So... WTH happened?

[FattyLumpkins]

So I have 2 questions...
1) I started an extract hefeweizen last week. I made a 2-quart starter with a wyeast smack pack (3068 Weihenstephan) and 8 oz. wheat dme, but I started getting fallout and little- to- no visual fermentation. OG for it was 1.041. I keptnup hope for it & kept it going. Finally I tested the gravity last night, & it came in at 1.018. I have never seen active fermentation AND fallout simultaneously. Is this at all normal?
2) My wort for this batch has been waiting in a carboy since Friday. The carboy was bleached (2 1/2 Tbsp concentrated bleach per 6 gal., sat for 15 min.), having run out of my normal sanitizer. I rinsed, rinsed again, rinsed some more and rinsed 3 more times to be sure all the bleach was gone. I checked the wort today, resting in a closet @ about 68-70 degrees. It had spontaneously started fermenting! Took a gravity reading, still at 1.050. Smells worty-bready, so I wasn't concerned about bleach or bacterial contamination. Plus, there is a good 2-3 inches of visual yeast sediment on the bottom! The last batch I made in that carboy was a multi-grain Wee Heavy with a liquid pack of yeast. After I bottled that I scrubbed it with mild dish soap, triple rinsed, then sanitized it with Iodophor. Could it have survived that bleach?

 

[Pappers_]

I think what you're saying is you made your wort but didn't immediately pitch the yeast, you were waiting for a starter to finish, is that right? If so, that's not the best process - pitch yeast immediately after the wort is sufficiently cooled. I would rather underpitch than wait to pitch (although neither is a great option).

Sorry to hear about your travails.

 

[Cyclman]

Sounds like a wild fermentation.

 

[brdb]

It had spontaneously started fermenting! Took a gravity reading, still at 1.050.

You make it sound like the OG and your reading are the same (1.050). If that is the case then it probably didn't start fermenting otherwise your gravity reading would likely be a little less than your OG. Are you sure the sediment on the bottom isn't cold break or hop material? I usually don't see more than 1/2" of yeast at the bottom of my fermenters and that's after fermentation is complete.

 

[pdietert]

#1 is normal, wheat strains are fast.

#2 I am confused, did you pitch the yeast on Friday and there has been no visible signs of fermentation? What do you mean by "It had spontaneously started fermenting!"? Like brbd stated, if the gravity has not changed, it is not fermenting. The recipe might help.

 

[FattyLumpkins]

I never pitched the yeast. It showed no visible signs of fermentation, so I gave it some extra time in the starter. The wort just started bubbling on it's own on Monday. ZERO yeast added! It somewhat smelled like the multigrain Wee Heavy (affectionately called "Experiment 626") I just bottled, so I gave it another day to see how it would go. Started smelling like a combo cheap shampoo/unprinted garbage pail. Dumped it down the drain, had my last bottle of IRA and moved on.

 

[FattyLumpkins]

And the recipe, extract w/ grains for 6 U.S. Gal
6 lbs. Wheat LME
2 lbs. Wheat DME
1.2 oz. Hallertau (60 min.)
6 oz. CaraMunich II
6 oz. CaraCrystal Wheat Malt
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan

 

[FatDragon]

Wild fermentation - your brew picked up something that was able to ferment the sugars in the wort without any yeast being pitched. It suggests that you should probably improve your sanitation practices, including pitching your yeast in a timely fashion. Unless you really needed the carboy or the brew was stinking up the house, it would have been a fun experiment to let it ride and see what you got; just because it stinks during fermentation doesn't mean the end product's ruined. If it did, there wouldn't be a cider forum here...