Ease My Wirried Mind...

[Brewlord]

Just made a K &K batch of Old using Country Brewer stout mix. Left in initial fermenter for 10 days then racked and dry hopped with 12g of Willamette and 12G English Fuggles. In addition I added about 85g of Allens Chicos (chocolate jelly babies) melted down to a slurry. I was trying to add a chocolate flavour to the beer and have had success with this before. The last one I made was the best beer I have ever done.

However, this time after 9 days int he secondary fermenter I have noticed a 100mm x 100mm patch of a dusty film floating on the surface. After looking at the infection posts and doing a word search, I am a little torn between it being either the start of an infection or just dust from the the dry hopping or even maybe a residue from the milk powder or gelatin in the chicos.

The gravity reading I took today makes it ready for bottling tomorrow so I am going to go ahead with it. It tastes magnificent, smells perfect and does not exhibit the 'spider web or clumping white lump' traits of the acetobacter infections in the other posts. I am going to try and not disturb it and will leave a little more in the fermenter when I rack for bulk priming so it will stay on top.

I have made about 85 batches of home brew and have used the same cleaning regime for the last six years and never had a problem. The residue is so obscure that i reckon I couldnt even get a good photo but as I said it doesnt even compare to some of the 'disasters' in the other posts.

I guess I am really after a shoulder to lean on. Maybe some assurance that its just hop dust (as I have seen in another post) or perhaps a residue of my chocolate addition.

Cheers and Beers.

:huh:

 

[yum beer]

it looks fine to me...relax.

 

[JDW81]

Smell and taste are my yard sticks. If both are fine then it is onwards and upwards.
JD

 

[BobtheBrewer]

Just made a K &K batch of Old using Country Brewer stout mix. Left in initial fermenter for 10 days then racked and dry hopped with 12g of Willamette and 12G English Fuggles. In addition I added about 85g of Allens Chicos (chocolate jelly babies) melted down to a slurry. I was trying to add a chocolate flavour to the beer and have had success with this before. The last one I made was the best beer I have ever done.

However, this time after 9 days int he secondary fermenter I have noticed a 100mm x 100mm patch of a dusty film floating on the surface. After looking at the infection posts and doing a word search, I am a little torn between it being either the start of an infection or just dust from the the dry hopping or even maybe a residue from the milk powder or gelatin in the chicos.

The gravity reading I took today makes it ready for bottling tomorrow so I am going to go ahead with it. It tastes magnificent, smells perfect and does not exhibit the 'spider web or clumping white lump' traits of the acetobacter infections in the other posts. I am going to try and not disturb it and will leave a little more in the fermenter when I rack for bulk priming so it will stay on top.

I have made about 85 batches of home brew and have used the same cleaning regime for the last six years and never had a problem. The residue is so obscure that i reckon I couldnt even get a good photo but as I said it doesnt even compare to some of the 'disasters' in the other posts.

I guess I am really after a shoulder to lean on. Maybe some assurance that its just hop dust (as I have seen in another post) or perhaps a residue of my chocolate addition.

Cheers and Beers.

:huh:

I have had this problem. If it tastes OK then it probably is Just make sure you don't get any into your keg or bottles (cut it off once it gets to tap level) and give your fermenter a good going over with bleach to make sure it doesn't come back.