Film on top of bottled beer?

[mr_wibble]

Hi,

Kegged & bottled some munich dunkel style beer a few weeks ago.
Been happily drinking the kegged beer.

I pulled out a couple of the bottles, and they have a thin film floating on the top.
Could this be some kind of infection?

I washed the bottles as per usual, then star-san soaked them, without rinsing.

 

[manticle]

Photo?

 

[Stinger]

Could just be your yeast doing its thing in bottle conditioning mode, Have seen it a few times in my bottled beer and it doesn't seem to be an infection.

If you chuck a couple in the fridge you should crash any suspended yeast and it might drop it to the bottom.

However if it is white horrible looking mold in a film on top of the beer then..........

 

[barls]

have a look at the infection thread if it looks similar then you will know what it is.

 

[mr_wibble]

Same bottle, rotated a bit. I expect all bottles look like this, but I have only checked 3x of 9.

EDIT: I can't seem to attach images. They were there when I posted it
Clicking [My Media] just gives me the green wait-bar for a few seconds then nothing. *sigh*
Dragging in images shows them in the edit, but they don't upload.

EDIT2: Ah, you have to use the "Full" editor.

EDIT3: I was supposed to taste one of these last night, but I forgot to have a beer.

 

[barls]

Def a pelicile mate. Sorry to say its Brett.

 

[mr_wibble]

So I should be able to taste it then right?
I expect a big sour note.
I'll report back after tasting.

I noticed that of the two bottles I put in the fridge, one the floaties has disappeared.
I guess the mild agitation has sunk it.

 

[manticle]

Brett isn't really sour although I'm not as convinced as Barls from that photo that it is Brett.

 

[barls]

brett ranges from horse blanket to virtually non existent in flavour.
im about 90% sure thats what it is. not many others that will create its own pelicile.
what you will taste give enough time is thin body, overly bitter due to the body being removed by the infection.

 

[Nick JD]

Lacto. What's you gotz there is yoghurt on the top.

Do a google images search with "beer lacto infection"

 

[mr_wibble]

Did a tasting last night with Mrs Wibble.

Absolutely *no* sour, tangy, horse-blanket flavour.

I've previously had Lambic, brett-fermented HB, and gone-off bought beer ... didn't taste like any of these.

Maybe it just needs to stew for a few more weeks

 

[tiprya]

Well it is definitely infected with something.

As long as there is no worry about bottle bombs (what was the FG?) then no problem leaving them and seeing how they develop.

 

[Nick JD]

It's lacto. In a couple of weeks it will have stripped most of the flavour from your beer.

'Bout 6 months ago I bottled some from a kegged batch and was a bit too laxed about cleaning and that's exactly what I got. Drink it before it gets stripped.

 

[tricache]

Googled and I agree with Nick, Lacto seems more "creamy" looking and brett seems a bit more "fuzzy"

Mmmmmm infection :icon_vomit:

 

[Weizguy]

I'd call it Acetobacter, and expect a vinegar smell when you pop the top off a bottle.
It should only affect the top of the beer, and you may be able to drink most of the beer if you keep it cool and don't disturb the bottles too much.
Oh, and I'd drink the beer young too, as Acetobacter + oxygen + warmth = nasty vinegar beer.

* I would not recommend re-using that yeast culture either

 

[mr_wibble]

Just to finish up this old thread -

After about 6 months I tried another of the bottled beers - it tasted fine, no sourness, nor off flavours at all.
I've read a dark beer like this can "hide" off flavours, but good is good.