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« on: June 06, 2013, 02:50:58 AM »
OK Guys this one has me scratching my head.
I use a 26 cu foot chest freezer with a Johnson controller for my fermentation chamber. A while back I was making a few batches of various lagers (four in total) and had them fermenting in the chest freezer. I got lazy for a couple of these beers and didn't make yeast starters. As a result the beer, all the beer, got horribly infected, lactobacter most likely. OK flash forward a few months and I placed another couple of beers in the freezer and they also got infected.
I suspected a sanitation issue. I tore down all my equipment and scrubbed, pbw'd, and star sanned everything. I use a blichmann thermonator plate chiller and I pumped pbw at 150 deg thru it for about four hours. Then cooked it at 350 deg in the oven and pumped pbw back thru it. Then I soaked it in star san for an hour.
I made another couple of batches and didn't place them in the freezer. No issues. Then I made a run of the mill ESB, a recipe I have brewed dozens of times with no issues and placed the beer in the freezer and viola infection. The ESB was pitched with dry yeast that was rehydrated exactly as specified by the directions.
Here's the question can a freezer harbor a lactobacter infection and if so how do you get ride of it?
Thanks
pat