What's this green crap?!?!

The Dreaded Goo
Additionally, some but not all elderberries may emit a greenish substance during fermentation. This goo coats the walls of your primary vessel and defies conventional clean-up strategies. It is referred to by various unkind names, but “elderberry goo” or “gunk” are the commonly used names we can print here. It is believed this substance originates from the stems of the berries, but this author has encountered it when no stems were present. This leads to the second theory that the goo is really the bluish waxy coating found on several species, but especially the Blue Elder. The jury, however, is still out on this theory.

The goo cannot be cleaned with water or soap or cleansers or solvents or spirits. However, it is easily cut with vegetable oil and cleanly wiped from the primary. The oil is then washed away with a liquid soap containing a degreaser. Rinse well and then sanitize with sulfite solution.

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