Infection Photo Thread

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Lodan said:
looks like yeasties to me.
plus tastes alright so don't ditch it :)
Hmm.
Wish there was a real way to tell other than "tastes OK", "smells OK".

Don't really want to put it into bottles just based on my nose and tongue.
How common is it for yeast to float up like that? It's my tenth brew, i don't recall seeing anything like it before.
 
I find it interesting when people discuss green beer.

Green beer that hasn't had the chance to bottle condition I believe can taste very different from beer that has been bottle conditioned.

I will always remember a CUB master brewer saying that green beer tastes a bit like fruit salad, and only after it has had time to condition, will it taste like the end product.

I'm a complete newbie, but these are just some observations.
 
Lochem said:
Hmm.
Wish there was a real way to tell other than "tastes OK", "smells OK".

Don't really want to put it into bottles just based on my nose and tongue.
How common is it for yeast to float up like that? It's my tenth brew, i don't recall seeing anything like it before.

Its hard to tell from so far away, but generally speaking I wouldn't be opening your fermenter to take photos as if you'll introduce contaminates and really get an infection.

What you want to do is let it ferment out, when checking your gravity, taste it. Taste it lots. If it taste OK, it should be OK. You'll know when its infected, as it'll taste horrible. See my post before. I tasted it mid fermentation, because it smelt infected ( I know from having them before) but I let it bubble away. After 10 days it still tasted like rotten fruit and vomit. I opened the lid and found what I posted.
 
panzerd18 said:
I find it interesting when people discuss green beer.

Green beer that hasn't had the chance to bottle condition I believe can taste very different from beer that has been bottle conditioned.

I will always remember a CUB master brewer saying that green beer tastes a bit like fruit salad, and only after it has had time to condition, will it taste like the end product.

I'm a complete newbie, but these are just some observations.
I hear a lot about this.

"Beer is best drunk fresh; fresher the better" - no! - "Beer is best drunk after about eight weeks in the bottle" - as if! - "Beer is best drunk between two and six weeks in the bottle" - OK!

Yadda yadda jadda.

Doubtless it comes down to style; huge alcoholic beers do need to sit for a while.

But for anything ~6% or under, I have found that super fresh - say a beer that is four days in the bottle and already carbed - gives the best direct representation of the ingredients and method used. After that other factors come into play such as storage temperature, vessel used and handling. Your beer's flavour shakes and bakes and can completely change with time - which I find FRUSTRATING.
 
marksy said:
rotten fruit and vomit
Sounds like butyric acid. Pretty horid stuff if you have too much. Brettanomyces will turn it into ethyl butyrate though which is quite fruity and pleasant. Chuck some brett in there and let it do its thing.
 
Not For Horses said:
Sounds like butyric acid. Pretty horid stuff if you have too much. Brettanomyces will turn it into ethyl butyrate though which is quite fruity and pleasant. Chuck some brett in there and let it do its thing.
I'll have to read up on that in case it happens again. I tossed it on the grass and it still smells foul. It was either the cube or the starter. The sister cube is doing fine, but used different yeast.
 
Forever Wort said:
I hear a lot about this.

"Beer is best drunk fresh; fresher the better" - no! - "Beer is best drunk after about eight weeks in the bottle" - as if! - "Beer is best drunk between two and six weeks in the bottle" - OK!

Yadda yadda jadda.

Doubtless it comes down to style; huge alcoholic beers do need to sit for a while.

But for anything ~6% or under, I have found that super fresh - say a beer that is four days in the bottle and already carbed - gives the best direct representation of the ingredients and method used. After that other factors come into play such as storage temperature, vessel used and handling. Your beer's flavour shakes and bakes and can completely change with time - which I find FRUSTRATING.
As I am only experimenting with Kit and Kilo beers, I have found that its better to bottle age the beer as it masks any poor brewing practices on my part.
 
im surprised no one has mentioned bottle shock.
 
Just bottled my current brew then noticed this, normal or infection? looks awefully bacterial to me. Smelled ok, didn't bother tasting any though.

abp190.jpg
 
Looks like yeast colonies to me. Or cockroach eggs. If the latter be more selective with your adjuncts...or kill them first.
 
Camo6 said:
Looks like yeast colonies to me. Or cockroach eggs. If the latter be more selective with your adjuncts...or kill them first.
I gave the roaches a good blast of mortein, thought it would do it....
 
marksy said:
Its hard to tell from so far away, but generally speaking I wouldn't be opening your fermenter to take photos as if you'll introduce contaminates and really get an infection.

What you want to do is let it ferment out, when checking your gravity, taste it. Taste it lots. If it taste OK, it should be OK. You'll know when its infected, as it'll taste horrible. See my post before. I tasted it mid fermentation, because it smelt infected ( I know from having them before) but I let it bubble away. After 10 days it still tasted like rotten fruit and vomit. I opened the lid and found what I posted.
I don't open my buckets for photo ops. I open them to dry hop and/or add gelatin.

I snapped the photo bec I found something odd.
In any case... Tasted pretty unpleasant so it got fed to the grass.
 
ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1413000370.415727.jpg

So a few months ago, I helped a friend make a cider, however prior to bottling while we were cold crashing they knocked the temp probe outside the fridge and froze it..

So while waiting for the some more yeast it was left on the bench without an airlock and it seems something decided to move in and make itself at home..

Looks similar to pellicle made by Brett and lacto, anyone know if there's a way to check? Doesn't smell bad and the cider is around 9% so can't imagine it being anything bad.
 
Looks fine from my phone. Just a bit of yeast hanging around.
 
matt s said:
Does this look infected? Its at day 6 of fermentation.
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in .jpg
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No.

Looks like primary has finished mostly, did u take gravity? Make sure you give it 2 weeks on yeast to clean up any unwanted flavours which may have been produced. RDWHAHB
 
Excellent. I have never had the yeast clumping on top like that, but glad to know you two think it's looking normal. I always leave my beer in the primary for 3 weeks and then rack and cold crash.
Cheers!
 
Hey guys, just came across this when I found ants in my airlock and wanted to see if they go inside (normally I would have taken a reading, tasted it and bottled without opening the lid :S )

I'm guessing this is written off, but it's the first time I've seen anything like it. It's like a film on top, smelled a bit fruity. The brew is my first attempt at a golden ale, if it makes a difference?

Thanks!

1413784282240.jpg
 
welcome to the world of infections. taste and smell, if ok and your game drink bloody quick
 
Just came back from overseas and found this in the fermentor
Not 100% sure but think it was Lactobacillus . Its not hops (wasnt dry hopped) and fully fermented out.

IMG_4549.JPG
 
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