Live Grasshopper in fermenter.

[mongey]

So this sucks. Have been fermenting a Belgian ale for 8 days with wlp550. Day 3 was a nightmare. Even with 3 liters headspace in fermenter it kept blowing krausen though the airlock and making a mess in the fridge Cleaned it like 5 times. So it spent hours here and there in brew fridge with no liquid in airlock.

Day 7 did my first hydro test. All my OG numbers were spot on to brewers friend which predicted 1009 finish. Was 1004. 95% attenuation. Weird but it smelt good and tasted good.did mash a little lower than i planned so thought maybe it was lower than I though and will be dry. So left it for the 2nd test Put my tube under the tap it it’s coming out weird. Next thing a 3 cm longgrasshopper comes flying out the tap this thing looked gnarly. Was alive but it’s skin was almost see through. There was no way I could keep the beer after seeing that. The though of baby grasshopper eggs in my beer was already ******* with me after drinking the first sample

2nd “live” sample also looked a bit weird and didn’t smell as great. Firgure my intruder brought in an infection.

First batch ever in 5 years I had to tip.how the hell did that thing live at the bottom of a full fermenter ?

I figure it had to either get into the fridge and crawlI into the s airlock while it was empty or fly in when I opened it to dry hop. Eggs in the grain couldn’t survive a mash and then 60 min boil could they ?

Anyone had this before ?

By pure luck bought a new fermenter and a senior airlock yesterday. Have a cube of apa to put on today to replace it. But damn. Was looking forward to that Belgian.

 

[captain crumpet]

i would have kept it, tried a cricket beer at GABs it was alright.

Sorry to hear though

 

[chesl73]

I would have kept it to see if it really was infected. Having said that, it's easy to say when you weren't the one seeing a weird creature crawl out your tap!
I can't for the life of me see how it got in there in the first place.

 

[mongey]

i would have kept it, tried a cricket beer at GABs it was alright.

Sorry to hear though

If it still smelt right I would’ve considered keeping it longer. But there was def something up with it.

Also if I found a dead one then whatever. I’ll drink a dead grasshopper. But the fact it was living in there. Kills it for me.

 

[altone]

Grasshoppers are a nice clean food source, why would you throw good beer away
I guess they hopped in with the dry hops - sorry for the pun.

If it smelt and tasted wrong, well that's another matter altogether.

Maybe it was just your mind playing tricks after seeing insects come out the tap or maybe it was off.
Might have been more than the grasshoppers found their way in there.

Anyway, sorry for your loss.

 

[mongey]

Grasshoppers are a nice clean food source, why would you throw good beer away
I guess they hopped in with the dry hops - sorry for the pun.

If it smelt and tasted wrong, well that's another matter altogether.

Maybe it was just your mind playing tricks after seeing insects come out the tap or maybe it was off.
Might have been more than the grasshoppers found their way in there.

Anyway, sorry for your loss.

It was def wrong. Hydro Readings were wrong and it smelt wrong.

Been brewing 5 years. I had one other batch that went bad in the bottles. I bottled and drank a few. After a few weeks in bottles they were gushing and tasted horrible and chucked em all.

This was the first time I knew I had to dump right out of fermenter as it was all bad.

 

[altone]

It was def wrong. Hydro Readings were wrong and it smelt wrong.

Been brewing 5 years. I had one other batch that went bad in the bottles. I bottled and drank a few. After a few weeks in bottles they were gushing and tasted horrible and chucked em all.

This was the first time I knew I had to dump right out of fermenter as it was all bad.

Smell and taste are your best guides - Hydro only if it's waaaay out of the ballpark for me.

Make sure to clean and sanitize the bejeezus out of your gear before going again.

 

[Markbeer]

I've had bees in the fermenter before. I know exactly how they got there, seem to love the smell of boiling wort. They were boiled so no infection, poor things.

Of I remember correctly, you can't get sick (apart from intoxication) from beer. I believe no human pathogen can survive above 3.5 abv. This of course doesn't mean the beer isn't infected.

 

[captain crumpet]

Also if I found a dead one then whatever. I’ll drink a dead grasshopper. But the fact it was living in there. Kills it for me.

poor little dude would have been **** faced

 

[Maheel]

should have kept it and dry hopped that thing with cascade

drank it fresh and called it Grass Hopper ale

 

[mongey]

Smell and taste are your best guides - Hydro only if it's waaaay out of the ballpark for me.

Make sure to clean and sanitize the bejeezus out of your gear before going again.

I chucked it away. I was planning for this to be it’s last beer anyway. It was my original fermenter from 5 years ago when I started. The rubber seal in the lid was starting to break up. Last couple of beers all over attenuated. Think something ohther than grasshoppers were living in it.

 

[Hangover68]

David Carradine wasnt anywhere to be seen ?

 

[RobW]

I believe no human pathogen can survive above 3.5 abv.

I wouldn't be too sure about that:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...ed-alcohol-tolerance-common-hospital-pathogen

Cheers

Rob

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I wouldn't be too sure about that:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...ed-alcohol-tolerance-common-hospital-pathogen

Cheers

Rob

It is an ever increasing battle as pathogens evolve to take up whatever is used on them. I did read that scientists were looking at fly's immune system to come up with effective antibiotics, don't know if that was a blank wall not read any results so don't know if it was a dead end.
Beats my shirt in the fermenter by the way.

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

If it was in the fermenter it would have been dead, insects can't "breath" in liquid. So if it was in there for any length of time it would be dead. I'd say it was in the spout of your tap and it came out when you got the sample. Also I don't think it would have even been able to fit through the fermenter tap, unless you're using some sort of big bore tap.

 

[mongey]

If it was in the fermenter it would have been dead, insects can't "breath" in liquid. So if it was in there for any length of time it would be dead. I'd say it was in the spout of your tap and it came out when you got the sample. Also I don't think it would have even been able to fit through the fermenter tap, unless you're using some sort of big bore tap.

I know what your saying cause I i did think that . I reckon if it was in the spout I would've seen it though as it was pretty long . also it did look like it had been soaking in liquid for a long time .

Internet also says grasshoppers ,while they cant breathe underwater, can survive for extended periods on the oxygen they have in their system liek allot of insects

the beer was def infected, be it due the the insect being in there or to the multi krausen explosions letting something in , got to admit to the inside of my brew fridge is pretty dirty,even before this beer made multiple messes . gonna give it a good scrub before next brew .