Aussiekraut Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Hey guys Can I draw on the knowledge here to tell me what this is? Is this a problem? This is day 11 of an "Erdinger" style wheat beer. I opened the FV on day 8 to take the hop bag out with sanitised tongs and all was fine. The top fermenting yeast had dropped and the surface was mostly clean. Today, I saw this. What is it and why is it happening? The beer smells and tastes fine. Is that wild yeast? Bacteria? Mold? It doesn't seem to be hairy, so I'd say not mold. Tip it out? Emergency bottle it to kill it with CO2? I did notice something similar in a different batch and it even showed in the bottles but disappeared after a shake and the beer was fine...well, at least I'm still alive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captain!! Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I reckon it looks alright but I could be wrong, I’ve had similar just not as much I guess. Do you cold crash @Aussiekraut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Looks like a pellicle to me , Lacto bacteria will often look very similar to that. Tastes OK ? Why remove a dry hop on day 8 and how long ago was this taken ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Absolutely looks like my photo in sour questions 2019. I dont know what this is but looks like a mold. Get it bottled quickly see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 It looks like it should be in the souring thread. Do you enjoy a Berliner Weisse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Acetic acid bacteria I think. Wierd it took up residence so quick. I get it when i leave a fermenter with dregs for 4 or 5 days. Eats the ethanol and turns it into vinegar. Looks set in too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 2 hours ago, Mark D Pirate said: Looks like a pellicle to me , Lacto bacteria will often look very similar to that. Tastes OK ? Why remove a dry hop on day 8 and how long ago was this taken ? It tastes and smells ok. It wasn't a dry hop bag. It was used to make a hop tea and the recipe said to pour the tea including the bag into the FV. Primary fermentation had ceased by day 8, so I took it out. The pic was taken today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 I planned to bottle on Sat but will do so tomorrow and then I'll see what happens. If it is bacteria, the CO2 in the bottle should kill it shouldn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 In future leave the tea bags out. If you're making a hop tea you only need to add the tea itself to the fermenter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I've had similar krausens when using 25% or more wheat malt. In fact recently I had to stir in my commandoed hops after a day because they were still sitting on top. It looked like your picture above. That non-aerating stir, plus cold crash broke up the Krausen nicely. I tasted and bottled that brew the other day. It was a 150 Lashes clone and tasted great at bottling. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 If it is Acetobacter then I think Ben 10 has successfully bottled a batch and left the top layer behind. If it has gone through the batch then it is gone (unless you enjoy vinegar beer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Definitely contaminated. I think pediococcus looks like that. Either way it is possible to save the beer underneath if it hasn't been sitting around too long. I bottled a batch like that some years ago. The contamination 'skin' tends to float on top and as you drain the FV it leaves much of it behind on the walls. I then avoided the last few litres of the beer. In my case the beer seemed ok. To be on the safe side I wouldn't bottle in glass, and I'd drink the beer ASAP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Worthog said: I've had similar krausens when using 25% or more wheat malt. In fact recently I had to stir in my commandoed hops after a day because they were still sitting on top. It looked like your picture above. That non-aerating stir, plus cold crash broke up the Krausen nicely. I tasted and bottled that brew the other day. It was a 150 Lashes clone and tasted great at bottling. Cheers Hmmm this is a wheat beer which had 1.5kg liquid wheat malt added, plus the Hallertau hops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 1 hour ago, BlackSands said: Definitely contaminated. I think pediococcus looks like that. Either way it is possible to save the beer underneath if it hasn't been sitting around too long. I bottled a batch like that some years ago. The contamination 'skin' tends to float on top and as you drain the FV it leaves much of it behind on the walls. I then avoided the last few litres of the beer. In my case the beer seemed ok. To be on the safe side I wouldn't bottle in glass, and I'd drink the beer ASAP! Why not glass? I only have 500ml glass bottles available for this batch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 22 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said: Why not glass? I only have 500ml glass bottles available for this batch With contamination there's a risk of over carbonation and therefore potential for exploding bottles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Definitely suggest a review of your sanitation practices , the taps on those FVs are a weak point and all but impossible to clean / sanitise properly. I replace mine regularly and call it cheap insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 51 minutes ago, Mark D Pirate said: Definitely suggest a review of your sanitation practices , the taps on those FVs are a weak point and all but impossible to clean / sanitise properly. I replace mine regularly and call it cheap insurance. I'd previously identified taps as a main source of contamination, but rather than throw them away I simply boil them now - an even cheaper form of insurance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 I take them apart to clean them out every so often. Mind you, the one on the fermenter I'm throwing out has been there for years and only ever cleaned in place (though I did remove it to spray it out with starsan) and never had an issue. Should have taken it apart periodically though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 I don't get it. If it smells good and tastes good, why is it infected? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Because the infection is only on top at this stage, if it is allowed to it will end up through the whole thing and then it will taste bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Mine are opened and stuck in the dish washer, rinsed when done then fitted back to the fv just prior to filling after spraying with starsan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 best way to sterilise small parts like taps. air locks, bottling tubes/valves is in the microwave .... give a good clean with soapy water use a tooth brush to remove any mould or the like use a cotton bud to get into the nooks of the tap then give say 3 x 30 second bursts in the microwave ... that will burst the bacteria as the liquid insides them, the cytoplasm, boils ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSands Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 5 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said: best way to sterilise small parts like taps. air locks, bottling tubes/valves is in the microwave ....... give say 3 x 30 second bursts in the microwave ... that will burst the bacteria as the liquid insides them, the cytoplasm, boils ... I've read conflicting articles about this and I do wonder if it's correct, particularly given ants can quite happily exist in the microwave... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_G Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 from what I understand, B.Sc in Microbial Ecology, there is no way that bacteria can last a good zap from a microwave ... they have a protein cell membrane not a hard exoskeleton like an ant ... the cytoplasm will boil and the cell membrane will rupture causing lysis ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silmaril Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 5 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said: best way to sterilise small parts like taps. air locks, bottling tubes/valves is in the microwave .... give a good clean with soapy water use a tooth brush to remove any mould or the like use a cotton bud to get into the nooks of the tap then give say 3 x 30 second bursts in the microwave ... that will burst the bacteria as the liquid insides them, the cytoplasm, boils ... Speaking from personal experience... do not do this to a FV tap! I tried to sterilise my fermenter tap in the microwave, and I got clouds and clouds of black smoke from the rubber o-ring on the tap. Stank the house up good and proper and completely destroyed the tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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