So this may be a bit long but hopefully some of you can help me with this
TLDR:
Repeated infections (likely Brettanomyces) how do i troubleshoot in a public home brewery?
Background:
Im a relatively new brewer, made a few batches but im having a bit of a sanitation issue.
I have access to a small brew club facility in relation to my school which is honestly in a prety bad shape and ive had some issues with infections.
Ive been using bleach and boiling water for cleaning since Starsan has been unavailable to me, however i have gotten a hold of some which ill be getting in a couple of weeks.
Recently i got back into it after some time away but my two latest batches seem to both be infected.
The first one had a bit screwed up temperatures i believe but turned out ok, but was quite watery however the fermentation was successfull. It was supposed to be an IPA but turned out more like a brown ale for some weird reason (maybe hops had gone old?).
I decided to try dry hopping it, boiled a hop bag for about 15 minutes and threw in some hops while bleach sanitized gloves. 3 days later pellicle was formed all over the top. Beer still seems fine so i waited a bit and decided to bottle since the FG was super low and didnt see too much of a chance for bomb issues.
The second one was a wheat beer which i fermented in a primary for around 2 weeks. Took a gravity reading by bleaching and then boiling for 15+ minutes a plastic measuring cup, took some of the beer out for measuring and tasting. It was slightly under fermented so decided to wait a bit but the beer tasted amazing so i was looking forward to it.
Fast forward about a week later and i open it up, filled with pellicle...
At this point im getting insanely frustrated since 2 of my 4 recent batches are most likely undrinkable so i need some expert guidance.
I usually use a high amount of bleach and recently started acidifying bleach by adding 30ml bleach 30ml vinegar as i read thats a great killer. I tend to boil anything i can after for rinsing and extra sanitation.
My biggest issue i belive is the facilities and equipment. Some of the plastic fermenters are a bit old and the facilities are located in a small basement room. There is ventelation but there have been bug problems and such in the past. There is prety much no room sanitation protocols at the moment.
I suspect that Brettanomyces are my cause since the beers dont seem to be turning sour but are definitely being over-attenuated and lose their flavor, turning into a bit spirited as well. I bottled some beers last week and im going to try opening one tonight to see if i have a gusher or sour beers.
As i stated ive had issues with infections in the past with this facility and its at a rate which it really shouldnt be like so i have some ideas but im not sure if they will work.
Not brewing is not really an option, i love craft beers and really want to get good at making them, but as a student my budged is quite limited at the moment to use the equipment i have and purchasing some small cheaper stuff (autosiphon, sanitizer, tubes and such)
Ideas:
Depending on whats going on i have considered scaling down and moving it to my kitchen and purchasing my own plastic fermenters. This is not preferable for me since the facilities have decent equipment such as pumps, fermented, carboys, decent brew kettles with temperature measures, wort coolers and such.
Another idea is to talk to the ones incharge at the moment and see if we can sanitize the entire place somehow, but if we do ill most likely need to do it and im not sure how to get ridd of enviromental infections, for example do i sanitize the room or do i need an airfilter?
It is worth noting that there is an allocated budget for that facility but im not sure how much it is, so i could get some things to get rid of potential issues.
What are some things i should consider?
TLDR:
Repeated infections (likely Brettanomyces) how do i troubleshoot in a public home brewery?
Background:
Im a relatively new brewer, made a few batches but im having a bit of a sanitation issue.
I have access to a small brew club facility in relation to my school which is honestly in a prety bad shape and ive had some issues with infections.
Ive been using bleach and boiling water for cleaning since Starsan has been unavailable to me, however i have gotten a hold of some which ill be getting in a couple of weeks.
Recently i got back into it after some time away but my two latest batches seem to both be infected.
The first one had a bit screwed up temperatures i believe but turned out ok, but was quite watery however the fermentation was successfull. It was supposed to be an IPA but turned out more like a brown ale for some weird reason (maybe hops had gone old?).
I decided to try dry hopping it, boiled a hop bag for about 15 minutes and threw in some hops while bleach sanitized gloves. 3 days later pellicle was formed all over the top. Beer still seems fine so i waited a bit and decided to bottle since the FG was super low and didnt see too much of a chance for bomb issues.
The second one was a wheat beer which i fermented in a primary for around 2 weeks. Took a gravity reading by bleaching and then boiling for 15+ minutes a plastic measuring cup, took some of the beer out for measuring and tasting. It was slightly under fermented so decided to wait a bit but the beer tasted amazing so i was looking forward to it.
Fast forward about a week later and i open it up, filled with pellicle...
At this point im getting insanely frustrated since 2 of my 4 recent batches are most likely undrinkable so i need some expert guidance.
I usually use a high amount of bleach and recently started acidifying bleach by adding 30ml bleach 30ml vinegar as i read thats a great killer. I tend to boil anything i can after for rinsing and extra sanitation.
My biggest issue i belive is the facilities and equipment. Some of the plastic fermenters are a bit old and the facilities are located in a small basement room. There is ventelation but there have been bug problems and such in the past. There is prety much no room sanitation protocols at the moment.
I suspect that Brettanomyces are my cause since the beers dont seem to be turning sour but are definitely being over-attenuated and lose their flavor, turning into a bit spirited as well. I bottled some beers last week and im going to try opening one tonight to see if i have a gusher or sour beers.
As i stated ive had issues with infections in the past with this facility and its at a rate which it really shouldnt be like so i have some ideas but im not sure if they will work.
Not brewing is not really an option, i love craft beers and really want to get good at making them, but as a student my budged is quite limited at the moment to use the equipment i have and purchasing some small cheaper stuff (autosiphon, sanitizer, tubes and such)
Ideas:
Depending on whats going on i have considered scaling down and moving it to my kitchen and purchasing my own plastic fermenters. This is not preferable for me since the facilities have decent equipment such as pumps, fermented, carboys, decent brew kettles with temperature measures, wort coolers and such.
Another idea is to talk to the ones incharge at the moment and see if we can sanitize the entire place somehow, but if we do ill most likely need to do it and im not sure how to get ridd of enviromental infections, for example do i sanitize the room or do i need an airfilter?
It is worth noting that there is an allocated budget for that facility but im not sure how much it is, so i could get some things to get rid of potential issues.
What are some things i should consider?