Yet Another Infection Thread

[kaitai]

I've tried searching and reading the infection threads, but couldn't really find the answer to my question.

This is day 8 of an 3kg ESB Aussie Draught and fermentation has finished. I get home from work today to discover these smallish off-white/yellowish flakes floating on the top of my wort.

It dosen't really look like this. This flakes are smaller and not as white and certainly not as many of them.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=acetobacter

I haven't seen it on a brew yet. Could it be just some sort of hop debris that has floated to the surface? Can this happen after a week in the fermenter?

A sample dosen't smell off at all, but then again I have't really had an infected beer to compare against.

Any ideas? I'd hate to have to make draino out of it...

Cheers

Darren

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Post a pic for us to see...it may not be a problem...floaters don't always mean an infection

PZ.

 

[kaitai]

I would if I had myself a digital camera Really have to get myself one soon

 

[Ross]

Kaitai,

I doubt very much it's an infection, the most likely one you get, is like a waxy film over the surface - If you are worried & fermentation is complete, rack it to a cube & CC it asap...

Cheers Ross

 

[kaitai]

Kaitai,

I doubt very much it's an infection, the most likely one you get, is like a waxy film over the surface - If you are worried & fermentation is complete, rack it to a cube & CC it asap...

Cheers Ross

[post="92509"][/post]​

I'm due to rack it tomorrow. If the colony of flakes grows by tomorrow, then I guess the news won't be good.

 

[AndrewQLD]

Kaitai,

I agree with Ross, it doesn't sound like an infection from what you have said, and if you have never had an infection before, and this was infected, you would know it big time :blink: . Rack it off and try not to get any of the floaties and cc for a week.

cheers
Andrew

 

[kaitai]

Thanks guys. What other things could cause the floaties, if not an infection? Seems strange for them to show up after a week of fermenting?

 

[Ross]

Thanks guys. What other things could cause the floaties, if not an infection? Seems strange for them to show up after a week of fermenting?

[post="92513"][/post]​

Sounds like a bit of yeast activity to me, but could be a precursor to the waxy film - On the rare occaision I've suffered it, the sign has been a rejuvenation of yeast activity just before it takes hold...

cheers Ross...

 

[warrenlw63]

Could also be some of the krausen ring has dislodged and fallen into the wort. Did you by any chance disturb the fermenter before opening it?

I doubt that it's infected. If it happened that quickly you'd know. Just taste some from the tap and see what it's like.

Warren -

 

[kaitai]

Haven't opened it as yet, I can see it all though the clear lid. The more I look at it, the more I don't believe its an infection.

I have disturbed it a cple of times, between moving the fermenter in and out of the bath to keep the temp steady. Thats's my usualy trick at this time of year to keep it btw 20-22 degrees.

I could very well have dislodged some krausen from the sides of the fermenter I guess. It does slosh a little bit when moving it around.

I am going to change to pail fermenters very soon. They look so much easier to handle, move around and clean.

I'll be sure to rack it tomorrow night and chuck the cube straight into the fridge for a cple of weeks.

 

[Darren]

Haven't opened it as yet, I can see it all though the clear lid. The more I look at it, the more I don't believe its an infection.

I have disturbed it a cple of times, between moving the fermenter in and out of the bath to keep the temp steady. Thats's my usualy trick at this time of year to keep it btw 20-22 degrees.

I could very well have dislodged some krausen from the sides of the fermenter I guess. It does slosh a little bit when moving it around.

I am going to change to pail fermenters very soon. They look so much easier to handle, move around and clean.

I'll be sure to rack it tomorrow night and chuck the cube straight into the fridge for a cple of weeks.

[post="92535"][/post]​

kaitai, drink it and if is bad try to do everything you can to improve it. Sanitation is "godly". I suspect it will be ok but there are always improvements that can be made.
cheeers Darren

 

[kaitai]

I am pretty strict on the sanitation. I soak everything in sodium met, then a good hot water rinse and then using phosphoric acid on top of that. If it turns out to be infected, then it will have be buggered as to why. Unless oxygen has someone gotten into it.

The taste out of the sample jar tastes ok, hopefully it is just krausen knocked into the top of it and I am being a worry wort.......play on words intended.

We'll see what happens. If at first you don't succeed.....

It's all good.

 

[johnno]

Sounds like a bit of yeast activity to me, but could be a precursor to the waxy film - On the rare occaision I've suffered it, the sign has been a rejuvenation of yeast activity just before it takes hold...

cheers Ross...

[post="92517"][/post]​

Could also be some of the krausen ring has dislodged and fallen into the wort. Did you by any chance disturb the fermenter before opening it?

I doubt that it's infected. If it happened that quickly you'd know. Just taste some from the tap and see what it's like.

Warren -

[post="92525"][/post]​

Ross and Warren are right.
Its probably one of the above.

What yeast did you use? What comes with The Muntons?

Try some when you transfer to secondary. You will know if its infected.

I just bottled a brew last Sunday in which I used the Saf US 56. Being too lazy to make a starter, plus I wanted to try that yeast.

When I transfeered to secondary the previous week and when I bulk primed I saw what looked like a lot of yeast floating around.

Most of it was gone when I bulk primed but there was still some bits left there.
All the runnings tasted fine.
I should have taken a piccy but I was too lazy I suppose.

johnno

 

[kaitai]

Yeast was Safale S04. This puppy was off and running pretty quickly.

 

[delboy]

funny this thread has come up same thing here my amber has got the same little floatie things in it to ?
they wern't there yesterday but after reading this thread my heart has now settled down .
as i realized that when i undid the lid on the fermentor i bumped it pretty hard and knocked off some of the krausen so when i racked it to my secondary tonight there were floaty bits in it .
it tasted great and the fg was 1010 i will cc to morrow night for a few weeks and taste it again before kegging .
I belive it will be ok anyhow .
as it was my first partial i did all on my own i did not realize how much krausen there is to be had. i will certainly be carefull next time.
i better ket my rear into gear now and finish my brew deck so i am not moving things about as much in SWAMBO's kitchen LoL :lol:


"don't worry be happy"
delboy

 

[T.D.]

As much as Ross and Warren may be right, I would still be cautious. If it is acetobacter (and your description of the problem doesn't rule that out), it will not be obvious in terms of taste and smell in these early stages. Yes, it will be obvious to the eye (the pic in that other thread is EXACTLY what acetobacter looks like), but the dodgy flavours don't usually come through for even a couple of months. It obviously depends on the beer and the severity of the infection, but I'd be surprised if anybody could taste the infection straight after fermentation. Usually infections are as clear as day when you taste the beer - not so with acetobacter, until it gets a hold and you start getting sharp flavours (as much as 2-3 months after bottling).

I'm not saying you definitely have an infection, but without a photo its really hard to say. Any advice would be speculation. That's why you should not rule out an acetobacter infection - it seems to be that this is just as much a possibility as any other suggestion provided above.


Just a side note that you may find comforting - for my most recent brew, when I racked it to secondary I noticed a small amount of stuff that had some similarities to acetobacter. It really annoyed me because this is my christmas beer and I had very high hopes for it. Anyway, I racked it as usual. The other day I racked it again before CCing for a week and there was not even a hint of the white bubbly scum. Obviously in this case it was just a bit of left over krausen or some yeast in suspension. It is possible that this is what is happening with you to, and I hope it is, but just keep an eye on it.

Cheers :beer:

 

[Lindsay Dive]

Kaitai,
If you are a kegger and have CO2 on hand, it may be wise to charge the top of your secondary vessel with a good dose of CO2. Bugs don't like the stuff.
I know people will say that the 'air' space in the primary will be filled with CO2 anyway, but I think keeping the air away is important in this situation.
When racking, you may well find that the majority of the floaties cling to the fermenter wall and you may be able to rid yourself of the problem.
Just my two bob's worth.

 

[kaitai]

Thanks for all the information guys.

When I rack it I might chuck a little bit of dextrose disolved in water into the bottom of the cube to help form that protective layer of CO2.

 

[BeerHead]

Hi peoples... this thread seems as good as any to post my woes...

I am wondering whether I have collected an infection in my secondary. Though I am not sure just yet, this looks pretty bad. I took some pics of the surface through the fermenter lid using the macro function on my digital camera to show you.

I have not seen this before. So what did I change... well the only thing I can think of is I dry hopped using Hallertau pellets, you can see it floating on the top.... but they were soaked in boiled water for a few minutes before going into the secondary, so if it is bad then thats where its come from. :x

Smell is not off (squeezed some of the vapourspace out thru the airlock but I have not tried to taste it yet...but I will of course and report back. If its tastes ok, reckon its worth bottling or is it destined on teh road to vinegar hell...?


So please docs, tell me what u think....

 

[T.D.]

It does have that acetobacter look about it. Even if it is, I would bottle it anyway. As I said before, you get a couple of months before the taste becomes obtrusive. Just drink it quick (shouldn't be too hard ).

As far as infections go, this one is one of the "better" ones, if there is such a thing . At least you get a bit of time where it is still drinkable. I would recommend you bottle it sooner rather than later (assuming it is ready to be bottled).

This stuff seems to be pretty easy to pick up if you are in a susceptable area (fruitflies etc). I have only had it a few times in all my years of brewing and haven't had it for quite a while now but I am definitely much more scrupulous these days with my sanitation that I was a couple of years ago.