Newbie requiring advice

[BernieA]

Hi all.

 

Im pretty new to home brew and am seeking some advice. So far Ive done 2 lots of home brew. The first one I think may have been infected as it is now 3 weeks in the bottle, has very little head and taste / smells sour. The 2nd lot is 2 weeks in the bottle and taste ok and i am optimistic about. The first lot I didn't sterilize everything as it was out of the box an thought it would be ok.

 

I'm doing a 3rd lot now. Its been 7 days in the fermenter and FG is nearly stabilized at 1008. However, with all 3 I have ended up with a white layer on top of the beer and Im not sure if this is a problrmn. I have oncldued a pic below from the 3rd batch and another pic of the sediment, which I assume is normal but thought Id double check. I was very careful with the 2nd and 3rd batches and sterilized everything really well.

 

Any advice on the while scummy layer would be appreciated.

 

Thx, Bernie

 

 

[Hairy]

Welcome to the forum Bernie!

 

Give the first batch some time and see if it improves. If the sourness is getting worse then it is not a good sign.

 

As for the picture, it looks pretty normal. It is hard to tell sometimes with photos and the reflection but it looks ok. The sediment is perfectly normal and nicely compacted.

 

Put the lid back on and relax.

[BernieA]

Hi Hairy.

 

Thanks for your response. It is reassuring. I'll look at bottling tonight.

 

Cheers, Bernie

[Beeblebrox]

Hi Bernie, for what it's worth, always if using a concentrate use the instructions as a guide. Different beers give a different FG, so you need to check 1) that your FG is at around the expected level, and 2) that it is consistent over at least two days.

So far as the possibility of an infection, so long as you always without fail clean and sterilize your equipment before and after each batch, you will usually be fine.

 

I'm sure if you actually do get an infection, someone here will have some sound advice, though I suspect your choices in that instance would be to overdose on sterilizing solution to kill off any infection, or throw it out and get a new kit, depending on how bad the infection is.

I doubt you could necessarily tell if a brew is infected just looking at it, or that the taste is always the give away - some brews that seem ordinary at bottling time still turn out okay after conditioning a few weeks or months, unless it is so foul you can't drink it you probably don't have a major issue.

Good luck.

 

Cheers.

[Otto Von Blotto]

The white layer is actually tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide that haven't burst yet, similar to the head on a beer. Nothing to worry about mate! [biggrin]

 

Also what Beeblebrox said about the final gravity (FG) is good advice. Always make sure the readings are stable over 24, or preferably 48 hours, and close to what you are expecting from the recipe.

 

With regard to infections, it is pretty hard to tell by looking at it depending on what it is. Mould infections are easy to spot, obviously there's mould growing on the beer that you can see, and it doesn't always affect the flavour. But other types are detected more by taste and smell. I brewed a lager recently that got a mould infection about 3 hours after pitching the yeast (infected starter), which I removed quick smart. At the time the brew did taste and smell a bit off, but after a few days that had gone, I ended up bottling it after 5 weeks and it's turned out a really nice beer - so they can be salvaged as well! [cool]

[BernieA]

Hi Otto Von Blotto and Beeblebrox.

 

Thx for the advice. It certainly puts my mind at ease and I will leave the first batch for as long as necessary to sort itself out.

 

That was really interesting about the white layer on top of the beer bring carbon dioxide.

 

I'll certainly take on the importance of a stable FG prior to bottling.

 

Thx again!

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

No worries Bernie[biggrin]

 

Yeah, I've noticed the white layer on some of my brews too. Upon closer inspection of it, it turned out to be very tiny bubbles on the surface that had bunched together in little spots, which is exactly what that looks like from your photo. Logic suggests it is CO2 since there's no other gases in there. Sometimes the brew will keep releasing CO2 even though fermentation might be finished. But being new to the brewing game I can understand your questions about it and don't hesitate to ask more about anything else you're unsure of, we're all here to help. [cool]