Infection or not

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Went to check on my 3 creams of the crop yesterday to possibly rack to a secondary. I saw there some krausen on top, so I thought. I picked up the carboy and holy crap....There was about a good inch and a half of krausen that fell to the bottom. It looked like big chunks of blue cheese. I just checked on this morning and there more stuff on the surface. I shook a little and there even more of that stuff falling to the bottom. Is this an infection? It's been in the carboy for 2 weeks>

 

[chiteface]

Pics or it didn't happen...go pack go.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

here ya go

 

[derbycitybrewer]

No infection. Looks like clumps of trub and protein. Did u use a fining agent? What the gravity?

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

wow......gravity reading was 7 on refractometer........which puts it @ 1.028...still a ways to go..........ABV is around 1.58% not even enough for a fly to get a buzz. Fermentation temp was 65-66F, just bumped it up to 68F. Guess she sits there for another week

 

[flemming]

wow......gravity reading was 7 on refractometer........which puts it @ 1.028...still a ways to go..........ABV is around 1.58% not even enough for a fly to get a buzz. Fermentation temp was 65-66F, just bumped it up to 68F. Guess she sits there for another week

You can't use a refractometer on fermenting wort without applying a correction factor for the presence of alcohol. There are a lot of spreadsheets and calculators out there to help with this. For example:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/

A hydrometer is the only way to get an accurate measurement once fermentation has begun.

Robert

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

ok thanks, took a reading with hydrometer and it was 1.018 and tasted very bitter. Dry hop? My OG was 1.056 so I think that brings the ABV to 4.99%

 

[derbycitybrewer]

ok thanks, took a reading with hydrometer and it was 1.018 and tasted very bitter. Dry hop? My OG was 1.056 so I think that brings the ABV to 4.99%

I would bump the temp up to 68-70*. What yeast did u use? What temp did you mash your grains at? Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to figure out what your fg should be at.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

I did bump it up to 68 and I have ranked to secondary. I mashed @148/150 and used Nottingham

 

[Tupperwolf]

Nottingham yeast looks weird like that.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Nottingham yeast looks weird like that.

Damn you guys are smart. Rechecked and I used US-05

 

[derbycitybrewer]

I did bump it up to 68 and I have ranked to secondary. I mashed @148/150 and used Nottingham

Ok that's a lower mash temp so you should attenuate at least down to 1013 I would think. If not even 1010. I would give it at least 2 weeks in secondary and see if it drops.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

bottled today. FG was still 1.018/1.019....tasted great