National Homebrew Club Ireland

Brewing Discussions => All Grain Brewing => Topic started by: SureLook on July 27, 2021, 08:10:07 PM

Title: Infected or not
Post by: SureLook on July 27, 2021, 08:10:07 PM
Opened up a dunkelweizen in the fermenter that I was about to bottle and saw this floating on top. Thought it might be infected but bottled anyway. I've not had an infected batch yet in 30 odd brews but there's always a first!

Didn't smell off or taste bad when I took a sip. Thoughts?
Title: Re: Infected or not
Post by: phildo79 on July 27, 2021, 08:42:30 PM
That doesn't look good. When did you bottle it? You might find when it's time to pop one, it goes off like a rocket. If it does, it's infected. Something similar happened to a mate of mine recently when he made a cider. He noticed a white scum on top of his brew after seeing that the lid wasn't on correctly. He ended up with about 40 bottle bombs.
Title: Re: Infected or not
Post by: SureLook on July 27, 2021, 10:30:17 PM
Quote from: phildo79 on July 27, 2021, 08:42:30 PMThat doesn't look good. When did you bottle it? You might find when it's time to pop one, it goes off like a rocket. If it does, it's infected. Something similar happened to a mate of mine recently when he made a cider. He noticed a white scum on top of his brew after seeing that the lid wasn't on correctly. He ended up with about 40 bottle bombs.

Just bottled it tonight. I opened up the lid to take a gravity reading on day 5, the pic is day 14 (today) so potentially 9 days to get infected and multiply. The lid seemed to seal shut fairly well when I put it back on but sure who knows really.

Suppose I'll wait a week or so for it to carb and try one out. Good thing they're all out in the shed.
Title: Re: Infected or not
Post by: DEMPSEY on July 28, 2021, 01:56:07 AM
Looks like a pellicle forming there
Title: Re: Infected or not
Post by: Tom on July 29, 2021, 09:23:03 PM
It happens. I find that has a chalky taste, but with a wheat beer that is ideally drunk fresh anyway, and especially a dark one like that, you might get to enjoy a few bottles before it becomes noticeable. Pity, but there you go.

Honestly, by day 14 I'm drinking my wheat beers, fully carbed, enjoying the bubblegum flavour while it lasts!

Air getting in is the problem, anyway. If you're going to leave it in a fermenter for fourteen days there's no point taking a hydrometer sample at day 5.