Sour taste (infection?) with photos

Hey guys, my first AG brew has a very sour taste, and after one of my extract beers also got an infection about two months ago, I just want some opinions.
It's a wheat bear, and I've heard they can taste a bit sour, but this one is pretty sour.
Does it look normal?




It's been fermenting since last Wednesday, and stopped bubbling after about 2 days.

If it makes a difference, here's the recipe I used:
Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.50 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (4.2 EBC) Grain 1 52.1 %
2.30 kg Pale Malt (Weyermann) (5.0 EBC) Grain 2 47.9 %
30.00 g Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 3 11.4 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safbrew Wheat (DCL/Fermentis #WB-06) [50.28 ml] Yeast 7 -
5.00 g Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 4 1.4 IBUs
5.00 g Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 0.9 IBUs
0.50 g Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 6 -

If your having problems with infections, I would seriously start to consider replacing the plastic buckets if I were you.
Photo does look funny though. The little white spots are not normal.

gwapogorilla said:

If your having problems with infections, I would seriously start to consider replacing the plastic buckets if I were you.
Photo does look funny though. The little white spots are not normal.

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It's in the same fermenter that the other infection was in. I do sanitize everything thoroughly before using it though. It might be the bucket then.

Though others are going to disagree, I would pitch any bucket that has had an infection. Buckets are cheap--in comparison to wasted batches. Either pitch it or mark it for future use with intentionally soured beers. While you're replacing your bucket, consider going to carboys--glass or Better Bottle.

I'd ride it out and see what happens. It's really too early to diagnose an infection but how does it smell? Keep it closed with an airlock, dark and around 65F. The white spots sort of look like glare to me.

Looks infected to me. You perhaps have sanitation issues. Are you fermenting in a bucket with a spigot. If so, that is probably your infection source. Get some PBW and soak everything for an hour in it. 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons hot water.

The white stuff is not yeast, that looks like mold... so I'd say you have an infection especially if its sour... like sucking on a lemon. Replace all the plastic you use to siphon or ferment after the boil, and make sure you use good cleaning (PBW) and then rinse thoroughly, then sanitize (star san ).

Your first mistake is reusing plastic that made an "infected" beer to ferment a "clean" beer. You need a new fermenter for "clean" beer from here on out and any other plastic that has touched your "infected" beers. You also need to be more anal about your sanitation if you have made an infected beer unintentionally already, there's a problem somewhere. I have been using plastic for years to ferment and never had an accidentally "infection", I actually got more buckets today to keep the Brett pipeline flowing.

I think the bucket doesn't close properly, so that might explain it. Tossed the beer btw, will replace it (in a different bucket) today!

SuperCrossBun said:

I think the bucket doesn't close properly, so that might explain it. Tossed the beer btw, will replace it (in a different bucket) today!

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If there were no obvious signs of mold, you shoul have kept some of it and let it ferment out and see what it's like.

You sir have a pellicle forming and will have a sour beer from lactobacillus bacteria. Looks tasty to me ;-)

Do you use star San? Its a great product.

cluckk said:

Though others are going to disagree, I would pitch any bucket that has had an infection. Buckets are cheap--in comparison to wasted batches. Either pitch it or mark it for future use with intentionally soured beers. While you're replacing your bucket, consider going to carboys--glass or Better Bottle.

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Agree with this 100%. I have brewed with both buckets amd bottles. Have had good success with both. I have only had one infection in a brew in 2 years of brewing. It was in a bucket. I stopped using that bucket toot-sweet. It's now the bucket I use to wash my truck with.

Gary

Crito said:

Do you use star San? Its a great product.

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Use something called Iodophor. Can't get star san here as far as I know, but I don't think the problem was that I had the wrong sanitizer.