Show Us Your Infection

[fizzix]

Irish, that's a mash ready for the boiler.
Doesn't invoke a household mold look. The last batch had this, too, and the distillate
carried over the floral taste that I hope subsides on the spirit run. Overwhelming at times.

If worse comes to worse, I'll reflux it and run through the carbon tower for a neutral.

Sanitizing all my buckets & tools with Star-San to get rid of it for future work.

[8Ball]

IDK generally these notes are nice in rum but whenever I let the lacto ferment go on my whiskey I'm not a fan. I'll let folks with more whiskey experience chime in tho.

ElCubanazo,
After running my lacto infected whiskey, I agree that I’m not a fan of the taste — yet. Maybe I’ll change my mind after it ages for a year or more. Going to let it sit and just taste test every now and then.

8B

[fizzix]

The sawdust infection ruined the corn/2-row, but the rye seems to have benefitted from it!
The powerful deep rye flavor is complimented by the sweet floral infection.

[8Ball]

This is my lacto.
All malt (barley & a little rye).
Step mashed. Didn’t go over 149F. Did a natural cool down overnight to 79.8F.
OG was 1.069 & pH 5.51.
Used FermPro921 & Bakers yeasts. 7 grams each and mash was at the 8G mark.
Day 2, checked and temp was 102.7F with a good cap.
Worried about stressing yeast so switched to open ferment (for natural cooling) with a nylon bug screen. Left town for a few days and came back to this.
The current SG is 1.0088, pH 3.75, 88.9F, and about 7.7% abv. Very slight baby puke/sour milk, cheesy smell.
Still bubbling.
Removed the oyster shell sock.
Put the cooler lid back on.
Gonna run it in a day or two.

[8Ball]

Updated to show how it progressed overnight.

[Durhommer]

Why'd this thread die

[Durhommer]

Here's my latest. Was a beautiful lacto, I raised the temp to get the yeast to fire back up, it did not. Killed the heat, lacto came back.

This is my Double Lacto Candy Bear.

img20161104_194357.jpg

I have a single malt with this Infection on it did you siphon under the infection or remove it

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

4 years ago, hard to remember. Most likely siphoned under it, but it usually mixes up into eventually, anyway. Doesn't matter. Either way.

[Durhommer]

Thanks I have a thread cap punch going right now and the mash in question is that one

[Durhommer]

Sorry scd you answered already

[GreenEnvy22]

I had my first infection. I had a 4 grain mash, fermenting on grain. After about 3 weeks, fermentation had stalled at 1.020 (started 1.068). I tried to get it going again but no good. I didn't get to press it off the grains for another week, when i did go to get it, I found this:

Pressed it off the grains today, I have 17 gallons now at about 6-6.5% alcohol. Will let it settle for a few days then do a stripping run.

I was purposely lax with sanitation on this one, wanted to see what would happen. I've been brewing and winemaking for several years, and now distilling for 1 year, and this is the first infection I've had.
Will be interested to see how this comes out.

[8Ball]

I had my first infection. I had a 4 grain mash, fermenting on grain. After about 3 weeks, fermentation had stalled at 1.020 (started 1.068). I tried to get it going again but no good. I didn't get to press it off the grains for another week, when i did go to get it, I found this:

IMG_20210222_191326.jpg

Pressed it off the grains today, I have 17 gallons now at about 6-6.5% alcohol. Will let it settle for a few days then do a stripping run.

I was purposely lax with sanitation on this one, wanted to see what would happen. I've been brewing and winemaking for several years, and now distilling for 1 year, and this is the first infection I've had.
Will be interested to see how this comes out.

Was the 1.020 reading corrected for alcohol present?? Sounds like it was finished either way.

[GreenEnvy22]

1.020 was with a hydrometer, so shouldn't need to correct anything. I'll check again once it settles out, incase it was some particulate causing a false reading.

[8Ball]

1.020 was with a hydrometer, so shouldn't need to correct anything. I'll check again once it settles out, incase it was some particulate causing a false reading.

It was finished.

[Deplorable]

I had my first infection. I had a 4 grain mash, fermenting on grain. After about 3 weeks, fermentation had stalled at 1.020 (started 1.068). I tried to get it going again but no good. I didn't get to press it off the grains for another week, when i did go to get it, I found this:

IMG_20210222_191326.jpg

Pressed it off the grains today, I have 17 gallons now at about 6-6.5% alcohol. Will let it settle for a few days then do a stripping run.

I was purposely lax with sanitation on this one, wanted to see what would happen. I've been brewing and winemaking for several years, and now distilling for 1 year, and this is the first infection I've had.
Will be interested to see how this comes out.

that looks like a wheel of Cemembert cheese. with blisters. I bet thats gonna make a tastey drop.

[tiramisu]

I have to say that these Live infections make me quite nervous.
I believe you are getting more "complex" flavors but it makes me wonder what you get along with the flavors.

[Deplorable]

First infection after about 14 ferments intended for distilling. TSC whole corn hand milled. 25 gallon mash with bakers yeast, 50# corn 1.064 to .998. Infection didn't come on until after I squeezed the grains and the beer was clearing for a week. Smells like very ripe bananas. Going to let this progress and watch it. I plan to strip it this weekend, but if I don't like where it heads, I may take a sick day and run it.

This is the first time I was a little lax, and didn't spray down the fermenter with star san right before use, but it likely came with the TSC corn.

[bluc]

I had a thick cottage cheese like blanket on my corn liker backset. I used every drop should be ready in another week. Smelled like tropical fruit.
Interested to see how it ends up. Next time will get a pic.

[Hannibbl]

Any help would be appreciated to identify whatever I got going on here. Originally I thought it was lacto because my mash tasted sour.

All grain 65lbs corn,18lbs malted wheat, 16lbs malted barley
Has a slight “puke” smell but isn’t overwhelming, so I am assuming it’s butyric acid. But I was under the impression that this usually happens at the very start of fermentation. All of these bad smells started happening after I hit .990 sg. I squeezed all the grains off and put into another barrel. Smell is still there 2 days later.

Does butyric acid taste bad? The wash still tastes like sour beer. This is a picture as it looks presently. Bright yellow bubbles, after all the grain has been strained out.

[Deplorable]

If it smells like puke, wait until it changes to pineapple before you run it.
Here's my lacto infection that took off on a bucket of forgotten custard from the last ferment. I'm going to inoculate this current ferment with it after I squeeze it for clearing.

[Stonecutter]

Am happy to see the progress on this one Deplorable. Has it “changed” yet? I also welcome a little infection. Hey man…if you’re going to let the yeast have a party you can’t be upset with some of the questionables stopping bye.

[Deplorable]

Am happy to see the progress on this one Deplorable. Has it “changed” yet? I also welcome a little infection. Hey man…if you’re going to let the yeast have a party you can’t be upset with some of the questionables stopping bye.

It's holding steady. I'll be squeezing this current ferment next weekend, then inoculate it with this infected beer to sit until at least the weekend of the fourth of July before I strip it, spirit run, chose cuts and blend it with the other HBB. Then drain a barrel and refill it.

[bcook608]

My most beautiful lacto yet. Been culturing this one

20180613_173051.jpg

20180613_173043.jpg

Wow! That's a beauty!
I almost want to have it printed to hang on the wall of my stillin room!

So how does one go about inducing a lacto infection where one hasn't happened naturally yet? Or do I just need to wait until I get "lucky"?

[Deplorable]

My most beautiful lacto yet. Been culturing this one

20180613_173051.jpg

20180613_173043.jpg

Wow! That's a beauty!
I almost want to have it printed to hang on the wall of my stillin room!

So how does one go about inducing a lacto infection where one hasn't happened naturally yet? Or do I just need to wait until I get "lucky"?

You can buy the culture, or you can make it yourself. There are videos. Its common to find on malted barley, and you can grow it from the grains. get a culture going, and inoculate a bucket of wert or finished distillers beer. The one I posted above set in on a forgotten bucket of trub that I had racked off of for a stripping run. I pulled the lid and that's what greeted me. Im going to try to keep some alive in a jar and step feed it using wert from a DME and see if I can maintain it.

[bcook608]

My most beautiful lacto yet. Been culturing this one

20180613_173051.jpg

20180613_173043.jpg

Wow! That's a beauty!
I almost want to have it printed to hang on the wall of my stillin room!

So how does one go about inducing a lacto infection where one hasn't happened naturally yet? Or do I just need to wait until I get "lucky"?

You can buy the culture, or you can make it yourself. There are videos. Its common to find on malted barley, and you can grow it from the grains. get a culture going, and inoculate a bucket of wert or finished distillers beer. The one I posted above set in on a forgotten bucket of trub that I had racked off of for a stripping run. I pulled the lid and that's what greeted me. Im going to try to keep some alive in a jar and step feed it using wert from a DME and see if I can maintain it.

Thanks for the information! Just so I'm looking for the right culture, it's lactobacillus, right?

[Deplorable]

My most beautiful lacto yet. Been culturing this one

20180613_173051.jpg

20180613_173043.jpg

Wow! That's a beauty!
I almost want to have it printed to hang on the wall of my stillin room!

So how does one go about inducing a lacto infection where one hasn't happened naturally yet? Or do I just need to wait until I get "lucky"?

You can buy the culture, or you can make it yourself. There are videos. Its common to find on malted barley, and you can grow it from the grains. get a culture going, and inoculate a bucket of wert or finished distillers beer. The one I posted above set in on a forgotten bucket of trub that I had racked off of for a stripping run. I pulled the lid and that's what greeted me. Im going to try to keep some alive in a jar and step feed it using wert from a DME and see if I can maintain it.

Thanks for the information! Just so I'm looking for the right culture, it's lactobacillus, right?

yep

[Hannibbl]

Check this bad boy out. See my previous picture for what it looked like a week ago.

cid:ACFC60E0-FE73-4128-B140-AF0178965C02

[bcook608]

Well, the universe must have been listening to our discussion about a lacto infection.
I went to check on my 6th generation UJSSM and found this and it's beautiful:

There were also a very small amount of tiny fly larvae around the stocking that I hang from the side of the barrel, I assume that those won't cause any harm other than being "gross" to see in my bedroom I'm sure if I clean them up before they have a chance to multiply they won't be a big issue other than with SWMBO.

[Ben]

Flies won't survive the distillation nice infection though, bet it smells delicious!

[bcook608]

Flies won't survive the distillation nice infection though, bet it smells delicious!

It sure does! I'm looking forward to seeing the difference in the flavor profile!