[itsjoao]

Hey guys,
i brewed an Irish Red Ale and it just finished carbonating. The strange thing is it has formed a thin white film layer on top. It doesn't smell, and it seems like the taste is ok. I've sanitized with 0,8% solution of Iodophor. Could it be a contamination? Should I dump the batch?


Thanks

[ynotbrusum]

That is a classic pellicle.  Did you use Brett in the recipe?  If not, you have some contamination going on there.  You can still drink it, but you left a lot of headspace it appears and that might have been the culprit.

[KellerBrauer]

Agreed - it is a pellicle.  I have had it before, and coincidentally, two of the three times it was in an Irish Red.  Unfortunately, it can’t be corrected.  I recommend cold crashing the beer after it’s been fully conditioned.  The pellicle may sink to the bottom.  Taste it and see how it goes.

My issue was caused from my white plastic “food grade” bottling bucket.  I have since changed to a big mouth bubbler with a bottling spigot.  Problem gone.

[klickitat jim]

Looks like a pelicle to me

[ethinson]

What was the prior use of that bottle? Clear embossed glass with a label still on it? I'm assuming a beer bottle? I've gotten to the point now where I'm real hesitant to reuse bottles, even my own blank bottles I buy from the store.  Just too many chances for bad bugs.

[yso191]

That is a classic pellicle.  Did you use Brett in the recipe?  If not, you have some contamination going on there.  You can still drink it, but you left a lot of headspace it appears and that might have been the culprit.

A humble correction: Bret is a yeast and will not develop a pellicle.

[klickitat jim]

That is a classic pellicle.  Did you use Brett in the recipe?  If not, you have some contamination going on there.  You can still drink it, but you left a lot of headspace it appears and that might have been the culprit.

A humble correction: Bret is a yeast and will not develop a pellicle.

You are probably correct, technically. But the few times I used Brett it developed a dusty bubbly film just like that. Not saying it's Brett, but it doesn't look like normal sac either

[James K]

I have had a pellicle form from using Brett. Specifically Brett B.
Even after bottling I have seen a pellicle form in the bottle from Brett B and from mix fermentation sours.

[kramerog]

Lacto can also form pellicle.

Absolutely do not dump without tasting first.  Even then if the contaminant is Brett, the flavor will change over time so you may get something "better."  Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so you may hate it, you may love it. 

[JT]

That is a classic pellicle.  Did you use Brett in the recipe?  If not, you have some contamination going on there.  You can still drink it, but you left a lot of headspace it appears and that might have been the culprit.

A humble correction: Bret is a yeast and will not develop a pellicle.

Brett is indeed a yeast but can definitely develop a pellicle.  In my experience, headspace and perhaps more importantly oxygen ingress play a role in pellicle development.
http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Brettanomyces

[ynotbrusum]

That is a classic pellicle.  Did you use Brett in the recipe?  If not, you have some contamination going on there.  You can still drink it, but you left a lot of headspace it appears and that might have been the culprit.

A humble correction: Bret is a yeast and will not develop a pellicle.

Brett is indeed a yeast but can definitely develop a pellicle.  In my experience, headspace and perhaps more importantly oxygen ingress play a role in pellicle development.
http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Brettanomyces

I have a wheat ale with prickly pear syrup in a glass carbon in my basement on a Brett Lambicus  pellicle at the moment.  I will keg it shortly and it looks very much like the OP’s photo.  If it isn’t technically a pellicle , then I stand corrected, but I would compare it to a Flanders pellicle, only lighter and thinner.

[majorvices]

Looks like brett for sure

[itsjoao]

The taste doesn't seem much different. It has a very subtle sourness in my opinion. But it smells good and it's drinkable. I have yet to find out if it messes my stomach up haha. I don't think I've mixed the priming sugar very well, and some bottles haven't carbonated enough and are completely fine

What could I do to avoid this in future batches? Something happened during bottling because fermentation went fine. Should I start leaving less headroom?

[yso191]

I'll just be quiet over here in the corner.

[rburrelli]

The taste doesn't seem much different. It has a very subtle sourness in my opinion. But it smells good and it's drinkable. I have yet to find out if it messes my stomach up haha. I don't think I've mixed the priming sugar very well, and some bottles haven't carbonated enough and are completely fine

What could I do to avoid this in future batches? Something happened during bottling because fermentation went fine. Should I start leaving less headroom?

An Irish Red should not have any type of sour taste to it. Someone asked abut your bottles.  What type are they and how did you clean them.  Yes to the headspace question.