White Film after Dry Hop - Infection? Look!

[therealbenis]

This is a Citra IPA that I brewed a month ago. I racked from the primary after 14 days and it has been fine in the secondary ever since. 2 days ago, I dry hopped in a new hop bag that I soaked in star San for 20-30 mins or so. I dropped the bag in and moved it back and forth through the beer to get it good and saturated. This morning I woke up and there was a white film on top of the beer. I pulled the hop bag up and the film kinda stuck to it and coated the bag. I sampled the beer and it smells fine. I tasted it, and it is more bitter than a few days ago (from the dry hopping I hope?)

Question : 1) is it infected? 2) if so, can I keg it immediately and drop the temp on it to "save" the beer?

Take a look and let me know what you think....

 

[unionrdr]

It does look a little too heavy for hop haze. Hop haze looks like oil on water,& is very thin. This looks like the start of something.

 

[jonmohno]

I agree also. The way you described it.The pic is hard to tell but sounds like it. Ive still bottled when it has happend. The few that did happen to me still turned out good.I just kept an eye on them bottled and once their carbed good enough keep them cool and or refrigerate them. Probably not a good idea to long term conditon them,at least without drinking one or two a week.I stored mine for many months without problems.Think I lost my co2 blanket in those batches and oxygen got in,because I seen a film on some of the bottles also at first but vanished-maybe because of lack of oxygen that whever was on the surface being in the bottle? No overcarb or bad taste except one batch I let go too long bottle conditioning.

I would keg it as long as it tastes fine though. Although it could change overtime the cold probably would make it very very slow to change. Make shure you clean/sanitize all your equipment as best you can.

 

[therealbenis]

I just kegged it. I poked a hole in the white film with a thief and put my siphon through the clear beer all the way to the bottom (above the sediment) and left all of the film beer in the carboy. I know an infection is going on at a microscopic level, but I figured the less of that ****, the better. I am currently dropping the temp as fast as possible (freezer is at 30F) and carbing it up. I will let y'all know what happens after a few days.

 

[whitehause]

I just kegged it. I poked a hole in the white film with a thief and put my siphon through the clear beer all the way to the bottom (above the sediment) and left all of the film beer in the carboy. I know an infection is going on at a microscopic level, but I figured the less of that ****, the better. I am currently dropping the temp as fast as possible (freezer is at 30F) and carbing it up. I will let y'all know what happens after a few days.

That's exactly the right move:rockin:

 

[Gab1788]

I've had this happen before. It looks like white swirls on top of the beer (I think I started a thread with photos asking what it was) and it kind of gets a little thicker on top the longer you leave it. But yeah, same thing as you said it kind of sticks together and just stays on top. I just had it the other day with some yeast I was reusing, was fine out of the fridge, but after a day at room temp ( I know, I know, shouldn't leave it out that long) had developed a thin white layer on top. ( I ditched it and used some crappy coopers yeast). I'm not sure where it comes from, but I think it may be coming from the grain powder when I crack the grain. Not sure if your doing AG but if you are, as I understand it, the grain is laden with lacto ( could be totally wrong on this but I thought I read it somewhere) and if you crack near your fermenters or what not the flour can travel through the air and infect your stuff.
If your extract though, I'd be real interested to find out what is causing it, as I've definitely had the same infection.
The beer still tastes fine, but yeah there is def something in it.
Also I keg too, so the beer goes straight on the fridge, so I'd say that would slow it down.
But anyway I'd still be interested in your or any others opinions as to what it is and what may cause it, because I still don't really know.

Gab.

 

[therealbenis]

I've had this happen before. It looks like white swirls on top of the beer (I think I started a thread with photos asking what it was) and it kind of gets a little thicker on top the longer you leave it. But yeah, same thing as you said it kind of sticks together and just stays on top. I just had it the other day with some yeast I was reusing, was fine out of the fridge, but after a day at room temp ( I know, I know, shouldn't leave it out that long) had developed a thin white layer on top. ( I ditched it and used some crappy coopers yeast). I'm not sure where it comes from, but I think it may be coming from the grain powder when I crack the grain. Not sure if your doing AG but if you are, as I understand it, the grain is laden with lacto ( could be totally wrong on this but I thought I read it somewhere) and if you crack near your fermenters or what not the flour can travel through the air and infect your stuff.
If your extract though, I'd be real interested to find out what is causing it, as I've definitely had the same infection.
The beer still tastes fine, but yeah there is def something in it.
Also I keg too, so the beer goes straight on the fridge, so I'd say that would slow it down.
But anyway I'd still be interested in your or any others opinions as to what it is and what may cause it, because I still don't really know.

Gab.

Yes it was AG - but I buy my grain bills for a LHBS and they crush it for me when I pick it up. Also, I doubt it was lactobacillus from the grain because it had been sitting in the secondary for 2 weeks with no issues. The "infection"? started 2 days after the dry hop. I am leaning toward the new hop bag as the culprit. I should have boiled the bag for 10min instead of the star San bath.

By the way, dealing with all of this is twice as hard from a carboy. I think I am done with them. Buckets from here on out.

 

[unionrdr]

I agree with ya there. I like my BB ale pail & Cooper's micro brew FV's. Nice wide openings for cleaning,perching a strainer on,adding dry hops,etc. And they won't shatter & shread your hands. Soaking the bag in starsan should've been fine. I do that most of the time. But you also have to be sure the starsan is still viable. PH of 3 or less is still good. Maybe it needed replacing?

 

[njporter]

whenever i get that white film in my batches, i always get an off-flavor

 

[therealbenis]

Update....

So I just poured the first beer and it is drinkable. Does it taste like infected **** water? No.
Is it good? Not really.

I know I'm not the first person to post about this, but let me warn anyone who thinks about brewing an all Citra IPA. It sucks.

 

[jonmohno]

give it some time.I had some issues with a clone I made-not infected though,and going on 4 weeks in a keg now its way better than it was. By the way did you sanitize the rim and neck of the carboy when you stuffed you hop bag to dryhop in it? Although your sanitized bag should kill whatever on its way down the carboy-just a thought and your hands( sanitized gloves?) Maybe oxygen got in.

 

[whitehause]

Update....

So I just poured the first beer and it is drinkable. Does it taste like infected **** water? No.
Is it good? Not really.

I know I'm not the first person to post about this, but let me warn anyone who thinks about brewing an all Citra IPA. It sucks.

All Citra IPA sucks???

I think something went horribly wrong then, cause everyone who has ever had my Zombie dust clone(all citra ipa) has loved it.

You might have picked up more off flavor than you think, or Citra just isn't your thing. I've heard the same thing with Amarillo...some love it, and others hate it. To each their own, but if you haven't tried a commercial all Citra IPA, I would try one to see if it's really just Citra you don't like.

 

[reed1911]

Ah crap...I just moved a Citra pale ale into the secondary. The sample tasted great, bit of pine, lots of melon, very low bitterness.

 

[reed1911]

Something must have gone wrong for you, my Citra pale came out with a strong tropical fruit and melon nose and taste, mama loved it before I bottled it and is already on my case to make more.

 

[beersk]

Not a fan of Citra myself...too fruity.

Perhaps this beer isn't a good one to judge your liking of Citra by, since it's a tad infected.