Infection??

[tobyjrn6]

Brewed up a small batch of Gamma Ray clone and extremely excited for it until...

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• tobyjrn6
• Apr 3, 2018

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• tobyjrn6
• Apr 3, 2018

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• tobyjrn6
• Apr 3, 2018

Never seen krausen residue like this before, very slightly concerned it's some kind of infection. Has anyone experienced anything similar?

 

[Sandimas]

Can't see the pics.

When did you brew it? Infections usually take months to take hold, and are more prevalent in summer than this time of year.

 

[GerritT]

The album is locked, noone can see the pics. How does it smell?

 

[tobyjrn6]

My bad!! should be unlocked now, smelled ok last time I checked and no real signs anything's gone wrong other than this white stuff in the krausen residue. I'm probably worrying too much but I've never seen it form like that before

 

[GerritT]

Indeed it looks funny! But I'd trust the nose and let it ferment out. Good luck!

 

[Simonh82]

That looks like a mould infection but bear in mind that it's only showing up in the old krausen. It might not be alcohol tolerant. I'd let it finish and if it smells OK bottle it but keep the bottles in a plastic box so if they start going pop, you won't have beer and glass all over your floor.

 

[foxbat]

The photos make it look like there's a piece of white string dangling into it but I'm sure that's just an optical illusion. Anyway, it does look like something unwanted is developing around the part where the 'string' meets the beer. If fermentation is done then you might want to transfer from under it to a clean vessel.

 

[-Bezza-]

The photos make it look like there's a piece of white string dangling into it but I'm sure that's just an optical illusion. Anyway, it does look like something unwanted is developing around the part where the 'string' meets the beer. If fermentation is done then you might want to transfer from under it to a clean vessel.

Looks to me like there is a piece of string connected to a hop bag, so don't think the beer itself is growing anything unwanted. The mould is on the dried crud where the krausen has dropped back. That does suggest something wasn't clean in there though, so a chance that there is something nasty lurking in the beer too.

I'd be tempted to gently transfer the beer to another sanitised FV myself and then leave it to ferment out.

 

[foxbat]

Looks to me like there is a piece of string connected to a hop bag, so don't think the beer itself is growing anything unwanted. The mould is on the dried crud where the krausen has dropped back. That does suggest something wasn't clean in there though, so a chance that there is something nasty lurking in the beer too.

Oh yeah it's a hop bag, I see it now. For some reason my eyes just never made that association. It's the white film forming around it that looks suspect to me. Many beer infection photos show a white film. I agree with you about getting it out of there now.

 

[ACBEV]

I brewed a golden ale once which had critters having a party... Looked just like yours... I syphoned to another FV and bottled a few days later. The beer turned out fine.

 

[LarryF]

Smell and taste will be the best indicators, there's also your SG readings a wild yeast infection will strip out everything and drop the reading through floor.

 

[tobyjrn6]

Looks to me like there is a piece of string connected to a hop bag, so don't think the beer itself is growing anything unwanted. The mould is on the dried crud where the krausen has dropped back. That does suggest something wasn't clean in there though, so a chance that there is something nasty lurking in the beer too.

I'd be tempted to gently transfer the beer to another sanitised FV myself and then leave it to ferment out.

Oh yeah it's a hop bag, I see it now. For some reason my eyes just never made that association. It's the white film forming around it that looks suspect to me. Many beer infection photos show a white film. I agree with you about getting it out of there now.

I brewed a golden ale once which had critters having a party... Looked just like yours... I syphoned to another FV and bottled a few days later. The beer turned out fine.

Smell and taste will be the best indicators, there's also your SG readings a wild yeast infection will strip out everything and drop the reading through floor.

Sorry guys didnt catch these - correct it is indeed a hop bag and fermentation has finished at 1.011 which is as predicted hence the dry hopping. The smell and taste are absolutely fine which leads me to believe that whatever it is that developed wasnt at all alcohol tolerant like simon suggested because it doesnt appear to be present in the beer whatsoever. Will bottle in a day or so and cross my fingers and everything else. Worst case scenario at least it was only a small batch

 

[GerritT]

Will bottle in a day or so and cross my fingers and everything else. Worst case scenario at least it was only a small batch

Even worser case scenario: it's the best beer you ever had or will have... but it's a small batch and you can't reproduce it.

 

[Cwrw666]

My last couple of brews have finished like yours with great gobs of yeast floating on the surface. I found it sank to the bottom after a few days chilling. Colder the better. Beer was fine.

 

[tobyjrn6]

Even worser case scenario: it's the best beer you ever had or will have... but it's a small batch and you can't reproduce it.

you monster... why would you suggest such a thing?!

 

[djheaton321]

That looks ok. I think it's possibly hop residue. I regularly clean gunk off my fermenters that looks like that. My beer tastes ok (most of the time!). I doubt you've got an infection.

 

[tobyjrn6]

That looks ok. I think it's possibly hop residue. I regularly clean gunk off my fermenters that looks like that. My beer tastes ok (most of the time!). I doubt you've got an infection.

My last couple of brews have finished like yours with great gobs of yeast floating on the surface. I found it sank to the bottom after a few days chilling. Colder the better. Beer was fine.

The more I think about it the more I'm pretty sure it was yeast that got trapped in the krausen, visually identical. I bottled a couple of days ago and carbed up a pint in the soda stream, received excellent reviews all round and I couldnt pick out any off flavours so fingers crossed! Unfortunately still have no point of reference as im still yet to taste the real deal because our local pub was out AGAIN!