White "icebergs" On The Surface After Primary Is Complete

[michael_aussie]

I have just bottled 3 kits. They were all 21 days in the drum, and had final SGs of 1010 to 1012.
#13 B1 Coopers Dark Ale + Tooheys Liquid Brewing Sugar P2/5/2010 S23/5/10
#14 B2 Coopers Dark Ale + Tooheys Liquid Brewing Sugar P2/5/2010 S23/5/10
#15 B3 Brigalow Larger + 150gm Coopers Brewing Sugar P2/5/2010 S23/5/10

One of the Dark Ales and the "experimental" low alcohol Brigalow, had white shit floating on the surface.
It looked like cracked ice, with bergs covering the whole surface, ranging in size from a 1c piece to a 50c piece.

They were "sticky" and coated my hydrometer screwing up my readings (readings varied from 1010 to 1020 depending on how much was sticking to the hydrometer).

What is it?

Have I just bottled 2 x 23 litres of industrial waste?

 

[felten]

Any pictures?

 

[michael_aussie]

Any pictures?

Unfortunately, no.

 

[MarkBastard]

I remember a guy having this problem when he used honey in his beer and it ended up being wax from memory.

In your case I'm not sure. I would have said it was yeast but it sounds waxy as you've described it.

Have you drunk a sample yet?

 

[Neill]

aerobacter? if it is that, the top of the brew will smell like absolute sh!t but the beer underneath will taste fine.

 

[peterhop]

How thick were the icebergs ? In my first few AGs I noticed a thin white film on the wort at the add-yeast stage. It would bunch up when I moved the surface of the wort. I put it down to my primitive sparging methods. It didn't affect the taste.

Does your beer taste normal ?

 

[michael_aussie]

How thick were the icebergs ? In my first few AGs I noticed a thin white film on the wort at the add-yeast stage. It would bunch up when I moved the surface of the wort. I put it down to my primitive sparging methods. It didn't affect the taste.

Does your beer taste normal ?

I didn't taste the beer .. i have never tasted prior to bottling.... should I??
The beer smelt like beer. It didn't have an obvious unpleasant odour.

The white shit was very thin (0.5mm? thick), but covered most of the surface.
It was already cracked up from being carried (I carry the drums into the house to bottle).

It stuck all over the hydrometer when I inserted it, and caused the hydrometer to ride high, making an accurate reading almost impossible.

I was trialling bulk priming for the first time, so the white stuff broke up while stirring and ended up mixed into the drum.

When I washed the hydrometer, the white stuff easily broke up, and didn't really have a texture at all when I touched it.

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

I recommend always trying beer before bottling and even during the fermentation process.

If it's infected then you will likely taste it in the beer. Could be just a layer of yeast/krausen?

 

[arogers]

sounds like infection to me, never had one like that in beer but i did have the white skin that stuck to everything it came in contact with the first time i tried to make sauerkraut. i dont mess around with spontaneous fermentation these days, i just hit the kraut with a acidophilus capsule (the powder) and bob's your uncle.

 

[bradsbrew]

So are you taking the lid off after fermentation and dropping the hydrometer in to take a reading as you bottle? Are are you taking the lid off your fermenter and dropping the hydrometer in periodicly during fermentation? I would recommend useing a hydro tube and take a sample from the tap and drop the hydro in that no matter what stage of ferment you are at. And yes take tastings of samples at different stages of ferment to pick up the taste profile through the stages.

Cheers Brad

 

[peterhop]

I taste it out of curiosity and in case an infection develops. It did once. It is interesting to taste a beer every week or so after bottling to know how the flavours change and develop.

You will find out soon if your beer is OK or not. John Palmer's online book has a chapter called Is my beer ruined. He says the answer is usually 'no'.