1. You need Untappd for Business. Get a demo, get a $25 gift card. It's that easy.
    Dismiss Notice

Fermenting in infected carboy

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by WeaponTheyFear, Feb 3, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. WeaponTheyFear

    WeaponTheyFear Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2008 Connecticut

    So I recently posted on here one of my beers has become infected in my carboy. As said in the thread the culprit may be from a thermowell used in a beer I pitched brett in. My question is, can I put wort in a previously infected carboy, without pitching yeast? Now I would wash the yeast cake from the previous beer but not sanitize. Or would it be better to wash the carboy in hot water, pitch a neutral yeast as normal and then let whatever bugs are in there go after the wort? I'm assuming the second method is better but I'm curious if anyone here has put their wort into an infected carboy to see what would happen.
     
    #1 WeaponTheyFear, Feb 3, 2014
  2. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,693) Jul 5, 2010 Maryland
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Personally, I'd carpet bomb everything with hot water, oxyclean, and starsan, start over with a beer that I didn't put too much money or effort into, and if it comes out free from infection, resume brewing as normal.
     
    #2 MrOH, Feb 3, 2014
    bgjohnston likes this.
  3. WeaponTheyFear

    WeaponTheyFear Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2008 Connecticut

    I have enough free carboys to do that I was just curious if anyway has ever put their wort into a purposely infected carboy without pitching any outside yeast. I am definitely going to leave my infected carboy for wild ales even after sanitizing but my curiosity had me wondering.
     
    #3 WeaponTheyFear, Feb 3, 2014
  4. bgjohnston

    bgjohnston Initiate (0) Jan 14, 2009 Connecticut

    I have a lambic barrel, and part of the idea there is to have bugs that will work on every batch of beer I put in there from now on.

    Did the beer that got accidentally infected taste good? That would be my guide as to whether to perpetuate it into a new batch of wort.

    Otherwise, I'm with Mr. Oh on this one. Clean, sanitize, start over.
     
    #4 bgjohnston, Feb 3, 2014
  5. bgjohnston

    bgjohnston Initiate (0) Jan 14, 2009 Connecticut

    I should add that in prepping that barrel, I went to a lot of effort to clean and sanitize it as best I could, then introduced a generous pitch of the bugs I knew I wanted to take over in the barrel. I think re-pitching on a cake would get you the amount you need, but you still have to decide if it will make what you want.
     
    #5 bgjohnston, Feb 3, 2014
  6. mattbk

    mattbk Savant (1,111) Dec 12, 2011 New York

    If you clean it thoroughly without sanitizing you would probably not have enough critters in there to fully ferment an entire batch of beer. That is, you will be massively underpitching and you will likely get an underattenuated AND infected beer. Maybe not the best recipe for success.
     
    #6 mattbk, Feb 3, 2014
  7. WeaponTheyFear

    WeaponTheyFear Initiate (0) Mar 9, 2008 Connecticut

    That's pretty much what I figured. Thanks for the help guys.
     
    #7 WeaponTheyFear, Feb 3, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.