HELP.WHITE FILM ON BREW.

[Titanium Tone]

Hi all,
I have a Milestones Black Pearl in the fv in the garage at a constant 21. I checked it on saturday and all looked well GRAVITY10.20. I have just been out to take another look and it has a white film on the top if i blow it it opens up and the brew looks fine underneath GRAVITY still 10.20. The best way i can explain what it looks like is after painting with gloss paint you wash the brush out with turps and you get a white film. Any ideas anyone this is the first time this has happened in 30 + brews. Thanks in advance TT.

[EoinMag]

Taste it, I have that from time to time, but it was only a problem one time because it was a lacto infection and the brew was sour, if it's not sour then it's just fermentation. If it's not sour or dreadful tasting then it'll be fine.

[Titanium Tone]

Thank's EoinMag,
It tastes fine so let's hope it stay's that way. TT.

[Operator]

Every brew looks a little different so I would not worry too much. I would not blow on it to see the beer underneath though, that is more likely to cause an infection. If you need to look use a sterilised paddle, when inital fermentation has died down I chuck a sterilised hydrometer in and leave so I can check every time I need to. Wash your hands and give it a swirl and you can see your beer and check the gravity.

[beery]

Hi there TT,

Just had to register when i saw your post.been a long time lurker (2 years).

Do you get a vinegar smell now when you open FV lid.

If no , then its probably as said , just a by-product of fermentation.

If yes ,dont panic, all is not lost.

Yesterday i opened one of my 2 FVs to check hydro reading and see if ready for bottling. Brew has been on for 10 days and this is first opening of FV. SNOT laying on surface (this is what film will look like if left to grow). No smell at first because of CO2 blanket. Smell again 2 mins later - vinegar.

This is the fourth brew in a row to become infected for me.

Its the aqua heaters. The beer has passed through the rubber sealing bung and gone inside the heater and has become infected and is coming back out and reinfecting beer even after sealing up top of heater using fish/food grade silicone.

So both heaters are now replaced and am currently sticking pins in them trying my best to torture them.

But all is not lost. I have bottled and drank the 3 previous infected brews and they were fine.

If your FV has a tap fitted and you bottle /keg straight from it, the film will cling to inside walls of FV as it empties and beer will be fine.

So to sum-up,
do not stir or blow or disturb beer. I see you may have stuck fermentation, if reading does not change in next 48 hours from O.P. then bottle/keg and try a sample in 2 weeks time. I bet it will be fine.

Seeing as this is my first post may i say a Very Big THANK YOU to Jim for hosting "probably" the worlds best homemade hooch forum and thank you to all you regular posters. Through this forum i have learnt to make really nice infected beer

[EoinMag]

I have to admit the one brew I did have which was infected was undrinkable, sour and awful stout, but it makes a really good beer bread....so all is not lost, I'm just getting the wife to use it up making beer bread, which is delicious by the way.

[wgardner]

I had the exact same thing a couple of months ago and it was fine! Some people on here said it could be better to drink sooner rather than later.