Is this normal?

Tefral

Had my beer in the fermenter for about 6weeks. Opened it to bottle tonight and saw this.... Is this normal?

Bogwoppit

I'm afraid to say it looks infected to me.

6 weeks is a very long time in the fermenter.

Tefral

Bogwoppit wrote: »

I'm afraid to say it looks infected to me.

6 weeks is a very long time in the fermenter.

Yeah thought as much. Looks like Lactobacillus

Beersmith

But the beer underneath will probably be fine! Just bottle and dont use the last few litres.

RasTa

I'd bin it.

I wouldn't leave it on the yeast longer than 4 weeks.

Tefral

Chucked it into the flower bed.

Drew off a sample to taste, very very sweet and tarty. The smell was pretty bad once I started tipping it out... Definitely off.

Sickened but you live and learn.

Knifey Spoony

Beersmith wrote: »

But the beer underneath will probably be fine! Just bottle and dont use the last few litres.

I think that if there is an infection it will be throughout the beer, so racking from underneath will do nothing for getting rid of it.

You could take a chance and bottle it, have a sort conditioning period, chill all the bottles in the fridge (should slow down the infection a bit) and drink the beer fast. This assumes that the beer at moment does not taste sour. or just like crap But, tbh it is probably not worth the risk of bottles exploding or even ending up with the beer tasting like vinegar after all the hard work of bottling.

oblivious

cronin_j wrote: »

Had my beer in the fermenter for about 6weeks. Opened it to bottle tonight and saw this.... Is this normal?

mmmh looks like the possable beginning of a pelican (infection). It's possibly on the surface so you drop the syphon tube below this.

macnug

6 weeks in the fermenter shouldn't cause this, as long the beer ferments properly it should be ok for a while longer. I had a beer in primary for 3 months before and didn't have this, tasted fine. When you say its sweet, sounds like yeast didn't take off and something else got in there.

neoanto

This has happened to me a few times
Sanitary issues are the main concern i would say.
But also, the plastic fermentatin buckets let small amounts of air through over time.
Over 6 weeks this could be enough to allow in some lacto or bret.
The glass carboys do not let air in so this wouldt be an issue, that is if you are leaving the beer in the FV for so long.

I wouldnt chuck it out though, bottle leave it for a month or so, could taste nice!

John_C

Don't use that bucket again or you'll loose another batch.

irish_goat

The bucket will be alright if you bleach the crap out of it. Leave it to soak a good week or two.

John_C

irish_goat wrote: »

The bucket will be alright if you bleach the crap out of it. Leave it to soak a good week or two.

Risking a brew to save a bucket strikes me as a false economy. A 7 euro kettle element from Argos will turn that bucket into a spare boiler.