Infection? How Do I Know For Sure?

[Willow9999]

I started fermenting a Cascade Spicy Ghost with 750 DEX and 500 LDME 2 weeks ago now.

The gravity has been sitting at 1020 for the last three days, but the airlock continues to bubble now and then. Looking back I really have left myself open to infection as the fermenter was properly santised a week before i threw my bits and pieces in (a swil with boiling water before hand).

Now I know this was foolish and looking back i was a little impatient at the time What I want to know is how can I be sure that the beer is infected, it has a strange smell (strong chemical smell not really like beer) and the taste is a little on the sour side, but it doesnt make me gag. I dont want t throw out something that may actually taste ok for a kit beer.

What do I do!?

 

[Muggus]

Hmmm i'm not too sure.

Are you saying that you santised your fermenter a week before starting the brew, rather than just before put it into the fermenter?
Did you also remember to sanitise everything else your brew is likely to come into contact with, ie spoons, extra pots/measuring vessels, etc?

Fermenting beer straight from the fermenter can often have a wierd taste about it. Not sure what style of beer Cascade Spicy Ghost is...wheat beer?...but the sure fire way to know you have an infection is with the taste of the wort. A serious infect will taste sour, and i don't mean a bit sour, I mean like vinegar sour, otherwise it might just be the beer.