Beer Forum

I brewed this ESB about 4 weeks ago. I used .5 ounces of oak in primary then .5 ounces a week later. Last week I pulled a few bottles off for a competition. It was nice and clean. A lot of chocolate from oak and caramunich II. Tasted a bottle on Friday, no sign of infection. Go to bottle on Sunday and this is what I find. Has to be from pulling the bottles for the comp. Must have just missed sanitizing something. But now I have an infected ESB that I'm not sure what to do with. Haven't tasted, don't want to break the pellicle, but smells sweet and chocolatey with a bit of astringency. Original ESB finished at 1.018 with WLP002. So should I age it out in the bucket, bottle it and age it out, or have some fun and add roasted figs and rum soaked raisins?

Oh and what the hell do you think the infection actually is?

Cheers,
McDur-Ham

McDur-Ham wrote: Has to be from pulling the bottles for the comp. Must have just missed sanitizing something.

Beer out = air in... could be that you didn't miss sanitizing but that it was just an airborne infection.

If you have a carboy, I'd transfer it to glass. Otherwise just leave it in the bucket. Either way, let her ride for a while & I wouldn't add anything until you get a taste of it. Just like blindly seasoning your food. My guess is a shot in the dark, but from the look of the pellicle & your brief description I'd guess pedio with a touch of lacto. Maybe this one will win twice - once as an ESB and again as a sour! Good luck

Just a follow up. Tasted tonight. Couldn't taste any difference in the infected versus when it was clean. I guess it's just going to be a waiting game now. Gravity did drop 2 points from 1.018 to 1.016.

Looks to me like either a brett infection or acetobacter. Both can be airborne.

McDur-Ham wrote:I
Oh and what the hell do you think the infection actually is?

Cheers,
McDur-Ham

I hate to break it to you, but I think you have jellyfish!

McDur-Ham wrote:I

UPDATE: Thanks Oz for the good karma. I actually won a blue ribbon (1st place) at the NC state fair for English Pale Ale (cat 8c) with this beer. First award I've ever won. Now to make this infected 5 gallons into the best sour for an award next year.

I hate to be a harbinger of bad news, but... Your plastic fermenter is now trash. You may get the same infection on occasion in the future because wild bugs love plastic. Eventually you will lose a batch or two or three to this infection unless you replace the fermenter.