Bad Yeast

[GettinSquare]

Well I suspect the yeast was bad, comments/wisdome welcome.

I prepaired wort as usual to be fermented @ 10C in the fridge as I have done on many occasions before, pitched the SAF Lager yeast and about 36 hours later went away for the week. When I came back and opened the fridge the airlock was bubbling and I noticed an off smell, but it wasn't so bad as to concern me. Next day I was going to rack the brew but discovered this.


http://img292.echo.cx/my.php?image=badbrew7vr.jpg



I didn't get the yeast from my usual supplier and didn't notice the used by date and I chucked the packet in the bin. I suspect the yeast was no good and after a few days infection set in. Does this sound like the probable cause?

[brewmonkey]

While an infection during fermentation is possible I must say that does not look like an infection. It looks more like trub that made it into primary and has risen to the surface, forced there by CO2 evolution from the yeast at the bottom of the fermenter.

I am interested in knowing what the aroma you noticed was like. It could help us pinpoint the problem.

[GettinSquare]

The aroma was sour, hard to describe, but again not so far from fermenting beer. It was the green color that really did it for me.

[brewmonkey]

The green looks like chunks of hop residue to me, not an infection.

[HogieWan]

I was going to say it looks like hop pellets

[HarkJohnny]

IMHO carbonation makes all the difference in the world with a beer. Run your usual course with it... then bottle or keg it and carb it up... see what happens!

p.s. if you're worried, skim the top off and go from there.

[Spicoli]

I just pitched a WLP810 SF Lager on Friday night. I have had it in my chest freezer fermenting at 60 degrees. I opened the freezer today, stuck my head in and almost fell over. I think you get a super strong odor if you don't open the door as much. All that CO2 just gets trapped and the fermenting smell is out of control. The green definately looks like hops to me. I use to get a bunch of hops in primary before the use of a Bazooka screen. The crausen would rise with hops on top of the foam and settle back down to look just like your pic. Don't worry run with it.

[Binko]

Originally posted by GettinSquare
The aroma was sour, hard to describe, but again not so far from fermenting beer.

The smell right out of the primary isn't necessarily a good thing to go by. I've had several batches that nearly knocked me to the floor with the sheer concentration of alcohol fumes and yeast. Some even smelled noticeably sour and lactic coming out of the primary--a bit like an oude geueze--but by bottling time had settled down fine.

And, yeah, the green looks like hops to me.