Help - Killer Infection

[vlbaby]

craig,
it seems very unusual that an infection can take hold so quickly as you are describing. <_< Are you 100% sure that it is an infection and not something else? Are there any other signs of infection, like fatty solids floating on top etc?

Also are you still using the liquid yeast that you've used before? It seems that the only brews that have made it through your shed so far have been those that have been brewed with dried yeast. Could your yeast starters (assuming you use them) be the source of the contamination?

Another thing, have you been aerating the brew with an air stone or similar? Maybe this is the source.
I hope you sort it out soon. It must be driving you crazy by now


vlbaby.

 

[craigarino]

Greetings and salutations!
Bought a new fermenter on friday!
Sanitised the shed again, and the new fermenter!
Sanitised the grain bag and kettle,
Didnt use any of the old things I used to, such as a plastic funnel, or a filter bag!
Just mashed for an hour, and boiled hard for an hour an a half.
Decanted it into the new sixty litre fermenter, dopped in three bags of ice,
topped up with water, pitched the blue packet of safale yeast ( no starter just in case ), the next day I i thought i could smell that familiar smell, but seeing that its been so long since ive had non possessed beer, I let it go- just tasted it then and although its not the beer Im used to (its hard to put your heart into the beer when you think youll be pouring it down the sink)! I dont think its the spit out dog swill ive been brewing! Should have spoken so soon should I !
I might make a few cheap beer kits just to check Im out of the woods and, Ill definatly look into wort chill ( they can be copper right?)
Thank you all for the advice!
If there is any one in the Yarraville area Melbourne) who fancys a beer on my next brew day- drop me a line as I guess I have still got a lot to learn, and I guess it can only help if another brewer can pick up on my faults!

Thanks again!
Craig

 

[Darren]

Greetings and salutations!
Bought a new fermenter on friday!
Sanitised the shed again, and the new fermenter!
Sanitised the grain bag and kettle,
Didnt use any of the old things I used to, such as a plastic funnel, or a filter bag!
Just mashed for an hour, and boiled hard for an hour an a half.
Decanted it into the new sixty litre fermenter, dopped in three bags of ice,
topped up with water, pitched the blue packet of safale yeast ( no starter just in case ), the next day I i thought i could smell that familiar smell, but seeing that its been so long since ive had non possessed beer, I let it go- just tasted it then and although its not the beer Im used to (its hard to put your heart into the beer when you think youll be pouring it down the sink)! I dont think its the spit out dog swill ive been brewing! Should have spoken so soon should I !
I might make a few cheap beer kits just to check Im out of the woods and, Ill definatly look into wort chill ( they can be copper right?)
Thank you all for the advice!
If there is any one in the Yarraville area Melbourne) who fancys a beer on my next brew day- drop me a line as I guess I have still got a lot to learn, and I guess it can only help if another brewer can pick up on my faults!

Thanks again!
Craig

[post="101730"][/post]​

Craigarino,
That ice you are putting in the fermenter is a big chance of causing problems. You need to chil as quick as you can but the ice is likely to contain bugs especially adopted to grow at low temps. Go to your local plumbing store and buy a whole coil of 1/2 inch copper. It is cheaper that way than getting a couple of metres from bunnings.

cheers
Darren

 

[pint of lager]

Latest Bunnings flyer has a 15m coil of 12.7mm for $49. Don't buy it by the metre, I think I had to pay $6.50 a metre the other day from the plumbing suppliers, the scrap metal recyclers had none.

 

[Darren]

That is a good price. I guess you should find your cheapest supplier by phone and then go to Bunnings and get a further 10% off 8).

cheers
Darren

 

[Prof. Pils]

Dont give up Craig. Fabulous beer is just around the corner, If I'd had as much trouble as you I would have given up ( probably not).
I've alway used bleach and never had an oxidised batch.
Keep at it!
Cheers Glenn

 

[Darren]

Bleach is great. (pool chlorine is a cheap supply of it). Just don't use it in stainless as it may cause it to "pit"

cheers
Darren

 

[PistolPatch]

I reckon Darren is spot on about the ice. If this latest batch turns out OK, you probably got a few lucky bags! Hopefully keeping the ice on the outside of your fermenter i.e. in a the laundry tub with water will cool your wort quickly and solve all your problems. Fingers crossed!

 

[Justin]

A lot of the answers that people have posted here are good ideas.

I think I can spot a few places for problems. The first and biggest one as stated would be that ice-don't use it- half the time the ice you buy isn't even meant to be consumed and only used for eskies. Given your off flavour is there so quick I suspect this is the cause. Three bags of ice is a pretty major contribution to the fermenter. If the ice has got baddies in it already then adding that much ice is probably why your getting the flavours so quick.

Also, your using a filter bag and a funnel. I'm assuming you are using these bits and pieces when transferring from the kettle to the fermenter (to catch the hops?)? I don't like cloth bags anywhere after the boil. They are hard to sanitize in my opinion and I wouldn't use them. Can I ask why you aren't transferring your beer from the kettle to fermenter using a length of sanitized plastic tube? It will also help stop your beer from splashing while it's hot leading to the (controvercial) hot side aeration, which just isn't a good thing for your beers stability.

I strongly suggest as others have mentioned, to make yourself a chiller. Rapid cooling of your wort is important, amoung other things, to get your yeast in and fermenting quickly before other beasties take hold. Make sure you put the chiller in the boil for the last 15-20mins of the boil to sterilize it. Don't just stick it in at the end when you just want to start chilling, give it a good 15-20mins.

Also, I'd look closely at your yeast handling techniques. Once again this last brew that you talk of that seems to be going ok has been pitched with dry yeast. One of the other guys here mentioned this a while back. I'd look very closely at this aspect as well-especially as you seem to be unsure of what your doing with liquid yeasts. It isn't hard stuff to do but if you stuff up your starter or pick up a bug in that step the rest of your batch is doomed.

There is heaps of info on this site so I guess it's time to start searching the topics for chillers, yeast culturing etc. Also, a good read of John Palmers "How to brew book" (it's free online at www.howtobrew.com) certainly wont go astray. I think everyone can learn a lot from that book.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Cheers, Justin