Foolish contamination - should I toss the batch?

[KookyBrewsky]

I'm on my fourth batch now. Seems like every batch so far after my first (beginner's luck) has run me into some sort of absurd issue.

This time around, I received LME in a can that you have to use a can opener on. The others have been plastic bottles with plastic labels that I soaked in warm water as instructed to make the LME less viscous. Fast forward to today, my LME is in a can, and has a paper label. I soaked it like usual without thinking of the paper. I opened it, went to pour it in my heated wort and PLOP! A piece of the label dropped into the wort. I got the large two chunks out quickly but it seems as though the label has dissolved into a billion tiny particles.

Would you save the rest of the ingredients and toss this batch and start fresh next week, or continue on? I can't imagine a label with perhaps some ink on it being good for anything related to beer. I chatted in with where I bought it and they said the particles should drop out during fermentation and likely not have a bearing on flavor. What do you think?

I feel like an absolute idiot but, every batch so far I've at least learned something. This time, I've learned how to think again.

NOTES: the piece of label was relatively small, less than an inch in every direction. Second, this batch contained steep-to-convert grains which were a real pain, having to stand there for 45 minutes with a thermometer and minutely adjusting the stove temperature every minute. I'd love to not have to do it again however if it'll taste funk with paper particles, I'd rather just toss it.

Lastly, I strained the whole thing through cheese cloth and a strainer, not really sure it helped much but it might have.

 

[TallDan]

If the wort was boiling, or brought to a boil after this happened, there's nothing to be concerned about here at all. Even if it wasn't boiled, it's still only a minor concern. Brew on!

 

[KookyBrewsky]

If the wort was boiling, or brought to a boil after this happened, there's nothing to be concerned about here at all. Even if it wasn't boiled, it's still only a minor concern. Brew on!

This is great to hear because that steep-to-convert was really tedious and I saved this batch for last (my last kit) due to it, and it's also likely going to be my favorite beer (Guava Haze IPA).

The wort was boiled, then taken off the boil, when I started to add the LME and the mishap happened. I just now finished up and returned it to heat to bring it to boil for the typical hour long wort boil. So yes, it has a whole hour of boiling left.

Thanks for the comments, 2/2 so far say it shouldn't have much bearing on anything. I almost shat myself when I realized the piece fell in, I didn't see it directly, but there was a suspicious plop and then I saw it floating in there like a menace.

A last question I have... The label chunk that fell in did not dissolve however I had a suspicion there was another bit near the bottom that had dissolved... Maybe all the particles I am seeing are related to creating a mash for the first time with steep-to-convert? The problem is I didn't see these floating particles until I added the LME. So it's hard to say if it's related to the grains and mash combined with the LME I'm seeing for the first time, or if the visible particles/weird chunks are indeed related to the paper label.

hard to capture a proper pic due to lighting and steam. I’ve never seen my worst with those bizarre floating chunks and particles and I noticed them as soon as I poured the LME and the label piece fell in.

EDIT : Upon further research it seems to be called "egg drop soup" or HOT BREAK! It's not paper! What an awful coincidence!!!

 

[OnePlate]

Yeah that's break material. You're golden. Hope it turns out delicious!

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Yeah that's break material. You're golden. Hope it turns out delicious!

absolutely amazing. I started to become suspicious when I tried bringing it back to a boil. There were tons and tons of huge “pieces” that looked papery, I had no clue how a small bit of label that fell to the bottom could’ve created that unless it reacted with the LME/mash... turns out it’s just LME!

 

[Immocles]

Good to hear!

This is great to hear because that steep-to-convert was really tedious and I saved this batch for last (my last kit) due to it, and it's also likely going to be my favorite beer (Guava Haze IPA).

Brewer's best kit? My LHBS has that one on sale for the month. I still like firing off a quick extract kit on occasion to fill inventory and was debating snagging that one when I make it there in the next couple weeks.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Good to hear!



Brewer's best kit? My LHBS has that one on sale for the month. I still like firing off a quick extract kit on occasion to fill inventory and was debating snagging that one when I make it there in the next couple weeks.

yes it is. I got gear from them and a bit from Northern Brewer. So far I’ve done 4 extract kits to get down basics and learn from mistakes I make, all of which has successfully happened. I can have four 5 gallon batches going at once. This is my last before I move on to trying my own extract recipe, a sort of citrusy English Pale Ale...

I’ve never had a guava directly because I can never find any, but yogurt with guava chunks was my absolute favorite as a kid, also guava concentrates. When I saw it, it was the first I ordered even though it had a difficulty of “advanced”. So I saved it as my last extract batch. Guava IPA? I can’t think of anything more suited for me even though right now I prefer an Old Rasputin Russian Stout... I’m not really well versed in beers yet.

after I try a few of my own extract recipes I’m not sure where I’ll take this. Perhaps BIAB for a bit as well as 10 gallon batch equipment before I invest in all-grain gear.

 

[Immocles]

That sounds like the path I took as well. I think I did 3 kits, then a handful of 1G extract batches as experiments before landing on BIAB. I really did think I would stay on extract and/or kits for a lot longer, but I impulse bought a bag and a couple pounds of grain and figured I would give it a shot. I liked it, so Im sticking with it. There's still a place in my heart for extract kits though.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

This wort stayed hot for some odd reason... around 80F. An ice bath didn’t chill it and neither did my immersion chiller. Very weird and I’m not sure why. Seeing as I rehydrated the yeast around 90F, I pitched them at about 77F when I got the wort as cool as I could manage in a timely manner.

I dumped ice all around it right after with the typical ice cold wet towel and it managed to get to about 70F. The bubbling has quieted immensely after just one day, now it’s an airlock bubble every 5 seconds or so. About 6 hours after pitching the yeast it was bubbling pretty well. I’m hoping this batch doesn’t turn out poorly due to the weird temps. I haven’t had a wort I couldn’t cool yet, and due to boil off this one was only around 2 gallons too. The smell from the airlock is more sour than any of the others but it’s the only IPA I’ve tried so far. It had a whirlpool hops which was 4oz of hops added after an hour long boil at 180F and kept there for 25 minutes before chilling.

Sorry for rambling. Tequila hit me hard

 

[Saunassa]

You say this one was only around two gallons. Was that the amount after boil and if so what was the final volume in your fermenter at beginning of fermentation?

 

[KookyBrewsky]

You say this one was only around two gallons. Was that the amount after boil and if so what was the final volume in your fermenter at beginning of fermentation?

sorry I should’ve been more clear. That was the wort volume after the hour boil and extra 25 minutes at 180F for the last hops addition. I topped it off to roughly 5.125 gallons in the fermenter. It’s still bubbling two days later but quite slowly and not like it was even 12 hours after the initial pitch.

 

[Saunassa]

sorry I should’ve been more clear. That was the wort volume after the hour boil and extra 25 minutes at 180F for the last hops addition. I topped it off to roughly 5.125 gallons in the fermenter. It’s still bubbling two days later but quite slowly and not like it was even 12 hours after the initial pitch.

Most excellent!;; I have read posts where people did not top off and wondered why a 5 gallon kit only gave them three or four gallons and it is so strong.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Most excellent!;; I have read posts where people did not top off and wondered why a 5 gallon kit only gave them three or four gallons and it is so strong.

That would be some potent beer! I did a bunch of research before I started. This was my fourth and final extract for a while, and the hardest with a few odd steps (Guava Haze IPA). My first bottling will be on March 11th. Nothing major went wrong with any of my batches, but lots of unexpected minor things I have learned from.

How will the 20 gallons of fermenting beer turn out? Who knows! I don’t think any of them have skunked and the OG for the Guava Haze was dead on, as was my first. The middle two were a bit father away, 0.005 - 0.010 off if I recall correctly.

 

[Saunassa]

Unless something went terribly wrong this should be a tasty beer. Doing partial mash really ups the flavor if all you have been doing is full extract or extract with a few ounces of specialty. I love brewing because it is as much of an art as it is a science and being a Maker is satisfying.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Unless something went terribly wrong this should be a tasty beer. Doing partial mash really ups the flavor if all you have been doing is full extract or extract with a few ounces of specialty. I love brewing because it is as much of an art as it is a science and being a Maker is satisfying.

I agree. I love food but I’m not much of a chef. However this, this is awesome. I love processes, recipes, and repeatable experimentation I guess, such as hot sauces and salsas (two of my favorite things).

As a noob, the only issue is waiting 6 weeks+ to see if anything went terribly wrong with any of the batches, or if they’ll even be drinkable. At least I can buy other people’s beers in the meantime

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Bit of an update : I tested out my second beer, Chipotle Porter, which was by far the most disastrous. I’m talking possible if not likely contamination at the time, nearly exploding a glass carboy, oozing/spraying Kräusen all over the room, spending 2 hours cleaning it up so the room doesn’t smell like a brewery.

For all the Kräusen I lost, I think it came out fine! I can actually taste what I put in it, the smoky chipotle lingers for a while. It has a bit of an alcohol smell coupled with dark chocolate from the cocoa nibs. I’m thinking this is the only batch I’m going to move to secondary because it was so problematic. But wow what a joy and weight lifted off my shoulders. Room temperature and uncarbonated, still relatively enjoyable! The ABV might be slightly higher than intended because my FG was lower by .003-.004. I’m hoping secondary fermentation will maybe clean it up a bit.

For an alcohol heavy smell when swirled, should I leave it in primary for an extended time until I bottle, or transfer to secondary? ABV was supposed to be slightly less than 7.1, mine’s probably around 7.2.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Second, this batch contained steep-to-convert grains which were a real pain, having to stand there for 45 minutes with a thermometer and minutely adjusting the stove temperature every minute.

If the recipe just calls for steeping grains, then the temp does not matter much. Anywhere between "warm" and below 170F is fine. I don't do many batches with steeping grains these days, but I have typically added my grains to the cool water and left them in while the water warmed. 45 minutes? I doubt you are getting much extra past about 20 minutes.

With all-grain brewing or a "partial mash" the temp of the grains during the mash is important. Note that a partial mash is typically used when you have adjuncts (like oats, corn, etc.) and you need to mash them with a base grain to convert starches to sugars.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Regarding cooling: the wort will self-insulate if it isn't moving (i.e. being stirred). So an ice bath or IC aren't much good if just sitting there (and ice baths are really inefficient anyway for large volumes).
So while the IC is in the wort, gently swirl the IC about every 30 seconds to a minute to keep it moving and it will cool pretty quickly.

 

[KookyBrewsky]

Regarding cooling: the wort will self-insulate if it isn't moving (i.e. being stirred). So an ice bath or IC aren't much good if just sitting there (and ice baths are really inefficient anyway for large volumes).
So while the IC is in the wort, gently swirl the IC about every 30 seconds to a minute to keep it moving and it will cool pretty quickly.

Thanks, I just finished my fifth batch and that is what I did today. I had read it moments after I started cooling my wort.

Today went very well. The only mistake this time was plopping the magnetic stir bar from my first stir plate starter into my 5 gallon fermenter! It was sanitized and brand new so I did not want to bother fishing it out of the bottom haphazardly. I read it should not really harm it in any way (hopefully).

The first two batches have now been bottled for one week. I must continue being patient... I had 49 bottles of chocolate stout, I was going to try the extra bottles above 48 each week to see how the beer changes, but... I figured it's just a waste of beer. I don't really need to see how it'll change, it'll probably just not taste great. Nothing to see!

Luckily I have a few bottles of Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, which I've fallen in love with, as well as Founder's Breakfast Stout, to enjoy while I self-quarantine. I had learned the actor's from my favorite show Breaking Bad went to a town that created some of my favorite food (Oaxaca, Mexico) to craft a mezcal, so I've been enjoying that as well

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Today went very well. The only mistake this time was plopping the magnetic stir bar from my first stir plate starter into my 5 gallon fermenter! It was sanitized and brand new so I did not want to bother fishing it out of the bottom haphazardly. I read it should not really harm it in any way (hopefully).

Good call.
General rule of thumb: once something falls in your fermenter, leave it there. If it's going to contaminate, it already has, and if not, you only add to the risk of contamination trying to fish it out. Trust me, we've all bee there if we've been doing this for any length of time.

 

[dwhite60]

Don't dump anything until it has had three weeks in the bottle unless in has mold on it, or it has a pulse.

All the Best,
D. White