Infection or Not?

[itsclinto]

Hi lads,

First time i came across something like this and i think its an infection. I'm just looking for confirmation before i drop hop it and waste the hops.

The background:
Firstly, I had the brew day on the 6th June.  It was to be a pale ale and the first time i used Belma and Cascade hops.
During the brew day the chiller leaked a bit of water into the wort before i tightened up the jubilee clips.  This has happened before with no consequences.
I also used frozen yeast (s-05) for the first time.  My mistake was that although i left the frozen vial (35ml of yeast) come to room temperature, i just added it straight in without a starter.  I think this was a huge mistake as there was no visual fermentation (bubbling as normal) for the first two days.  I panicked and made a starter, pitched the other frozen vial of s-05 and left on a stir plate for a day.  The wort had created an unhealthly foamy head in the meantime (first pic below) but i pitched the starter in and left it as until today.  The last photo is a picture of todays fermenter (after 17 days in the fermenter).
The fermenter has been kept wrapped in a duvet at 21 degrees with the aid of a brew belt and stc.
The smell has been the worst so far with no sweet smelling hops each time i have opened the fermenter.

In short, i am hoping the wort didn't get infected in the time between brewing and pitching the starter. 

[Jacob]

Looks good to me.  Some yeast are still floating. Nothing unusual for us05.
Try it and you'll see

[itsclinto]

Looks good to me.  Some yeast are still floating. Nothing unusual for us05.
Try it and you'll see

Thanks.  Had to reassure my doubts.  The huge mess up, the large looking bubbles and horrible smell all led me to believe it was an infection

[Bazza]

Can you describe the horrible smell?

Cheers,

-Barry

[Jacob]

Just take a sample, check gravity and taste it.

[auralabuse]

Looks wise it's fine anyway

[Leann ull]

I don't know what to say seriously! i do admire your honesty though and the full descriptive on your kitchen sink beer.
Frozen yeast!! No Starter !! Who told you you can freeze yeast? You can't freeze yeast in water, beer or wort it ruptures cells. It also stresses the yeast and you bring out the worst for fermentation.
So you spent 4 hours brewing making some really nice looking wort putting in some really nice expensive hops, and you didn't buy a packet of US05 for €3 to really get the most of your efforts 
Nobody does perfect starters I have had a few stall and always have a packet or 2 dried to save the day.
I'll stand in front of you as other throw large stones to cries of Beer Murderer!
Taste it smell it chuck it

[helmet]

Has it fermented out Clinto?
Also, did you use glycerine when freezing the yeast?

[itsclinto]

Can you describe the horrible smell?

Its kinda funky.  Thought it would have been more fruity as its cascade and belma.

Just take a sample, check gravity and taste it.

Has it fermented out Clinto?

I'll have to check tonight but i'm pretty sure it is.  I haven't checked the last few times until i bottled as i was certain it was fully fermented.

I don't know what to say seriously! i do admire your honesty though and the full descriptive on your kitchen sink beer.
Frozen yeast!! No Starter !! Who told you you can freeze yeast? You can't freeze yeast in water, beer or wort it ruptures cells. It also stresses the yeast and you bring out the worst for fermentation.
So you spent 4 hours brewing making some really nice looking wort putting in some really nice expensive hops, and you didn't buy a packet of US05 for €3 to really get the most of your efforts 
Nobody does perfect starters I have had a few stall and always have a packet or 2 dried to save the day.
I'll stand in front of you as other throw large stones to cries of Beer Murderer!
Taste it smell it chuck it

It was the first time i unfroze the yeast and used it.  Don't worry i didn't freeze the yeast with just water.  I used this as a guide http://www.homebrewtalk.com/freezing-yeast.html along with a few others.  It was the wrong time to do so considering i didn't have any dry yeast available.  The S-05 was a trial but the plan is to get white labs/wyeast and have a yeast bank for different brews.  Sure i'm still learning and one brew in my lifetime won't go a miss 

Thanks again lads for the help

[helmet]

Fair fucks Niall, you'll be the Fort Knoxx of yeast soon enough. There's no innovation without experimentation!

[itsclinto]

I wouldn't say that. Helen will probably start throwing out the yeasts cause they'll be taking up too much room in the freezer    Hopefully it will be cheaper in the long run 

[Leann ull]

Interesting stuff, I think I'll stick with me bread fresh tho

[itsclinto]

Right lads, just an update on this.  I took it to the wee county brewers meeting on Friday and it is indeed infected.  I am now not an infection virgin anymore 

After wrecking my brain, I assume the reason for the infection was that the wort was left so long without yeast to work their magic that the bacteria were given a chance to grow, until the new yeast was thrown in.  Its a lesson to me to be more prepared for a brew day by having the yeast ready to pitch and to have a packet of dry yeast handy (just in case).

Hopefully it helps somebody else!