4 replies to this topic

[rockon]

So, last Sunday, I finally got around to racking the New Start Community brew to kegs. I had brewed ten gallons of this, and had split it into 2 Better Bottle fermentors that I always use. After I racked, I stupidly forgot about the fermentors and didn't clean them until Tuesday. When I went to clean them, one of them had a bit of a white film and the walls of the now empty BB. When I took the airlock off (I had replaced it after racking), I got a STRONG odor that smelled to me like nail polish remover. I didn't notice any odor when I was racking the beer. FG was 1.008, so that was in the ballpark.Does anyone know what this is?Also, do you think I could have picked up this infection after I racked, and the beer itself will be okay? I haven't really drank any yet, as it is not fully carbed yet, but I did take a pull out of one of the kegs last night, and it seemed fine. I didn't check which keg that pull was from, though, so it could have been the other carbouy.In about nine years, I've never had an infection that I've noticed except for one batch that was caused by old/reused yeast. This is kind of a new thing, so I'm wondering what I'll have to do to get rid of this infection.

[davelew]

What temperature were the empty fermenters at? It's possible that you just had yeast digesting the dregs, and creating more higher alcohols at the higher temperatures.Also, was it more nail polish remove, or was it a vinegar smell? I get a similar sharpness from both aromas.

So, last Sunday, I finally got around to racking the New Start Community brew to kegs. I had brewed ten gallons of this, and had split it into 2 Better Bottle fermentors that I always use. After I racked, I stupidly forgot about the fermentors and didn't clean them until Tuesday. When I went to clean them, one of them had a bit of a white film and the walls of the now empty BB. When I took the airlock off (I had replaced it after racking), I got a STRONG odor that smelled to me like nail polish remover. I didn't notice any odor when I was racking the beer. FG was 1.008, so that was in the ballpark.Does anyone know what this is?Also, do you think I could have picked up this infection after I racked, and the beer itself will be okay? I haven't really drank any yet, as it is not fully carbed yet, but I did take a pull out of one of the kegs last night, and it seemed fine. I didn't check which keg that pull was from, though, so it could have been the other carbouy.In about nine years, I've never had an infection that I've noticed except for one batch that was caused by old/reused yeast. This is kind of a new thing, so I'm wondering what I'll have to do to get rid of this infection.

[rockon]

What temperature were the empty fermenters at? It's possible that you just had yeast digesting the dregs, and creating more higher alcohols at the higher temperatures.Also, was it more nail polish remove, or was it a vinegar smell? I get a similar sharpness from both aromas.

They were more or less at room temp. They were still out in the garage in the freezer I use for controlling ferment temps. I shut off the temp control after I racked to the kegs, and the freezer door was open a few inches. I'd say the warmest they could have got is probably about 75°.To me it smelled like nail polich or remover or acetone more than a vinegar type smell. I hope this was just the yeast working on the dregs. What worried me is it only happened in one out of two of the better bottles

[rockon]

Bump.Well, the first keg I tried seems fine, but I haven't checked the second. Nobody knows of a type of infection that could smell like nail polish?

[ANUSTART]

Wikipedia says acetone can be made by fermentation:

Older production methodsPreviously, acetone was produced by the dry distillation of acetates, for example calcium acetate. During World War I acetone was produced via bacterial fermentation, as developed by Chaim Weizmann (later the first president of Israel) in order to help the British war effort.[2] This Acetone Butanol Ethanol process was abandoned due to the small yields.[2]

So I guess it could be bacteria. Probably from the freezer after you racked. Who knows why it was only in one of them, maybe more dregs in one vs the other? Maybe it was closer to the bacteria source?