Strange white flakey stuff on beer in secondary

[denishoffman]

Evening Folks

Any ideas what this flakey white stuff is on my beer? This is a youngs passion fruit pilsner its been in the secondary for eight weeks not the norm but been busy

I had a taste of the beer its good no off smell also had a tasted of the flakey stuff and oddly its has a creamy texture and tasted like the beer

 

[stigman]

No idea what that is but love the fact you had a taste

 

[The Baron]

Looks like a water calcium deposit to me like the stuff you get in the bottom of your kettle. What water have you used and any additives?

 

[denishoffman]

No idea what that is but love the fact you had a taste

Come on everyone knows that if you do the sniff test and it passed you have to taste test :p

 

[denishoffman]

Looks like a water calcium deposit to me like the stuff you get in the bottom of your kettle. What water have you used and any additives?

Ne Scotland as soft as water gets, it was a kit and only used the ingredients supplied

 

[MyQul]

possibly pellicle but not like any i've seen piccies of

 

[denishoffman]

possibly pellicle but not like any i've seen piccies of

Would you not get some form of off taste with a pellicle?

 

[The Baron]

found this on a american forum seems to be quite common if left in secondary for a longer than usual time and everybody says the beer tastes fine.
"Yeah, we call then "Yeast rafts" what they are are little colonies of yeast that get buoyed up from the trub at the bottom of the fermenter or secondary by co2 gass rising to the surface...then they sit their and some start fizzing a little...It's pretty common. Rarely is the surface of a beer in secondary perfectly clear of anything."
hope this helps

 

[denishoffman]

found this on a american forum seems to be quite common if left in secondary for a longer than usual time and everybody says the beer tastes fine.
"Yeah, we call then "Yeast rafts" what they are are little colonies of yeast that get buoyed up from the trub at the bottom of the fermenter or secondary by co2 gass rising to the surface...then they sit their and some start fizzing a little...It's pretty common. Rarely is the surface of a beer in secondary perfectly clear of anything."
hope this helps

Thanks i was thinking possibly dried yeast due to the texture and taste but was struggling to understand how it dried out when it was sitting on 22 liters of beer but as nothing off with the beer this seems to be the explanation
Will report back if anything funkey happens during conditioning got it in. Cornie and 6 bottles looking forward to this one

 

[MyQul]

Would you not get some form of off taste with a pellicle?

No. You can rack from below pellicle and leave it behind in the fv and the beer will be fine. I've done this before as have other forumites ( such as @Leon103 )

 

[Hoppyland]

For me, definitely a pellicle. Nothing at all to do with the yeast you used, but another, unwanted organism. I used to think that all pellicles meant foul, antiseptic-tasting beer, therefore immediate dumping of the brew (all the pellicles I've had have been like this - beer totally ruined). But, it seems that many people have these flaky, white pellicles without any of the off flavours & aromas that I experienced.
So, if the beer seems good, just go with it. But I'd still sterilise all of your kit very thoroughly though!

 

[denishoffman]

Reckon it is infected although no funky smell or taste apart from it being ultra dry should have checked Fg but as it was sitting so long no question it was finished. Decided to check Fg 1.002 so yea this one to be an offering to beer god who resides in my drain first ever time 15 years making homebrew....

Although there is a review on youtube on this kit and seems they experienced the ultra dry beer too so perhaps meant to be like this but doubt it

Vid here

 

[denishoffman]

Double checked actually 1.004 but still not had a beer ever go that low before

 

[Grealish]

I had the same stuff floating on my last brew, which also massively over attenuated. However, it is clear as a bell and tastes very good.

 

[Sadfield]

Pellicle from a contamination likely to have been picked up late in fermentation (when transfer to secondary or later) and why it lacks the typical bubbly appearance, caused by co2 getting trapped beneath it. Over attenuation certainly points in that direction. The lack of any off flavours could be a result of lactobacillus or pediocuccus, that both produce lactic acid, that has a very mild flavour and is normally present in beer. Saccharomyces can also produce a pellicle in rare instances, although likely by a wild Saccharomyces strain.

 

[Grealish]

That's interesting. Once in the fermenter, I left it for three weeks in a fridge at 19º. I didn't open it so not sure when the infection could have got in?

 

[Sadfield]

Likely in your fv from the start then. We sanitise, not sterilise, so all our beers contain some degree of contamination.

 

[Grealish]

I'm not a glass half full kind of guy and I've always been concerned about those products that say they kill 99% of germs so I find sanitation monstrously stressful. This will only make me worse.

 

[denishoffman]

Yip i bleach soaked once finished with fermenter then it is sealed until next use then it gets rinsed and starsan no rise sanitiser.

it is a newish bucket that i used. First time ever with a infected brew also put it in one of my cornelius keg so gonna be worried about using either again

 

[Grealish]

I suppose I should ditch the yeast harvested from this batch...