I intend to bottle an amber ale today and went to double check final gravity and there was a pellicle. I used ringwood ale yeast and brewed two weeks ago. Last weekend it was at 1.012 and its still there despite the obvious infection. It tastes good and I plan on keeping it. Its faintly sour but not in a bad way. I think there is a sporting chance it could be delicious. I’m Deciding whether it’s okay to bottle today because the gravity is stable or if its still a risk of bottle bombs and maybe let it sit another week for the bugs to munch away.
If you don’t need the equipment right away then there’s no harm letting it ride and see what happens. If you start getting foul flavors then you should probably dump it. It’s extremely rare that an unpleasant off flavor shows up and then goes away. Brett can go through some weird flavor phases early on that will clean up but they are more funky weird than nail polish remover or other obvious beer faults. If you’re getting those they are usually there for good.
Just slight sour, nothing funky, nothing unpleasant or harsh. I’m thinking its Brett and hasn’t been long enough for any barnyard/funk. The pellicle looks the same as when I have pitched brett L.
I do have plenty other fermenters so I can let it ride. A bit bummed that I can’t save the yeast.
I wouldn’t risk bottling a beer with bugs at 1.012. Even if it looks stable it will likely eat off as much as 10 more points once the Brett (?) gets going.
Maybe it’s a happy accident anyways since Brett will eat up all that Ringwood diacetyl.
Some infections like acetobacter can be arrested if removed from the presence of o2 sicne they are aerobic. You could try bottle conditioning and keep a very close eye on it. There are also some beers such as Orval that are bottled with Brett so it is possible to bottle an “infected” beer without creating bottle bombs. Of course, I’d keep a very close eye on it.
Does acetobacter create a pellicle? My plan right now is to wait a week and see if the gravity moves and if it still tastes good.
It looks like a white webbing. Of course, it rarely travels alone.
Yes, I do believe acetobacter can produce a thin wispy pellicle. Are there any slight acetic acid (vinegar) aromas or flavors? Brett usually does not produce sourness on its own. If it is acetobacter, you can carefully rack from under the pellicle and package it. Just be sure to keep it cold and drink it quickly before the infection totally craps out your brew.
There are no vinegar flavors or aromas as of yet, and I was looking for them for sure.
It does have a web-like pellicle. I took today off because of the snow storm so I’m going to go ahead and bottle. Neither myself or my girlfriend detect vinegar aroma or taste yet but I remember that she had a couple friends over a few days before I brewed to teach them how to make fire cider. They were pouring quarts of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, mother and all, with relish and abandon. The gravity still hasn’t budged.