wasn't affected, were you able to taste a particle by itself?

 

[flano]

You can get bacteria and such living in micro scratches in your plastic that the sanitiser wont be able to penetrate. Don't take anything to your fermenter that could scratch it.

Yep...that is what I was told...by my scientist mate who did brewing in Uni.

I hit it with really hot water almost straight after I have finished brewing in it.
Get most of the gunk out..then
I wipe them clean with a new ( everytime ) home brand chux type wipe.
Then hit it again with really hot water a couple of times .
Then sterilize it.

I was told to never use a scrubbing brush or scourer for this exact reason.

 

[lukemarsh]

Yeah I never even touch the fermenter... ever. Only if there's some hardcore Coopers stains than need a good ol wipe with a regular cloth (all Coopers brews make a right mess in your fermenter... dirty bastards). I use a regular cloth for wiping off hard stains cos I sterilise the shit out of it anyway, so anything left will be destroyed with the pink stain (pink stain is pretty hardcore, don't know if anyone on here uses it much?).

I haven't tried tasting any of the white bits... it's a bit hard to cos they're so small. They don't appear to affect anything. My braufreund (brewing friend) and I had a bit of a tasting session the other night of my beers and we had one of the Heinekens (with bits) and it tasted ok. The guy at my LHBS said he thought it was just some dead yeast that's decided to float instead of sink. He had a taste of one and confirmed it wasn't infected and tasted as it should. He said with age the bits should settle, and also if you give them a shake and then chill them the bits will sink. We did this and they actually did seem to disappear. Doesn't mean they aren't still there though...