• Infection

    From Baloonon@baloonon@hootmali.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Thu Aug 29 00:18:25 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    I popped the lid off a fermenter full of an IPA just prior to bottling
    and... fuzz on top. Infection. Looking around online, it looked like a
    Lacto infection.

    Some people online have posted in the past that beer in that condition --
    it didn't taste sour -- was potentially salvageable, but I dumped it. I
    see no point in going the trouble of washing, sanitizing and then filling
    50 bottles and risking needing to dump their beer and wash and sanitize
    again.

    I am going to try sanitizing the fermenter and other parts and see if I can still use it. It's been washed once with detergent, following a rinse it's
    now soaking in oxygen bleach. Then after a rinse I think I'll follow with a weak chlorine bleach solution, then rinse extremely well and follow with
    Star San.

    If nothing else, this fermenter should be cleaner than it's been since I
    first used it.
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  • From Bob F@bobnospam@gmail.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Wed Aug 28 20:31:20 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    On 8/28/2019 5:18 PM, Baloonon wrote:
    I popped the lid off a fermenter full of an IPA just prior to bottling
    and... fuzz on top. Infection. Looking around online, it looked like a
    Lacto infection.

    Some people online have posted in the past that beer in that condition --
    it didn't taste sour -- was potentially salvageable, but I dumped it. I
    see no point in going the trouble of washing, sanitizing and then filling
    50 bottles and risking needing to dump their beer and wash and sanitize again.

    I am going to try sanitizing the fermenter and other parts and see if I can still use it. It's been washed once with detergent, following a rinse it's now soaking in oxygen bleach. Then after a rinse I think I'll follow with a weak chlorine bleach solution, then rinse extremely well and follow with
    Star San.

    If nothing else, this fermenter should be cleaner than it's been since I first used it.


    I gave up on bottling years ago. Found a good collection of corny kegs
    cheap or free over the years. Way easier to do it this way.

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  • From Baloonon@baloonon@hootmali.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Thu Aug 29 15:39:40 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote in news:qk7gt1$aa7$2@dont-email.me:

    I gave up on bottling years ago. Found a good collection of corny kegs
    cheap or free over the years. Way easier to do it this way.

    If I had the kitchen space, I'd love to do it, but unfortunately I'd have
    to do something like ditch the dishwasher to make it work. Or stop storing much food in the fridge, but neither one is really an option.
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  • From Bob F@bobnospam@gmail.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Thu Aug 29 17:39:27 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    On 8/29/2019 8:39 AM, Baloonon wrote:
    Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote in news:qk7gt1$aa7$2@dont-email.me:

    I gave up on bottling years ago. Found a good collection of corny kegs
    cheap or free over the years. Way easier to do it this way.

    If I had the kitchen space, I'd love to do it, but unfortunately I'd have
    to do something like ditch the dishwasher to make it work. Or stop storing much food in the fridge, but neither one is really an option.


    I have the advantage of a basement and a convenient converted (
    thermostat) chest freezer.
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  • From Bill O'Meally@omeallymd@geemail.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Sun Sep 1 17:43:18 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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    On 2019-08-30 00:39:27 +0000, Bob F said:



    I have the advantage of a basement and a convenient converted (
    thermostat) chest freezer.


    I have problems with condensation in my converted freezer. I have tried
    the Eva Dry dehumidifier with silicon beads.

    https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/eva-dry-e-500-renewable-mini-dehumidifier/1043630059?skuId=43630059&&mrkgcl=609&mrkgadid=3253337228&rkg_id=0&enginename=google&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_outdoorutility_local&product_id=43630059&adtype=pla&product_channel=local&adpos=1o5&creative=232742511253&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_6J5kZHcYiBblYFq1d-gpTuDebAsk58PTnbDCkDCUcaaFYgKg8V70gaAt4oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds


    BTW, don't ever drop one of these puppies -- I'm still findings beads
    after a year.

    Even then, it did not work that great. Maybe I need to use 2 or three.
    Do you have this issue, and what do you do to keep inside of the the
    chest dry?
    --
    Bill O'Meally
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    <p class="p1">On 2019-08-30 00:39:27 +0000, Bob F said:</p>
    <p class="p2"><br></p>
    <p class="p3"><br></p>
    <p class="p4"><br></p>
    <p class="p5">I have the advantage of a basement and a convenient converted ( thermostat) chest freezer.</p>
    <p class="p6"><br></p>
    <p class="p7"><br></p>
    <p class="p8">I have problems with condensation in my converted freezer. I have tried the Eva Dry dehumidifier with silicon beads.</p>
    <p class="p7"><br></p>
    <p class="p9"><span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/eva-dry-e-500-renewable-mini-dehumidifier/1043630059?skuId=43630059&amp;&amp;mrkgcl=609&amp;mrkgadid=3253337228&amp;rkg_id=0&amp;enginename=google&amp;mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_outdoorutility_local&amp;product_id=43630059&amp;adtype=pla&amp;product_channel=local&amp;adpos=1o5&amp;creative=232742511253&amp;device=c&amp;matchtype=&amp;network=g&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_6J5kZHcYiBblYFq1d-gpTuDebAsk58PTnbDCkDCUcaaFYgKg8V70gaAt4oEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/eva-dry-e-500-renewable-mini-dehumidifier/1043630059?skuId=43630059&amp;&amp;mrkgcl=609&amp;mrkgadid=3253337228&amp;rkg_id=0&amp;enginename=google&amp;mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_outdoorutility_local&amp;product_id=43630059&amp;adtype=pla&amp;product_channel=local&amp;adpos=1o5&amp;creative=232742511253&amp;device=c&amp;matchtype=&amp;network=g&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw2K3rBRDiARIsAOFSW_6J5kZHcYiBblYFq1d-gpTuDebAsk58PTnbDCkDCUcaaFYgKg8V70gaAt4oEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds</a></span></p>
    <p class="p2"><br></p>
    <p class="p8">BTW, don't ever drop one of these puppies -- I'm still findings beads after a year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
    <p class="p7"><br></p>
    <p class="p8">Even then, it did not work that great. Maybe I need to use 2 or three. Do you have this issue, and what do you do to keep inside of the the chest dry?</p>
    <p class="p10">--<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
    <p class="p10">Bill O'Meally</p>
    </body>
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  • From Joerg@news@analogconsultants.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Tue Sep 3 07:12:10 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    On 2019-08-29 08:39, Baloonon wrote:
    Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote in news:qk7gt1$aa7$2@dont-email.me:

    I gave up on bottling years ago. Found a good collection of corny kegs
    cheap or free over the years. Way easier to do it this way.

    If I had the kitchen space, I'd love to do it, but unfortunately I'd have
    to do something like ditch the dishwasher to make it work. Or stop storing much food in the fridge, but neither one is really an option.


    Unless one isn't married. A client engineer ordered a major fridge for
    his kitchen. The Sears driver asked "So where should we put it?" ...
    "Just leave it there, first I have to drill some holes into it" ... "WHAT?!"

    If you find out what has or might have caused the infection let us know. Infection is a major concern for most brewers.

    --
    Regards, Joerg

    http://www.analogconsultants.com/
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  • From Baloonon@baloonon@hootmali.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Thu Sep 26 00:48:21 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com> wrote

    If you find out what has or might have caused the infection let us
    know. Infection is a major concern for most brewers.

    Based on pictures online I suspect it was a lacto bug, but I didn't do any serious investigation. After a hardcore cleaning effort of everything -- fermenters, spigots, hoses, bottles, etc. I brewed a pseudo-festbier. It
    just went into bottles and there were no visible signs of infection and nothing tasted or smelled off either, so I'm crossing my fingers.

    I soaked everything in an oxygen bleach solution, gently scrubbed where appropriate with a soft cloth, rinsed really carefully multiple times, then dosed with Star San. Then rinsed everything twice more and dosed again with Star San prior to bottling. That was probably overkill, but I figure it's better to cover my bases.
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  • From Joerg@news@analogconsultants.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Fri Sep 27 07:29:12 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    On 2019-09-25 17:48, Baloonon wrote:
    Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com> wrote

    If you find out what has or might have caused the infection let us
    know. Infection is a major concern for most brewers.

    Based on pictures online I suspect it was a lacto bug, but I didn't do any serious investigation. After a hardcore cleaning effort of everything -- fermenters, spigots, hoses, bottles, etc. I brewed a pseudo-festbier. It
    just went into bottles and there were no visible signs of infection and nothing tasted or smelled off either, so I'm crossing my fingers.


    That is a feared bacillus. Rumors have it that one Californian brewery
    had to close shop because they couldn't get rid of lacto after doing a
    batch of sour. Though it could be just that, rumors.


    I soaked everything in an oxygen bleach solution, gently scrubbed where appropriate with a soft cloth, rinsed really carefully multiple times, then dosed with Star San. Then rinsed everything twice more and dosed again with Star San prior to bottling. That was probably overkill, but I figure it's better to cover my bases.


    Thanks for the feedback. That was a good method to clean and sanitize. I always go a bit overboard with PBW and StarSan as well. Everything soaks
    and later the bottles are completely submerged in it for at least one
    minute instead of the internal shower spritz that many brewers use.

    So far in about 150 batches I only had one lone bottle of Cream Ale that tasted slightly funky. Now we are very rigorous in cleaning bottles
    after pouring. Cold rinse, hot rinse, boiling water plus a few granules
    of dishwasher powder, shake, let sit for at least 1h, dump, rinse
    several times, let dry. We cut open dishwasher powder pouches and empty
    them into a former medicine vial from which we sprinkle in the granules.

    --
    Regards, Joerg

    http://www.analogconsultants.com/
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  • From Baloonon@baloonon@hootmali.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Mon Oct 28 02:39:54 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com> wrote

    So far in about 150 batches I only had one lone bottle of Cream Ale
    that tasted slightly funky. Now we are very rigorous in cleaning
    bottles after pouring. Cold rinse, hot rinse, boiling water plus a few granules of dishwasher powder, shake, let sit for at least 1h, dump,
    rinse several times, let dry. We cut open dishwasher powder pouches
    and empty them into a former medicine vial from which we sprinkle in
    the granules.

    A month later and two batches post infection and so far, so good.

    I had a festbier that had somewhat low attenuation and I was a little
    worried that some hidden bugs might be lurking in my spigots or hoses, so I primed with less sugar than I might have, guarding against the possiblity
    of bottle bombs.

    But no, the priming came out what you'd expect for the reduced level of
    sugar, with no extra kick from lingering microorganisms. So, a little less carbing than you ideally want for the style, but still good. A following
    IPA seems to have turned out right on target.

    I have a fairly high ABV Porter in there now which will need more time to ferment than typical batches. I'm hoping that the infection is taken care
    of now.

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  • From Joerg@news@analogconsultants.com to rec.crafts.brewing on Wed Oct 30 06:59:11 2019
    From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.brewing

    On 2019-10-27 19:39, Baloonon wrote:
    Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com> wrote

    So far in about 150 batches I only had one lone bottle of Cream Ale
    that tasted slightly funky. Now we are very rigorous in cleaning
    bottles after pouring. Cold rinse, hot rinse, boiling water plus a few
    granules of dishwasher powder, shake, let sit for at least 1h, dump,
    rinse several times, let dry. We cut open dishwasher powder pouches
    and empty them into a former medicine vial from which we sprinkle in
    the granules.

    A month later and two batches post infection and so far, so good.

    I had a festbier that had somewhat low attenuation and I was a little
    worried that some hidden bugs might be lurking in my spigots or hoses, so I primed with less sugar than I might have, guarding against the possiblity
    of bottle bombs.

    But no, the priming came out what you'd expect for the reduced level of sugar, with no extra kick from lingering microorganisms. So, a little less carbing than you ideally want for the style, but still good. A following
    IPA seems to have turned out right on target.


    Excellent! You probably did a really good job scrubbing everything.


    I have a fairly high ABV Porter in there now which will need more time to ferment than typical batches. I'm hoping that the infection is taken care
    of now.


    Once the ABV reaches serious levels I guess the risk of infection
    becomes lower.

    I transferred a Barley Wine to secondary yesterday and it clocked in at
    1.028. Maybe the US-05 stalled out this time when the ABV reached its
    limit. I'll post separately, maybe someone has an idea.

    --
    Regards, Joerg

    http://www.analogconsultants.com/
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