Beer looks infected
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TopherM
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As far as im aware i followed the exact same steps as the last 2times, i did use like dishwasher cleaner this time and then rinsed thoughrly and then sanitized, this is my 3rd brew, also last time i kinda taped the lid onto the tank to make sure nothung could get in or out, didnt do that this time though
homebrewdad
Well-Known Member
Yep, infected.
Taping the lid sholdn't matter at all. Cleaning/sanitizing is almost certainly your issue.
Check your hoses, racking cane, auto siphon, etc.
Taping the lid sholdn't matter at all. Cleaning/sanitizing is almost certainly your issue.
Check your hoses, racking cane, auto siphon, etc.
TopherM
Well-Known Member
Yep, that looks like classic lactobacillus infection.
Lacto isn't harmful or anything, you can certainly drink it. It's base of lots of sour beers, especially Gose and Berlinner Weiss styles.
Taste the beer underneth it. If it tastes fine, rack underneath the pellicle and finish the beer, keg/bottle, and get the carbed beer to fridge temps as soon as possible. The lower temps will slow down the bacterial growth significantly.
If it is already souring, the only thing you can do is either let it go for 4-6 more months and actually let it mature into a stable sour beer, blend it with another beer to add tartness, or dump it.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is figure out WHY you got an infection. It was likely poor sanitation at some point in the process. Did you happen to add fruit to this batch? The most common cause of Lacto infections is not properly sterilizing the lacto that naturally occurs in most fruit skin/rinds.
Lacto isn't harmful or anything, you can certainly drink it. It's base of lots of sour beers, especially Gose and Berlinner Weiss styles.
Taste the beer underneth it. If it tastes fine, rack underneath the pellicle and finish the beer, keg/bottle, and get the carbed beer to fridge temps as soon as possible. The lower temps will slow down the bacterial growth significantly.
If it is already souring, the only thing you can do is either let it go for 4-6 more months and actually let it mature into a stable sour beer, blend it with another beer to add tartness, or dump it.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is figure out WHY you got an infection. It was likely poor sanitation at some point in the process. Did you happen to add fruit to this batch? The most common cause of Lacto infections is not properly sterilizing the lacto that naturally occurs in most fruit skin/rinds.
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
Hello, just a FYI you will want to keep all your infected plastics away from your brewing, do not reuse any of it on another beer or it will become infected too, I know some people say that you can inter mix your equipment, but depending on the strain you will infect any beer that comes in contact with that equipment, I am speaking from personal experience.
Cheers and good luck
Cheers and good luck
TyTanium
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Have you tasted it?
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
I have a sour that I bottled and mix it 50/50 with Tonic water on the rocks, its great that way, I have a hard time dumping beer, so this is what my wife came up with and I have to say its really good on a hot day.
Cheers
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
Oh just another FYI, mine never shows any sign of infection what so ever, clear, clean looking beer, just sour smell and super sour taste.
Cheers
Cheers
I had a similar looking infection (in the beer 
) once. After reading several posts, I took the overwhelming advice and bottled anyway, from the middle.
The beer was great!
As long as you don't see anything swimming, aside from the yeast
) once. After reading several posts, I took the overwhelming advice and bottled anyway, from the middle.The beer was great!
As long as you don't see anything swimming, aside from the yeast
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
Hello, I have tried every way to reuse my plastic equipment, I now have 15gal of bottled infected beer on hand.
The glass and metal can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxided 50/50 mix with water and soaked for 3 days, I have some hoses that we are trying this with just to see if they can be salvaged.
I might try this on a bucket too, but was told don't bother by a professional brew master that specializes in sours.
Also bleach will not kill a lactobacillus infection, even a extreme bleach bomb soaked for 24hrs has no affect on it, in your plastics.
Sorry but thats the truth.
Cheers
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
Your Welcome, some strains are very resilient, some are not, but how do you know what strain you have ? unless you purposely introduced it yourself, this is not the case for the OP.
Cheers
WileECoyote
Well-Known Member
Yes taste it! before doing anything.
If coopers beer kits are super hard plastic, you might be able to soak it in hydrogen peroxide and reuse., not sure yet that is why Im testing on different tubing.
Cheers
If coopers beer kits are super hard plastic, you might be able to soak it in hydrogen peroxide and reuse., not sure yet that is why Im testing on different tubing.
Cheers
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