Bacterial help

[Amff]

Ok this is my 7th batch and I think I had 2 firsts. The first first is what I think is a bacterial infection. The second first was that I kegged the beer

While I was kegging last night I sneaked a taste and it tasted sour which from what I could gather is a lacto infection. The causes I see are from poor sanitation which I don't believe I have. I wash all equipment twice, with Oxy clean, once after use, and another before I brew again. I bathe everything in star san, even myself. I did however use a plastic kitchen spoon that did go through the same cleaning process to fish out my hop additions. I also used my bottling bucket as a primary. I took off the spigot and again used the same cleaning process. These are the only 2 things that I think could have harbored the bacteria I also read that a long lag time may contribute to this infection. My fermentation did not start until the 60th hour.

My keg question is that I set my fridge at 38 degrees and the co2 at 10. Woke up this morning and the pressure was down to 5 and I am missing 200-300 pounds in my tank. Is this normal? I know the cooling helps with the absorption but this seemed excessive.

Any thoughts on either issue will be welcomed. I'm racking my brain trying to figure it out. Also, should I toss my tubes and bottling bucket if I do have an infection?

 

[RM-MN]

If you sample beer that isn't quite ready to drink you may get a bit of sourness from the acetaldehyde that the yeast produce as they go about the process of changing the sugars to alcohol. Given more time, the yeast consume the acetaldehyde too and the beer matures.

You probably have a small leak somewhere in your kegging equipment. Put some Starsan in a spray bottle and spray every joint, coupling, and gasket. Starsan gets real foamy and that should show any leakage.

 

[Amff]

Thanks RM-MN. I hope your right about the acetaidehyde. Assuming you are because the glass needs to be half full would the yeast be able to condition the beer in the keg at 38 degrease or should I raise the temp at ale fermentation ranges?

 

[RM-MN]

I'd raise the temperature. At 38 degrees the yeast would be dormant. How long from when you pitched the yeast until you sampled? What was the temperature during that time?

 

[Amff]

It was 2 weeks before I sampled. Once fermentation started temp was at 68. Unfortunately I shocked them with a low 60s temp at first. I had my temp set at 68 but inside the fermentor it was at 78 6 hours after boil so I panicked and cranked down the temp an left it that way over night. I woke up to the lower temp. I adjusted and 48 hours later the bubbling started. Should I give the keg a shake or will just raising the temp do? Will it hurt if the c02 is still hooked up? I left on vacation and I have someone house sitting so I can ask them to turn up the temp but I don't feel comfortable asking to mess with the gas.