Is this an infection?

[Mattyg91]

Is this an infection? Looks a little odd. Thanks in advance.

 

[IslandLizard]

The red-brown patches look like yeast rafts, but the slimy bubbles in between look suspicious, yes.
Could be just CO2 outgassing, looking a bit weird due to a very close-up viewpoint.

What kind of brew is that? How long in the fermenter?
What's the yellow in the foreground?

 

[Mattyg91]

The red-brown patches look like yeast rafts, but the slimy bubbles in between look suspicious, yes.

What kind of brew is that? How long in the fermenter?
What's the yellow in the foreground?

This is a chinook IPA that’s been in the fermenter for 13 days. The yellow is just residue on the carboy from the Krausen layer.

 

[IslandLizard]

This is a chinook IPA that’s been in the fermenter for 13 days. The yellow is just residue on the carboy from the Krausen layer.

Ah, OK!
After 2 weeks it should be about done actively fermenting, maybe with another week added for conditioning.

Have you opened that fermenter since you pitched yeast?
Was your sanitation on point?
Did you add anything, such as dry hops?

 

[hotbeer]

So what if it is an infection?

Infection doesn't mean poisonous toxic stuff you should never drink. It just means something else got a hold in there that wasn't intended and will likely change the tastes from what was intended. Many not a good taste.

Just proceed as if everything is normal and see what it is when you pour a glass.

 

[mac_1103]

Just proceed as if everything is normal and see what it is when you pour a glass.

Yeah, maybe you'll just end up with an unintentional sour. But I would be at least a little bit concerned if you're bottling. An infection would take it below the intended FG, so making absolutely sure that it really is done before you package is probably a good idea. Although I guess that's probably always a good idea.

 

[hotbeer]

Yeah, maybe you'll just end up with an unintentional sour. But I would be at least a little bit concerned if you're bottling. An infection would take it below the intended FG, so making absolutely sure that it really is done before you package is probably a good idea. Although I guess that's probably always a good idea.

I had that happen. But the infection was after bottling. About half the bottles of a batch were evidently not sanitized well enough. Possibly they were all bottles from a previous batch that was intentionally soured with lactobacillus. But the beer in those bottles tasted crappy 2 - 3 weeks after bottling. I checked the SG and it was very low. Down from the FG of 1.012 when bottled to 1.002 or so.

The beer in the infected bottles was quite cloudy. The bottles were it was clear tasted fine. After almost 2 months the beer in the infected bottles cleared up and the beer wasn't as bad tasting. And it was ever so slightly a pleasant sour taste.

Moral of the story is don't throw out bad beer as it might become good beer.

 

[Christoff]

I've seen it on two batches now. One in glass and one in plastic wide mouth (if this matters). Both times the rafts dropped after about a week (just like the internet suggested they would). I have noticed this happened after the thick foam of particularly feisty fermentations (that had a thick layer of krausen sitting on top of it) subsided. Which may explain the bubbles if there is still soem foam subsiding on the top of your beer. I am not experienced enough to know for sure but everything I have looked up on the internet suggests they are yeast rafts and not infection. I watched the second batch that this happened to much closer and it was as if the foam broke up the krausen and when it disappeared it just set the broken up krausen on the surface. But, like I said, I cam not experienced to know forsure if this is what happened. I can tell you how they taste in a few days/weeks