Infection Alert - Should I Chuck It?

[Renegade]

Moving this query from the Gelatine Thread because it's probably not worth getting OT over there.

After about two weeks in primary, and about a week in secondary, some interesting patterns are appearing on the surface of my brew. I have added gelatine about four days ago, a teaspoon into about 100-150ml of 80 degree water. I havent been watching it closely, but noticed this before I went to work today when I popped the lid:

View attachment 27964

Photo is taken with flash on, so its over-exagerated, but to the human eye, the threads on the surface drop into the water up to 2mm in places, and the whole surface is kind of oily (?) looking. It doesnt smell or taste off, but it's not looking too great.

Have just moved a second fermenter full of wort thats been fermenting for three days to avoid cross-infection, hope it's not too late.

Any ideas if this is an infection ? This will be my first WTF after many a succesful brew previously, so I wouldnt minid knowing the potential causes. "Best Practice" methods havent changed at all, so I'm stumped.

So glad I didnt bottle this last night as I was intending to do.

 

[Screwtop]

Moving this query from the Gelatine Thread because it's probably not worth getting OT over there.

After about two weeks in primary, and about a week in secondary, some interesting patterns are appearing on the surface of my brew. I have added gelatine about four days ago, a teaspoon into about 100-150ml of 80 degree water. I havent been watching it closely, but noticed this before I went to work today when I popped the lid:

View attachment 27964

Photo is taken with flash on, so its over-exagerated, but to the human eye, the threads on the surface drop into the water up to 2mm in places, and the whole surface is kind of oily (?) looking. It doesnt smell or taste off, but it's not looking too great.

Have just moved a second fermenter full of wort thats been fermenting for three days to avoid cross-infection, hope it's not too late.

Any ideas if this is an infection ? This will be my first WTF after many a succesful brew previously, so I wouldnt minid knowing the potential causes. "Best Practice" methods havent changed at all, so I'm stumped.

So glad I didnt bottle this last night as I was intending to do.

Looks like acetobacter, is it a film that clings to anything put into the wort?

Screwy

 

[Renegade]

Looks like acetobacter, is it a film that clings to anything put into the wort?

Screwy

Just checked. And sadly the answer is yes. Leaves a film to the test probe (a quickly sanitised sharpie texta)

 

[Jye]

Looks like acetobacter

+1 on the acetobacter.

I get the same thing on beer I leave uncovered in the garage for a couple of days. It can become quite a creamy mat over the entire surface and will stink out the room its in.

 

[Renegade]

So is it time for the drain then ?

F&ing breaks my heart to do so, but I guess we all have our time in this hobby to lose a brew.

 

[Ross]

Renegade,

Yes it is infected with acetobacter - some brewers have succesfully siphoned off the brew below the film without any apparent problems, but to avoid this happening again stop transferring to secondary. I see from your pic you have transferred to a similar vessel, so their really is no benefit in this practice at all. By transferring, you've removed the protective blanket of CO2 & left your wort exposed to the air & hence the problem you now have.

cheers Ross

 

[QldKev]

I dare you to eat that top film of it.... :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:

QldKev

 

[petesbrew]

How does it taste?

 

[QldKev]

How does it taste?

Hey it's my dare

acetobacter :icon_vomit: :icon_vomit:

QldKev

 

[eamonnfoley]

thanks for putting the pic up - it looks quite distinctive should I ever experience it.

 

[chappo1970]

Licking one of these should get you close...

 

[Batz]

You need the burn the fermenter.

All schools in your area should be closed.

Everyone to wear a surgical mask immediately.

Wash your hands regularly, especially before eating.

Have another go at brewing that beer :lol: :lol:


Batz

 

[Renegade]

I dare you to eat that top film of it.... :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:

QldKev

Well if it's a monetary dare..............

Yes it is infected with acetobacter - some brewers have succesfully siphoned off the brew below the film without any apparent problems, but to avoid this happening again stop transferring to secondary. I see from your pic you have transferred to a similar vessel, so their really is no benefit in this practice at all. By transferring, you've removed the protective blanket of CO2 & left your wort exposed to the air & hence the problem you now have.

cheers Ross

Thanks Ross, and others. I have never experienced this before, and have always transferred to secondary. But, Im already leaning away from the practice, the more I read that leaving wort on the yeast cake is not detrimental (funny how some early stuff - possibly misinformation - sticks with you). For future brews, I think I'll just leave in primary for two weeks, gelatine a couple of days before bottling, then rack off straight to the priming bucket, then straight into the bottle.

So where does this bacteria breed in the first place ? I recently taken to letting my brews ferment out (and sit in secondary) in the kitchen, whereas previously it was in a spare bedroom.

My concern, without having a real understanding of biological stuff, is twofold - one is that the latest fermenting wort was sitting rght next to the infected brew, and secondly have I iintruduced a bacterial form into my house that I should address by scrubbing the place down with bleach (not something I want to do, honestly. House Cleaning is not something Im born into)

One things for sure, future brews will be back in the spare room

 

[Adamt]

Acetobacter is aerobic... keep your sanitation up to scratch and eliminate oxygen from your beer (excluding aeration of course!) and you should not get acetobacter.

EDIT: And Chappo... you disappoint me! lol

 

[QldKev]

Licking one of these should get you close...

OK time to confess, how do you know what that taste likes??? h34r:

QldKev

 

[Renegade]

You need the burn the fermenter.

All schools in your area should be closed.

Everyone to wear a surgical mask immediately.

Wash your hands regularly, especially before eating.

Have another go at brewing that beer :lol: :lol:


Batz

Wow so many responses while I was writing my last one.

Thanks Chappo, I'll take the pepsi challenge. Just let me get a bottle of JD first. It just so happens we have a spare cat (and I think she's infection free)

Batz, the state government has ran out of money so the schools will be closed regardless. This will just give them the excuse to do so (watch Today Tonight next week, it'l be 'One Man's Biological Warfare Has Created Beer Flu' and I'll be hung drawn & quartered at the next local church fete as an example to everyone else)

Yea, I'm taking this brew loss on the chin. It still sucks, I really was looking forward to it (a mid to late cascade driven pale ale).

 

[Ross]

Leave a glass of beer open to the elements anywhere in your house for a week & you'll see the spoilage film form.

Follow your 1st paragraph proceedure & future brews will be fine in any room of the house.

Cheers Ross

 

[Renegade]

Acetobacter is aerobic... keep your sanitation up to scratch and eliminate oxygen from your beer (excluding aeration of course!) and you should not get acetobacter.

Yep, back to serious. Adam, thanks, that sort of relfects what Ross said, and the first step is to forget about a secondary transfer.

Ok, back to the piss taking lads. Chappo, you intrigue me.

 

[Renegade]

Leave a glass of beer open to the elements anywhere in your house for a week & you'll see the spoilage film form.

Follow your 1st paragraph proceedure & future brews will be fine in any room of the house.

Cheers Ross

Actually, I left an inch of beer in a bottle once, and it was filled 7/8 with water (without rinsing) and something grew on the surface over a week that got so big that it actually blocked the water from being poured out. When I finally got it out, that was oily & slimey too. Same bacteria maybe.

 

[chappo1970]

OK time to confess, how do you know what that taste likes??? h34r:

QldKev

Let's just say the next pandemic is "Cat Flu"... h34r: