Infected 3 times using coopers fermenter

[Mark the sipper]

I have used the coopers fermenters 3 times and the beer always is infected. Never had this issue with the other fermenters with air lock. I do the brewing in my shed. Maybe there is wild yeast there?  I do all the usual sanitising correct. Thoughts anyone. 

[DavidM]

A friend gave me a Cooopers Fermenter, it had a infected tap, once I pulled it apart and cleaned it out it was fine.

I have three now, all good.

[Classic Brewing Co]

33 minutes ago, Mark the sipper said:

I have used the coopers fermenters 3 times and the beer always is infected. Never had this issue with the other fermenters with air lock. I do the brewing in my shed. Maybe there is wild yeast there?  I do all the usual sanitising correct. Thoughts anyone. 

I would separate all of the parts & soak them in some unscented bleach for 24 hours & wash thoroughly with a soft cloth using care not to scratch the inside of the fermenter.

Clean & rinse thoroughly with Sodium Percarbonate (you can buy at most LHBS) & rinse thoroughly & then use a no-rinse sanitiser like Stellar San (available from www.kegland.com.au or LHBS). If the problem persists, chuck the lot & buy a new kit - about $100.00.

[Mark the sipper]

I have 1 small fermenter and 2 large. All have produced infected brews. Start out good. On around day 8 it looks like it’s fermenting again thick coat like a yeast on top with bubbles. It tastes sour. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

14 minutes ago, Mark the sipper said:

I have 1 small fermenter and 2 large. All have produced infected brews. Start out good. On around day 8 it looks like it’s fermenting again thick coat like a yeast on top with bubbles. It tastes sour. 

You haven't mentioned how long you let it ferment for, sometimes a bit more time cleans things up a bit (I leave mine in the FV for 14 days) there is also temperature to consider, are you using any heat/cool control? The other thing is your cleaning/sanitising routine - is it thorough? Are you using the correct materials?

The only other thing is perhaps the shed, maybe there is too much fluctuation in the temperature, can you find another place to ferment?

[ben 10]

1 hour ago, Mark the sipper said:

Thoughts anyone.

Yes, some part of the cleaning is possibly not perfect.

Do you open the lid at all during fermentation?

[thebeerpig]

A few of years ago one of the brewers here was having the same sort of problem. On a much closer inspection of his brew, he found that vinegar flies had been sniffing and finding their way into his fermenter through small gaps between the Coopers FV and the lid.

[Malter White]

@Mark the sipper Could it be due to temperature rather than infection? In my first foray into brewing back in the 90s I had airlock FVs but I brewed in the garage without temp control. Most of my beers were quite bad. I ended up only ever making stouts and always added a dash of lemonade to hide some of the sins of my poor practices. My brewing days ended not long after.
Go forward 20 or so years and armed with more information, I took up brewing again with Coopers FVs. After around 100 brews I haven't had many problems at all. I started with a wet towel and fan to keep brews cool enough and now have a ferment fridge. 

[Mark the sipper]

I do have a heat pad and it keeps it no lower than 18 deg. I’ve done around 60 brews and it’s only just started. Being cleaning the same way all along. Could it be a wild yeast as I drink in the she as well. 

[Oldbloke]

I've only had 5 or 6 out of 612 brews. All in the first 30 or 40. Before I had temp control and slack cleaning/sanitising.

You have some heat control. So my bet is as mentioned earlier, the tap. I think you can pull the coopers ones apart to clean.

[Malter White]

2 hours ago, Mark the sipper said:

I do have a heat pad and it keeps it no lower than 18 deg. I’ve done around 60 brews and it’s only just started. Being cleaning the same way all along. Could it be a wild yeast as I drink in the she as well. 

I was more worried about temps being too high. Lower temps are less likely to throw off flavours.
Wild yeast is beyond my understanding of brewing. Good luck. I hope you work out the problem.

[Mark the sipper]

I honestly think it’s the fermenters. Not had a problem with the airlock ones. Just to check I’ve done a brew tonight with the airlock fermenter. A coopers stout and dark ale with 1 kilo dextrose plus both yeasts. Reckon that it will be ok as usual. Let u all know if it’s not. 

[kmar92]

3 minutes ago, Mark the sipper said:

I honestly think it’s the fermenters. Not had a problem with the airlock ones. Just to check I’ve done a brew tonight with the airlock fermenter. A coopers stout and dark ale with 1 kilo dextrose plus both yeasts. Reckon that it will be ok as usual. Let u all know if it’s not. 

@Mark the sipper there are probably thousands of brewers using the Coopers FV's that do so without any infection problems, I am one of them. You may have some persistent type of bacteria/yeast/some other organism, that has infected the FV, and especially the tap can be the problem. In your shoes I would clean the FV and tap thoroughly and then blast it with a bleach solution for 24 hours. Then rinse it out thoroughly (with hot water is best), sanitise and give it another go.

[Oldbloke]

When home brew kits first become available glad wrap or a towel was recommended. No air lock or lid.

[Aussiekraut]

11 hours ago, Mark the sipper said:

I honestly think it’s the fermenters. Not had a problem with the airlock ones. Just to check I’ve done a brew tonight with the airlock fermenter. A coopers stout and dark ale with 1 kilo dextrose plus both yeasts. Reckon that it will be ok as usual. Let u all know if it’s not. 

I always ferment without an airlock. On the old fermenter, I had taped over the airlock hole; the other was a Coopers fermenter without airlock to start with. I currently use two Coopers fermenters and have no dramas. I did have an infection maybe a year ago but that was likely due to being slack with cleaning the taps. The absence of an airlock isn't causing infections. On the contrary, if you take a sample without removing the airlock, some of the festering water in the airlock can get sucked into the fermenter, giving the nasties in the water a nice breeding ground. 

 

[BlackSands]

Not sure if this is applicable but Diastaticus sub-strain is a very common yeast that can spoil a brew.  It can be introduced if you've ever used the likes of a saison strain of yeast.  Either way, as advised above, I'd strip everything down and nuke it all in a dilute bleach solution!  Years ago I had a persistent contamination issue - which I eventually traced to the taps on my fermenters.  These are a great place to harbour unwanted bugs and I suspect usual cleaning practices might not always get into the inner workings - some taps maybe however may easy to disasemble .  As a precuation I now dunk my taps in boiling water prior to use.  Haven't had a problem since. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by BlackSands

[ben 10]

13 hours ago, Mark the sipper said:

I honestly think it’s the fermenters. Not had a problem with the airlock ones.

I use mine without lids, just happywrap on top, all good no issues.

 

Fermenters do not cause infections.

 

I have a house yeast that gets in sometimes and is horrid, has not caused me trouble for a while

[Oldbloke]

Slightly off topic. But found this a while back. I'm doing it every 2 or 3 brews now.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by oldbloke

[Mark the sipper]

48 minutes ago, oldbloke said:

Slightly off topic. But found this a while back. I'm doing it every 2 or 3 brews now.

 

 

Thanks for posting video. Never new you could pull the taps apart. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

35 minutes ago, Mark the sipper said:

Thanks for posting video. Never new you could pull the taps apart. 

Yes, it is pretty important after all the tap is in the main line of fire & really needs to be looked after even replaced now & again as they can become loose over time.