When wheat went wrong

[5hakesbeer]

Hi all,
I brewed a hefe around four and a half months ago and haven't had the time (or effort) to keg/bottle until now (starting to run low on beer!).
The first thing I noticed was the vodka in the airlock no longer reached the level required to completely keep a seal so air/spores etc. could easily have made their way in. The airlock also had some black marks on the inside.
The beer itself looked a bit suspect. some interesting glossy bubbles on the surface and what looks to be some very fine white stuff around them. under the surface there are definitely lumps floating around.
As I have no experience in using anything other than yeast I'd like to pick your brains on what this may be and whether it is still salvageable! Am I just being paranoid and a simple cold crash would sort it out?
As much as I hate to dump a batch I'd hate even more to spend a couple of hours bottling only to end up dumping it anyway!
If whatever is causing this could add to the character of the beer then I'm happy to give an accidental soured wheat beer a chance, but if it's beyond saving then...
I usually bottle my hefe's but if an infection could lead to bottle bombs then I could keg this one instead? (I suppose that would also make it a little easier to dump the batch rather than 40 bottles)
Thanks in advance for any input!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0j6t1f9qudqpt1n/IMG_1673.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h0as6qo5zkisafd/IMG_1674.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vwpvdpgbkalyyu5/IMG_1675.JPG?dl=0

 

[Smellyglove]

It's def infected. Is that a partially dissolved fly in the first pic? Looks like i can se something which looks like a wing.

You need to taste it before deciding what to do.

 

[5hakesbeer]

good spot! That is indeed a fly. I'm clearly walking around with my eyes shut at the moment!
Just tasted it and the spicy notes from the yeast hides any sourness pretty well, it does have a slightly "tangy" flavour to it though. it's certainly not undrinkable at the moment, but is it only going to get worse?
I have some campden tablets to hand... what are your thoughts on a cold crash, campden, and keg - force carbonate??

 

[S-Met]

I've never seen anything like that grow in vodka. Are you sure it was at least 35%/70proof liquor?

Taste may improve. Time may help or hurt as it is a wild infection and you have know way to determine its cause.

I'd consider kegging, drinking quickly then deep cleaning everything even semi-brew related.

I may also consider bottling ans storing 2 in the fridge, drinking 1 bottle in 6-9 months. If its really good, use the second bottle to induce a repeat batch. If it's really bad, toss both bottles.

 

[5hakesbeer]

Now that's a great idea! I'll cold crash for a week just to try to get a load of the bits to drop out then I'll fill two, maybe three bottles and keg the rest!
Yeah, the vodka is 40% russian standard that I've been steadily using in airlocks for the last few years. Strange!
Would you recommend using campden for the keg? I could always use the dregs of a different hefe batch to dump into the keg once the campden has killed everything, just so there is some yeast present to keep everything ticking over?
I'll definitely deep clean everything!

 

[RPh_Guy]

I would just keg, force carb, and clean well.

Keeping it cold is good enough; you don't need campden imo.

Wheat beer is often tangy. Not sure the wild microbes did that.

I may also consider bottling ans storing 2 in the fridge, drinking 1 bottle in 6-9 months.

What's the logic for doing this? I'd think refrigeration would suppress any flavor development by whatever's in there.

 

[5hakesbeer]

I should have mentioned that I don't have a keezer/kegerator; my bar (avatar pic) stores all 9 of my kegs but it's at whatever the temperature is in my utility room. I have a cooler that chills all four lines that sits behind the shelves at the bottom, so the keg remains at around 18*C, but when serving it pours at 3-4*C.
I do have an american style fridge-freezer to store kegs in but they move to the bar to be served so will ultimately spend a fair amount of time at room temperature.
Should have also mentioned that it's my fifth batch of that particular recipe (swmbo's favourite) so the slight tanginess is an unexpected extra!
If I cold crash and keg without campden do you think it would be ok at utility room temperature after perhaps two months? - we're approaching winter so it will likely sit at around 15*C now.
The sample I tasted was at room temperature so at serving temperature the tanginess may be a little bit more suppressed anyway?

 

[RPh_Guy]

If I cold crash and keg without campden do you think it would be ok at utility room temperature after perhaps two months? - we're approaching winter so it will likely sit at around 15*C now.

I don't know that much about kegging. Can you keep an eye on it and vent pressure if needed?

Sulfite dose depends on pH. Can you check the pH of the beer?

 

[IslandLizard]

First thing that comes to mind, what sanitizer do/did you use?

After reading again, this was over four months in a bucket? I'm quite surprised you don't have at least a very sour or even awful tasting beer at hand right now.

 

[5hakesbeer]

Unfortunately I have no way of testing PH at the moment. I think the keg pressure should be fine, especially if we are making an effort to empty the keg quickly!

As for sanitation, I use StarSan on everything.
I've had beer in a bucket for over four months before and can't recall any problems because of that. I have two glass carboys but they don't fit in my main fermentation fridge so I generally only use them for the wonder that is EdWort's Apfelwein!
Have you had problems with plastic leeching or contamination before?
Apart from this batch, I've been turning all my beers around in under 6 weeks over the past year. That's because I prefer to bottle the hefe so the yeast content is always consistent in every pour and because I'm always too lazy to dedicate a few hours to bottling. do you think I need to be keeping each plastic batch to 6 weeks max?

 

[IslandLizard]

A small 1/4" snip of a simple and cheap multi-range roll (or strips) of litmus paper is enough to tell your pH is "within range." It should read 3 or lower. Without measuring or testing, if you don't dump or transfer alkaline stuff (cleansers) into that bucket of Starsan or contaminate it otherwise (adding a quart of wort or so) it will stay active for many months.

No problems with leeching from the plastics (all BPA free #2 LDPE). Plastic is not quite oxygen tight, and bucket lids rarely seal well enough either. With extended time, oxidation may occur. 4 months may be borderline.

I usually transfer to kegs when fermentation is done, 2-3 weeks usually, occasionally a week (or 2) longer to let beer condition some more if needed. For longer aging (over 4-6 weeks) I transfer to kegs. If there's any residue (often there is) I jump the clear beer to another keg for serving.

The off flavors I was hinting at would mostly come from oxidation and/or infection.

Starsan is a really good product, but I have noticed black mold developing in the headspace of lidded Starsan buckets. Of course, the bucket and content is sanitized, but when it sits for a few weeks, condensation forms on the inside walls and underside of the lid. Molds can then grow on those damp areas. That could happen in your buckets too when they sit for months. Keep that in mind. Ever seen black spots on the bottom of those lids when pried off after 4 months?

 

[S-Met]

I may also consider bottling ans storing 2 in the fridge, drinking 1 bottle in 6-9 months. If its really good, use the second bottle to induce a repeat batch. If it's really bad, toss both bottles.

What's the logic for doing this? I'd think refrigeration would suppress any flavor development by whatever's in there.

Not knowing what is causing the infection, I'd be worried for bottle-bombs in non-temperature controlled environments. Refrigeration just slows fermentation, if you are fortunate enough to have cellar or cold room 55° would be ideal. But since most of us dont have the option, refrigeration is the next best thing. Tasting in 6-9 months under these conditions would let you know if its worth considering making a full brew.