I have made about 15 batches with no problems up to now. However in my last couple of batches (a lager and a wheat beer) I have noticed white material on the inside surface of the bottles, all the way up the inside surface, ie. in the liquid part. There is also some suspended in the beer. It is in all the bottles so must have happened in the primary fermentation. Does anyone have an idea of what this is? How do I eliminate the problem from the system so that the next batch does not get it?
Thanks
Sam
Contaminated Beer?
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
Sammy
You have a bacterial infection, Likely a lacto bacillus
You need to ensure that everything is sanitized and, more importantly, limit the contact to the atmosphere. Where are you brewing and where are you storing the beer in process?
Additionally, are you boiling the wort or doing a dump and stir?
Dogger
You have a bacterial infection, Likely a lacto bacillus
You need to ensure that everything is sanitized and, more importantly, limit the contact to the atmosphere. Where are you brewing and where are you storing the beer in process?
Additionally, are you boiling the wort or doing a dump and stir?
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
Oliver, Greg, Dogger,
The last couple of beers have actually been simpler where I have just added the can contents to boiling water and simmered for 15 minutes. I then strained the wort into the fermenter (in the kitchen). I then store the fermenter in a dark room until ready to be bottled. I have used a different sanitizer (a brewiser neo pink) which perhaps is not as effective?
I tried a beer the other night and it was not too bad but I was probably a bit biased as I was thinking it might be contaminated. If it is infected with lacto bacillus what will it taste like?
I was hoping it was just yeast clinging to the side walls but since it has happened two batches in a row I am not confident that is what it is.
Cheers,
Sam
The last couple of beers have actually been simpler where I have just added the can contents to boiling water and simmered for 15 minutes. I then strained the wort into the fermenter (in the kitchen). I then store the fermenter in a dark room until ready to be bottled. I have used a different sanitizer (a brewiser neo pink) which perhaps is not as effective?
I tried a beer the other night and it was not too bad but I was probably a bit biased as I was thinking it might be contaminated. If it is infected with lacto bacillus what will it taste like?
I was hoping it was just yeast clinging to the side walls but since it has happened two batches in a row I am not confident that is what it is.
Cheers,
Sam
-
Guest
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
It will have a sour taste, not bad actually, Guiness uses contaminated wort to give it the taste (so to them its not contaminated)
The normal occurence for this is that the wort has sat idle in the fermentor after fermenting and doesn't have a good CO2 bed or the fermentor isn't quite air tight so there is atmosphere moving in or out.
There is some discussion out there to that plastic is difficult to sanitize because it is bumpy and the sanitizer can't get in there to get the job done. So if your fermentors are plastic, I would recommend glass. It really is worth the investment (I use glass and wouldn't think of using anything else, guess I am a snob)
Dogger
The normal occurence for this is that the wort has sat idle in the fermentor after fermenting and doesn't have a good CO2 bed or the fermentor isn't quite air tight so there is atmosphere moving in or out.
There is some discussion out there to that plastic is difficult to sanitize because it is bumpy and the sanitizer can't get in there to get the job done. So if your fermentors are plastic, I would recommend glass. It really is worth the investment (I use glass and wouldn't think of using anything else, guess I am a snob)
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
-
Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
In theory yes. It has to do with yeast going south and the beer sitting on it for to long.
I can't say in practice though, My beer doesn't hang around long enough
Dogger
I can't say in practice though, My beer doesn't hang around long enough
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
Oliver,
I tried a beer last night and it was drinkable but had a different taste. I would describe it as cidery but that might not be accurate. The white material was firmly attached to the glass and did not come out on pouring. I closely inspected the white material in the bottles using a magnifying glass from my biology days at uni and it looks like a circular material with fuzzy edges so I am thinking it is an infection of some kind.
The offending batch was a Brewiser lager kit which I purchased from Big W. Being a lager I left it in the fermenter for about three weeks. It appeared to be bubbling the whole time but perhaps that had more to do with me heating up the house when I got home from work and therefore expanding the brew and forcing CO2 out. I often have trouble getting a good seal so I think I will start using glad wrap and the seal from the fermenter lid.
I see that Dogger recommends a glass fermenter but if I don't want to go to that extreme yet, what is the best way to rid the plastic fermenter of the infection? Should I just use bleach or is there a better way?
By the way this is an excellent forum. I have been using the site for ages as a way to get some great Australian recipes but have only joined the forum in the last few days. Keep up the good work!!!
Sam
I tried a beer last night and it was drinkable but had a different taste. I would describe it as cidery but that might not be accurate. The white material was firmly attached to the glass and did not come out on pouring. I closely inspected the white material in the bottles using a magnifying glass from my biology days at uni and it looks like a circular material with fuzzy edges so I am thinking it is an infection of some kind.
The offending batch was a Brewiser lager kit which I purchased from Big W. Being a lager I left it in the fermenter for about three weeks. It appeared to be bubbling the whole time but perhaps that had more to do with me heating up the house when I got home from work and therefore expanding the brew and forcing CO2 out. I often have trouble getting a good seal so I think I will start using glad wrap and the seal from the fermenter lid.
I see that Dogger recommends a glass fermenter but if I don't want to go to that extreme yet, what is the best way to rid the plastic fermenter of the infection? Should I just use bleach or is there a better way?
By the way this is an excellent forum. I have been using the site for ages as a way to get some great Australian recipes but have only joined the forum in the last few days. Keep up the good work!!!
Sam