Infection Help - Detoxing Whole Brewery

[Effect]

So I have had a batch of beer that has been infected. Come to think of it, this is actually the second batch and a starter that has had the same infection.

The starter was on a stir plate with some 1469 yeast cake, after it fermented out, it got a skin/film on top of it. Thought I just wasn't clean enough, as I only boiled some water in the flask for 10 mins to clean it, thought that would be enough. Threw it out of course...(the starter that is)

Then a belgian pale had the same infection after primary, but once I put it in the keg, it didn't get the skin on top again...and it tastes fine (well, tastes belgian). Threw that fermenter out...

Then again, a different fermenter, same problem. But once kegged, has formed a new skin on top of the beer...tastes fine though.

Well, I am planning on doing a whole detox of my whole system.

I have:

55 Litre willow mashtun
50 litre keggle
ss racking cane
tubing
2 flasks (for starters)
8 Kegs
2 Taps
2 Beer lines
disconnects etc

Cleaning products at my disposal:
Bleach
Starsan
PBW
Sodium Percarbonate

How am I going to go about cleaning and killing anything that is living in the equipment?

My thoughts so far are:

Take apart Keggle, boil all parts in a pot in kitchen, give a soak in PBW, rinse, starsan, dry. Wash out Keggle with PBW, rinse, starsan, dry. Put Keggle back together.

Put all tubing, taps, flasks, beer lines, racking cane, BB false bottom, tap for mashtun and disconnects inside keggle and boil! Wash with PBW, rinse, starsan, dry.

Kegs (they all have beer in them atm). I am not sure how exactly to go about this. I only wash out my kegs with boiling water, 3 flushes and them I am done with it. The parts I can take off the kegs get a soaking in PBW sometimes.

Your thoughts on this would be a great deal of help, as I only want to do this once, so I want to do it right.

Cheers
Phil

 

[Supra-Jim]

You method/approach seems pretty thorough there phillip. Maybe also consider investigating the area you brew and or store your equipment? If you have a wild yeast or something airborne in these locations, you'll jsutbe going aound in circles.

Also other than a skin developing (pics??) what makes you think you have an infection, you don't sound like your getting off flavours or aromas??

Cheers SJ

 

[kabooby]

Kegs (they all have beer in them atm). I am not sure how exactly to go about this. I only wash out my kegs with boiling water, 3 flushes and them I am done with it. The parts I can take off the kegs get a soaking in PBW sometimes.

For starters thats not washing, it's rinsing. I would wash the kegs between each batch.

I would be looking at your yeast source and starter method.

Kabooby

 

[glaab]

not sure I'd be too worried about the mash tun and kettle, can anything survive a 60min boil? Sounds like the fermenter. I don't see a chiller or cube/s? How you chill? I napisan and starsan my kegs each time.

 

[bigbird]

hmm.... I had some issues, 400lt down the drain. Seemed to come on with the hot weather.

Everything got pulled apart and bleached & starsan. I've stopped chillin for now and no chill cubing instead untill the weather cools down again. I'm not absolutelly sure of the cause but I suspect it was the tap/fittings in the kettle. Also the kettle was near some ivy and random vines, have since moved spots.

Kettle gets stripped down after every brew now and all parts soaked in napisan and the starsan and reassembled just before brewing. Same for the fermenter taps.

Fingers crossed 4 good batches so far.

 

[alowen474]

Try some dried yeast pitched direct to the batch after your no chill.
If that gets infected then get hold of some enriched uranium, gamma radiation should sort it out!!

 

[jbirbeck]

Phillip

do the cleaning but it may not sort the problem if its airborne as mentioned above. I've had something like that before as well. Thread with pics

Its the same sort of thing that develops in my kids nappy bucket (which incidentally is loaded with vinegar and water at more than sterilising strength mix). I managed to overcome this one with a focus on the fermenters - Nappisan/PBW soak for the fermenters/cubes, bleach and starsan before storage and then again before use.

The racking equipment or racking itself was the culprit for me for that particular infection (I've had another one since). Give that a good clean out including getting a bit of string with a rag on the end to run through the tubes to scrape out any major crust after giving it a soak.

Everything for the future - try and limit exposure to air. If you rack to secondary do it tap to tap perhaps, to the keg get some co2 in there first to limit oxygen and the film shouldn't develop if its the same one I've had.

Have a look at where you brew, where you store things and where you rack if you do.

 

[bigbird]

Try some dried yeast pitched direct to the batch after your no chill.
If that gets infected then get hold of some enriched uranium, gamma radiation should sort it out!!

+1
Thats another change I made. no more reusing slurries.

 

[Doogiechap]

not sure I'd be too worried about the mash tun and kettle, can anything survive a 60min boil? Sounds like the fermenter. I don't see a chiller or cube/s? How you chill? I napisan and starsan my kegs each time.

Just a heads up on what can spoil your day with what can hide in your boiler valve.
Linky

Make sure that all of your fittings and transfer hoses get thoroughly cleaned and checked too
Good luck !
Cheers
Doug

 

[glaab]

that's pretty scummy alright Delmar, do you recirc pbw around through your kettle-pump-chiller?

 

[Doogiechap]

that's pretty scummy alright Delmar, do you recirc pbw around through your kettle-pump-chiller?

Yep that piccy was taken post brewday clean with a long hot Nappisan recirc and cracked open a few weeks later :icon_vomit:

There is a void around the ball of the ball valve that collects such things and is nigh on impossible to flush out which is why 3 piece valves are so good for thorough cleaning as they easily pull apart.
Cheers
Doug

 

[warra48]

I used to have a normal ball valve on my kettle.
Took it off, and boiled it one time. When I wiggled the lever back and forth, some disgusting looking gunk squirted out.
Now I use a 3 piece valve, dismantle it each time to clean it, sanitise it, and sanitise it again before use.
Even after one use, there is always some trub in the works of the valve somewhere when I dismantle it.
Better to be safe than sorry and do a little work dismantling, cleaning, and sanitising before storage of the valve.

 

[under]

WOW. Note to self. Dismantly 3 piece next batch Thanks guys.

 

[Effect]

well, thanks for all the great responses!

Will still be doing a total detox on the whole brewery anyway...have had it for more than a year and haven't ever done one.

I have a feeling that it might be the time of year that is also causing the problem. I have just moved house, so the area in which I brew has just changed.


Now, for the kegs. Is there anything other than PBW, Starsan and boiling water that I should do, or is that pretty much safe to say that it is clean and sanitised?

 

[marksfish]

pbw, starsan and boiling water is all you need for your kegs and i do a complete strip-down of kegs every 3 or 4 brews as well as running the pbw and starsan through the beerlines and taps. when you reassemble all the bits of your brewing gear make sure that they are still wet with the starsan.

 

[shawnheiderich]

Just to add an end note to this thread, I always when boiling run a litre of more of wert through the tap three or four times during the boil. Contact with boiling wert for a minute or so during the boil should sanitise the kettle tap. If you get a goop of gunk the first flush just tip it out no harm done.

Shawn