New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Brewing => Technique => Topic started by: Kyle on September 28, 2015, 01:42:07 PM

Title: Infection, I presume, but what kind?
Post by: Kyle on September 28, 2015, 01:42:07 PM

I saw this white film on the beer when I opened the fermenter. Beer was a light pale ale, sat in fermenter on lees for ~2.5 months (I was busy). Tastes fine. Possible hints of autolysis, but can't taste or smell any of the typical infections... at least not yet. White film was thin, but when concentrated was consistency of butter cream icing. Any ideas? I am leaning towards mother of vinegar, but that's just based on appearance.

Title: Re: Infection, I presume, but what kind?
Post by: pliny on September 28, 2015, 06:58:01 PM

You have small fruit flies in your house?

A wild guess I would say acetobacter.

Title: Re: Infection, I presume, but what kind?
Post by: Kyle on September 28, 2015, 09:30:07 PM

Yeah, there are a few of the little cretins roaming around. Could well be.

Title: Re: Infection, I presume, but what kind?
Post by: pliny on September 29, 2015, 09:44:51 AM

Maybe one of them went for a swim.

You don't need to dump it. It will eventually taste like vinegar but you may have some time before it gets there. It may be fine for several weeks. I wouldn't count on it going sour and using this as a sour.
If you haven't dumped it and it has reached a good final gravity, keg it and drink it. 
Try not to get some of that film in your beer. It'll stick to the sides when you empty your fermenter.
This is just my opinion.

Title: Re: Infection, I presume, but what kind?
Post by: HappyHax0r on October 21, 2015, 11:44:00 AM

Def looks a lot like any acetobacter infections i've ever seen.