2nd ag brew gone wrong - help please

[danb]

after throwing the first ag brew away from coming out the pins with a strong smell of plastic down to the pins I was using.
just gone to rack my 2nd ag brew and lifted the lid to a nasty surprise. im not sure what it is or why it has happened. but the a thick lumpy white layer across the top of the beer and a really off smell.
the lid hasn't been lifted daily to peek at only looked for a split second a few days when I took a gravity reading and tasted some from the trial jar to see if it had the same wrong taste as the first brew.
im getting a bit disheartened with ag brewing now needing to throw the second brew away. any ideas and help of what could have caused this problem and what it is would be great.
thanks

 

[calumscott]

Well you're right, that looks like it's gone pretty wrong...

...I've no idea what it is though, I haven't seen that before. How long was it since you last looked in/sampled? In other words how long has it taken that to grow?

 

[danb]

4 or 5 days ago I looked. the fv has been used numerous times without problem. I cleaned it with oxy clean then rinsed then sterilised with bleach and rinsed well. should I risk tasting it or just get rid. from a search on google a lot of people on other forums say its fine but im not so sure.

 

[calumscott]

:hmm: Like I say I've never seen one like that, it almost looks like fat doesn't it?

I would definitely taste the beer before deciding to chuck it or not - it might be rank but it (probably) won't kill you.

How long has it been fermenting?

 

[danb]

the missus said it looked like fat too. it was brewed on the 17th. so 17 days ago.

 

[danb]

ive just poured some off from the tap and it smells weird but doesn't taste bad and isn't sour. although im not actually sure what its meant to taste like.

 

[calumscott]

So it's done nearly a fortnight and looked OK then gone like that over the last few days...

That does sound infection like but its a strange looking formation for something that's grown. The speed of it suggests bacteria.

If it's tasting OK then assume it's OK for now and carry on - no point in chucking it if it isn't obviously off.

Just do a *serious* sterilising job on that bucket for the next one. :thumb:

 

[danb]

will do im going to bag it up tomorrow and see how it goes and after those trial sips from the pint glass its nearly empty now from repeated checks. after 10 minutes or so in the glass the smell has near enough gone and taste is really good. and from reviews of the original its very much the same. will give it a soak in hot strong oxy solution then will soak in a strongish bleach solution then rinse thoroughly and use videne prior to filling again.

 

[Eli_D]

Hey,
I'd say don't panic.

If it tastes ok it's probably fine.
I've had a couple of brews where clumps of yeast on top looked dodgy but we're completely fine.

The oily look might just be hop oils.

 

[danb]

im going to transfer to pins this morning but going to use a piece of tube from the tap instead of disturbing the stuff on top.

 

[pittsy]

To be on the safe side i would give everything a super clean before brewing again and throw away any tubes that have gone discoloured and have a look at your sterilising process , how good is your cleaning ,your equipment and what do you use for sterilising too . This brew may be ok but infection is what would be in my thoughts here.

 

[jonnymorris]

Looks like a brett infection IMHO. Either way, I think you may have lost this one. I'm surprised it tastes OK.

 

[choobs]

Looks like a brett infection to me too. Horsey / leathery smell?

J

 

[danb]

it smelt very strong like the gas coming out when taking a whiff when fermenting. ive racked it from below and keeping them cold and will drink quite quickly.