This isn't going to kill me is it?

Greetings All,
This is my first post and my 3rd homebrew.
• Started a Kilkenney clone on Monday the 7th.
• Y1084, Pitched @ ~68-70 deg.F but he pack had been at room temperature and had been smacked four hours earlier and there was very little if any signs that it was coming to life which worried me. By the way it was my first liquid yeast trial.
• Placed Fermentor in cooler filled with H2O with a plan to control the fermentation temperature to stay ~ 62-65 deg.F.
• Kept temperature to more like 60 with short dips below that.
• No fermentation on day1, or 2, or 3, or 4. But I did notice a couple nickel sized blue/green floaters on to of the wort. This if Friday night. I pull the Fermentor from the cooler and just set it aside. Figuring to dump it the next day since it has what appears to be to me and others mold on top of the wort. I did however open the top and smelled it and it smelt great! ????
• Went to my LHBS in the morning and got some more supplies, Whites P004 and some more DME.
• Brewed up anew batch basically the same way except I’m keeping/kept the temperature @~68 deg F. By Sunday afternoon it is fermenting beautifully. (I think I put the yeast to sleep or shock them)
• The original batch (during the night between Sat. and Sun.) comes to LIFE and starts working like a mad dog. (I left the airlock in place) and as of this morning is slowing down and looking quite good…. Except for those 2 spots of mold!

So here is my plan:
I have my full 5 gal of the new batch and it looks good… so I will have beer no matter what. This weekend I’m going to transfer the original “Suspect” batch to secondary but only about 3-4 gallons of it so that I stay away from the mold on top. I will taste it and if it seems OK I will continue on towards bottling. SO here are my questions:
Am I crazy trying to save the infected batch since I have another going?
Am I going to die or at least feel the effects of this brew when I taste it during the transfer to secondary?
What do you think happened?

First of all, get your a hydrometer. They are inexpensive, and they tell you alot about what is going on in your beer. For example , you could have pulled a hydrometer sample and determined if your first beer was fermenting.

Good news is that is sounds like you were keeping that first beer too cold for optimum fermentation. All should be well now that you have warmed it up.

Are you sure it is mold in your first beer? It could have been the yeast, they sometime make some weird particles in your fermenting beer. Either way, you can rack the beer away from the "mold" if you want. Don't pitch that first beer unless you are TOTALLY POSITIVE is is ruined, not just because you "think" its infected. Even if it is mold it isn't going to kill you.

In other words: RDWHAHB...ps...where in upstate are you?

This is exactly why you should make starters. It ensures you have good healthy yeast ready to go.

The mold isn't an issue. It can be skimmed off the top and thrown out. As far as your fermentation starting 5 days later...it worries me. You really never know what started the fermentation. It's possible it was too cold depending on the yeast. Was it the original yeast, or was it wild yeast that kicked it up though? Either way....don't throw it out. Taste it (it's not going to kill you), if it doesn't taste nasty, bottle it up. Just MAKE SURE your F.G. stays the same for at least 3 days before bottling. You don't want bottle bombs, and with wild yeast, you can never be too safe.

I live near the PA border near Elmira.

I will get a hydrometer.

The mold looks just like the stuff in the bottom of an old beer bottle. It floated and stayed intact on top of the krausen.

What color, shape, and size was the "mold" you're talking about?

McD said:

I live near the PA border near Elmira.

I will get a hydrometer.

The mold looks just like the stuff in the bottom of an old beer bottle. It floated and stayed intact on top of the krausen.

Click to expand...

unless it was literally fuzzy or with threads coming out it is probably just top cropping yeast.

I'll get a picture tonight.