Infection or Paranoia

Yesterday I racked my first brew (a red ale kit) from the primary to the secondary, when I opened the lid on the primary it was a thing of beauty just few bubbles left over from fermentation and it smelled great and tasted great. The transfer went great no mishaps but now 21 hours later I have some white spots in my secondary, these could just be groups of tiny bubbles like some have mentioned in other threads ( I hope so) My question is how long would it take mold to grow? my fermentation area is a constant 66 degrees and the beer has been in the secondary since 10am Friday Sept 30, last night at 10pm all was well, this morning Saturday OCT 1 at 7am I see the spots.

After racking to the secondary there was a little action in the fermentation lock, it burped once every 5 minutes or so last night, it burped once this morning while I was checking it but I didn't bother timing it.

Could mold show up this fast? Or do I need to relax and have a store bought brew at 9:30am

Relax for now. It sounds like little bubble clusters.

Agreed. Most likely little bubbles from the CO2 that was / is in solution coming to the surface.

Check them every day. If they start getting fuzzy on top...then worry!

Thanks guys, I only have one week invested in this brew but it would really be discouraging to lose my first batch. However I do have a backup plan, I just purchased another 5 gallon carboy and a IPA kit from my local brew shop, tomorrow is brew day!

Waldo, good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Well the spots haven't grown any bigger overnight, considering how fast they showed up if it were mold they should have covered the top by now.

Waldo said:

Well the spots haven't grown any bigger overnight, considering how fast they showed up if it were mold they should have covered the top by now.

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Either that, or the mold is growing downward into your beer.




























j/k....RDWHAHB.

Nope, not growing downward, some are close enough to the edge to see that they are only on the surface. I think I can relax now, the little white spots are breaking up most have bigger bubbles in the middle now confirming that they are just tiny gas bubbles, sure does give ya a scare when you see that in your beer.

Every thing is OK! these are absolutely tiny gas bubbles, its obvious now but when they first showed up they looked exactly like little patches of mold. Today most have broken up the ones that are left have bigger bubbles mixed in and are slowly disapearing.

This would all be easier if I just had some home brew to relax with, I'm looking at the second week of November for my first batch to be ready to sip.

Good to hear....

I am glad I found this. I am in the thrid day in the secondary of my first batch....a Brewer's Best Irish Red Ale. Last night I noticed small white spots on the surface of the beer in the secondary. Same exact thing. Boy am I releaved after reading this. :cross:

-Todd

I feel you pain or would that be feeling of DOOM. When they first showed up in my secondary I was certain they were spots of mold, when they first form you can't even tell their tiny bubbles not until a few days later when they breakup and bigger bubbles form.

Now for the really good news, I just fired up my new 4.9 cubic ft. nothing but beer fridge, no eggs, no bacon, no milk just beer and maybe some cheeze.

Yeah I had the exact same thing happen to me, tiny moldy white spots within 24 hours of the racking to secondary, but within a few days it was clear they were just bubbles.

I've seen some pictures of moldy beer... it's pretty obvious. I like to describe it as looking like some futuristic city resting on top of your beer. There are these big fuzzy balls of mold, connected by some mold superhighway looking things. It was quite interesting, but completely unlike anything I've ever seen in my beer.

Unless the spots are black or green/blue, or fuzzy, I won't worry about the crazy stuff that appears on the surface of fermenting beer.

Don't worry.

Hey guys,

I thought I woudl post this here, since its related to seeing little white spots. I brewed up a honey blonde batch a while back. After primary fermentation, I racked it to my secondary carboy where, until now, it has been sitting/ aging for probably the last 4-6 weeks (Ive been busy with school and havent had time to bottle/ keg it yet) Anyways, I took a look at it today, and I noticed several white spots/ dots floating on the surface of the carboy. Can anybody else help me guess as to what it might be? I'm going to guess mould, tho, the carboy was only opened once, with a metabisulfit-sterilized siphon, to take some out maybe 3 weeks ago to see how the flavour was comming along.
Can anyone help me confirm that it is most likely mould? As well, is this batch totaly lost, or can i still drink it if I just rack-off the top part with the white dots? Would be a shame to lose this now, ive waitin so long for it .
Thanks in advance!
D.

Brewmaster-D said:

Hey guys,

I thought I woudl post this here, since its related to seeing little white spots. I brewed up a honey blonde batch a while back. After primary fermentation, I racked it to my secondary carboy where, until now, it has been sitting/ aging for probably the last 4-6 weeks (Ive been busy with school and havent had time to bottle/ keg it yet) Anyways, I took a look at it today, and I noticed several white spots/ dots floating on the surface of the carboy. Can anybody else help me guess as to what it might be? I'm going to guess mould, tho, the carboy was only opened once, with a metabisulfit-sterilized siphon, to take some out maybe 3 weeks ago to see how the flavour was comming along.
Can anyone help me confirm that it is most likely mould? As well, is this batch totaly lost, or can i still drink it if I just rack-off the top part with the white dots? Would be a shame to lose this now, ive waitin so long for it .
Thanks in advance!
D.

Click to expand...

did you read the rest of this thread?????
those little white dots that are so scary are bubbles... clumps of flocculated yeast surrounded by bubbles...

hey
Yes sir, I did read the rest of the thread. However, what makes me think otherwise is the fact that its been aging, at about 50oF, for the last 6 weeks about, undisturbed in my cold cellar. Any yeast remaining would most likely have gone dormant long ago, no?

Brewmaster-D said:

hey
Yes sir, I did read the rest of the thread. However, what makes me think otherwise is the fact that its been aging, at about 50oF, for the last 6 weeks about, undisturbed in my cold cellar. Any yeast remaining would most likely have gone dormant long ago, no?

Click to expand...

unless you filter your beer, there's always gonna be some yeast in suspension...

if it's an infection, the white spots will get noticably bigger over the next few days and the beer will start to taste bad... that'll be your best indication.

FWIW, i bet it's not an infection...
good luck.

This NEVER works, but I gotta try one last time...
Your beer is ruined, send it to me for disposal....
Actually, it sounds like all the brews I make, haven't ruined one yet..
Drink up.