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Well folks, don't I feel like the biggest knob at the moment. I've now lost my 3rd homebrew in a row to infection
The problems all started when a friend of mine gave me a liquid yeast starter. I lost 2 brews and was convinced he gave me dud yeast. I cleaned all my stuff thouroughly and went back to the dry yeast. You can then imagine my horror when my 3rd batch went off!!!
I've only now just realised that I switched over to tank water a few weeks ago. It's the only thing I can think of being the problem. I've brewed with the tank water on previous batches no problems, so I didn't even consider it as being an issue.
Consider this: You sterilise all your equipment, then use water for brewng that's washed across a roof that's had bird and insect crap, dead insects, dust, wild yeast and god knows what else on it
If I were you, I'd thoroughly sterilise all your equipment, then steer clear of rainwater in future.
And then there is what I just got caught on, pH of water, switching to the tank may have changed the pH of the water significantly
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
Yeah, I'm interested in the question raised by Dogger. What is the likelihood of infection through airborne particles? I am an obsessive compulsive when it comes to sterilising, but reflecting back on my past procedures I always wait a couple of hours before adding the yeast to my newly mixed brews. And during those couple of hours I always have left the lid of the fermenter open.
Anyone hazard to guess the chances of infection through the air?
You are sanitizing your equipment, ie, knocking the bacteria down to a threshold where the bacteria can't get going vs the yeast. After that, the pH changes and keeps the bacteria at bay.
The two terms are not interchangeable and mean different things.
Its like the difference between a gun and a rifle or a spitter or a swallower as discussed in a different thread. Its just its something personel
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
Airborne bacteria shouldn't be a problem if you get your yeast going nice and quickly and you don't cough in the brew
Where are you brewing? Are there any open windows close? do you keep a clean workspace?
Sorry if this is what you're doing already but as well as sterilising all equipment, try clearing away all unnecessary clutter from your brewspace, close windows if windy, wipe all surfaces down with bleach before hand and get rid of all pets. In other words, reduce all sources of possible contamination from the immediate area (In fact we have a greater potential to contaminate a brew than air).
Bacteria is at very low concentrations in the air and on surfaces no matter where you go, the key is to reduce the potential amount as much as possible.
The British in particular go for open fermentation, as many claim the yeast acts differently and produces a better-tasting beer.
Basically what they do is place a cloth over the top of their fermenter until fermentation begins and a protective layer of CO2 forms on top of it. They then remove the cover and let fermentation finish.
So, it seems that the critical period for infection is the very beginning, which is when you're leaving it uncovered. I'd put the lid on during this period, then remove it, pitch the yeast and replace it.
I'm astounded that you bastards (affectionately) are on this forum all day and all night. I can feel the addiction of brewing grabbing me but I thought that was just beginners enthusiasm. Love your site Oliver.
Anyway, the lid will be on the fermenter start to finish in the future. I've actually just purchased another fermenter, the previous one I was using was basically restored from initial use in the early eighties by my father. To say it is dilapidated is an understatement. I'd pour water into the airlock but, despite producing a couple of brews that obviously had undergone substantial fermentation, not once did I see a bubble go through that airlock! I was also working without temperature gauge.
The new fermenter is now bubbling its nuts off. I added the yeast at 10 p.m. last night, and to great delight at 7 a.m. she was choofing away nicely. No bad smells at all, and interestingly there is no sediment climbing up the walls above the mixture, which was something I expected. I'm hoping, maybe naively, that the lack of any bad smells is an indication of good tastes in the making.
Dogger, I take the point on the sterilising. I do boil all the water that I add to the fermenter. And am absolutely paranoid to ensure that my other "creative" ingredients sourced from the supermarket DON'T have even an hint of any additives.
If you boil the water going into the wort, don't look to it as the source of infection. I am will ing to bet you have a pH issue as rainwater is naturally acidic and groundwater tends to be more basic.
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
The infection was a really nasty metho/vodka type smell??? (anyone had anything similar?) It's hard to describe, but a white film started to appear on top of the brew, so I took a really deep whiff of of it and almost gagged. It was like sniffing amonia (if anyones done that), but not quite as bad. I had a little taste before I ditched the brews and the after taste lingered in the mouth for hours.
I've now diverted back to town water and have put down a MSB nut brown ale (11.5 litre). I'll let this puppy ferment and hope to god it goes well. If not then I'll root me boot, because I don't know what's going wrong.
This has been a costly lesson in both time and money.....plus my stocks are getting low and I'm having trouble finding space for the empty long necks.
The missus told me to maybe to take a break from brewing for a while. I'll give my old mate to the cat before that happens......bloody women!
I don't suppose you have a high amount of trub during the fermentation do you?
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
Oh dear. I think I've got some big problems. My latest batch of beer using town water has gone the same way as the others.
The brew doesn't really look that bad. It's just this God aweful stench that if you have a whiff it really hits all your senses like a punch in the face. Nasty!
The infection must be hiding in some micro abrasions in my fermentors.
My plan of attack is to buy a new fermentor and accessories, and put down a brew making sure none of my other gear comes into contact with it. This should then tell me if I've got some water/plumbing issues or not.
Assuming this is successful, my next issue is to figure out a sure fire way to get rid of this infection from my other fermentors. I've been rinsing them out in hot tap water, scrubing with a soft plastic bristle brush (surely this isn't putting abrasions on my fermentors???), then filling it with cold water and a 1/2 - full cup of unscented household bleach. I then leave it for a day or two then rinse out with hot water a few times. I'm always careful to keep the lid on them too.
Can anyone see any flaws in my methods. I've made plenty of beers previously doing this no problem.
Hmm I had much the same problem stopped using tank water and went
back to melb water using bleach as well 4 brews later and no more infections rain water may taste fine but the tanks can have any thing in it
had a dead possum in mine once
