This doesn't look right...

I'm pretty good with sanitary practices, but this doesn't look right and I'm concerned I've got some baddies growing. This is about a week after racking a raspberry mead to secondary after about 9 weeks in primary. This doesn't look like fermentation to me, but I'm new to mead, and the bubbler's not moving.

It looks ok at this point- but you've got WAY too much headspace there! It needs to be racked ASAP to the correct sized carboy and topped up.

OK. It's gotten bubblier and filmy-er. Still think it's alright? Is that fermentation? Looks nasty, my other batch I just started is bubbling like crazy and had similar, but less filmy bubbles, but it's also a diff yeast. I just have no clue.

I don't have an appropriate size carboy, but was thinking I could put it in a keg and burp out the air w/ low pressure co2? Same thing right?

Sorry, no, that's infected you could just let it ride and make a sour, what kind of beer is it?


Sent from the Commune

Well, as wrong as this stuff looked, I took your advice and racked to remove headspace It's in a SS keg with nothing but CO2 at a very low pressure. Hoping for the best.

While racking the film was even more apparent, so I racked very meticulously, and conservatively making sure not to get mead from near the top. I put some potassium sorbate in there, so if I open it up in a few months and there is film, I'll know it's not something I wanna drink.

It's a major infection, and pretty much ruined. Sorry.

The headspace killed it.

Just saw duboman’s post...hadn't refreshed. Yeah... Was afraid of that but I'm gonna see where it's at in a month and decide to toss or what then.

It's a raspberry melomel, aka mead.

Yooper said:

It's a major infection, and pretty much ruined. Sorry.

The headspace killed it.

Click to expand...

Yeah ~80 bucks down the drain. aaaarrrrgh.

Lesson learned I guess, but that's what I get for not doing research first. My next batch is already started, if that doesn't work out I'm going back to ales....

Sorry. Don't give up, but pay attension to the details.

Sooooo, is this too much head space for primary?

No, not for primary. You don't even need an airlock for primary as you want to get the c02 out and oxygen in (see the sticky on degassing in the "what I learned at NHC thread at the top of this forum). However, once fermentation slows down, then it needs to be taken care of by having reduced headspace and an intact airlock.