Strange White Film

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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krussader
Light Lager
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Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:59 pm

Strange White Film

Post by krussader »

Hey everyone,

Well I brewed a Raspberry Wit for Christmas. Standard Wit recipe, half wheat half grain. coriander and orange peel. Let the primary fermented go for a bit over a week. Puree'd the frozen raspberries with a bit of triple sec to kill anything living in them and then racked the wit on top of the raspberries. Let it sit for two weeks, racked again to remove the berries and then let it sit for another week or so. When it came to bottling there was a strange white film on the top of the carboy, I didn't think much of it since I know I sanitized everything and it did not at all look like mold. So i passed the beer through a nylon screen and now that they have sat for a week the film has reappeared.
Can anyone tell me what it is? Is it safe to drink?

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas,
kru
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Suthrncomfrt1884
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Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:39 am
Location: Rockford, Illinois

film

Post by Suthrncomfrt1884 »

It should be fine.

I've found that every time I've used wheat in a beer, I've gotten this film. Maybe that's not the exact reason, but it's never happened with any other batches other than wheat.

My only guess as to why this may happen is that with my wheat beers, I've racked to multiple vessels, as you have done. To me, this much oxygen exposure would maybe cause a contamination to the beer. If that is in fact the cause (most likely), then you probably won't taste the contamination. I just wouldn't let it sit for more than a few months before you drink it. You may have shortened your shelf life. My beer is always gone within a few weeks of bottles, so I never really worry about this.

Chocolate tends to do the same thing. When you use real chocolate, sometimes you'll get a brown film on glass.

I don't really think there's much you can do to make beer unsafe to drink. If you follow normal sanitizing and brewing techniques, you shouldn't have anything that will harm you. You may just have a beer you can't stand to drink.
Primary - Belgian Dubbel, Belgian IPA
Secondary - Cherry Lambic
Bottled - Bourbon Barrel Coffee Porter, Double Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Imperial Nut Brown, Apfelwein, American Amber Ale w/Homegrown Hops, Breakfast Stout
Kegged - Bass Clone, ESB
krussader
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:59 pm

Post by krussader »

Thanks! I'm going to crack open a bottle then.
Enjoy the season!
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