I ruined it...

Went to replace the blowoff on a belgian pale I brewed and sucked back some of the starsan into the fermenter (approx 1-2oz). Bad news is that I found some mold growing in the bottom of the jar I had the starsan in. I'm super pissed, that was going to be a really good brew. Now its not anything but poison. Lesson learned but I really am heated about this. Needed to vent, end rant.

How long did it ferment? Maybe it will fight the mold off.

I'm failing to see where the issue is here.

I had no idea mold could grow in starsan! How old was the starsan? Are you sure it was mold and not blow-off material?

TyTanium said:

I'm failing to see where the issue is here.

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Same here. I bet it's fine. I bet you either sucked up blowoff gunk or some starsan sediment. Nothing to worry about.

I really doubt it's mold. Oxygen is required for mold growth and I've never seen mold grow on the bottom of any liquid. Probably just yeast gunk, you'll be fine.

Mold growing in starsan? Do you have photos?

Wish I did, I could be over reacting but it was older starsan (maybe three weeks) and I failed to see any blow off make it to the jar. I hope to God it's alright, gonna stick it out and see how it goes. Thanks guys.

Only need to react if the beer actually is infected...and even then, wait and see.

If there's a chance it could be infected...relax, because probability wise, it's not.

When I dump out old starsan, there's a layer of whitish gunk at the bottom. Just harmless sediment.

Gunk wasn't white, it was acutally a brown color and clumped in one spot like mold or bacteria. I have been cutting a lot of lumber in the garage lately so maybe it was just some saw dust. Won't know for a while i guess.

That sounds like yeast gunk. Even if you did suck in some mold, not likely but not impossible, the alcohol in the fermenting beer would either retard the mold's growth or kill it. In my opinion, you're fine.

I would think starsan would have already killed it if it was mold, and at that point it might even work as yeast nutrient (just a theory). On the off chance it was mold, I'm thinking it had to have been there before you put the starsan in the jar. Not that there aren't things that can live and grow in acidic environments, but I doubt anything like that lives in your house that can jump into your starsan. 3 weeks isn't old for starsan, unless you're sanitizing really dirty stuff. I'd be willing to bet that your beer is just fine!

The fermenter is in a cabinet in my garage, which is not the cleanest place in the world. It may have been sawdust or any number of other things. To me it looked like mold or bacteria. I am going to see how things play out over the next couple weeks. Definitely not going to dump the batch just yet (though I did think about it pretty hard this afternoon when I saw the "gunk").

Here's some great reading, kraphtbeer. This helped me tremendously when I thought I had messed up my early batches. It's a whole collection of stories of people thinking they screwed up, but he beer turned out fine. Cheers!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

KraphtBier said:

Wish I did, I could be over reacting but it was older starsan (maybe three weeks) and I failed to see any blow off make it to the jar. I hope to God it's alright, gonna stick it out and see how it goes. Thanks guys.

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3 weeks old is definitely not old for Star San. I routinely make up gallons of it and keep it for months.

Starsan remains an antibacterial angfet so long as it stays at the correct PH level. I had a blowout once and, after cleaning up I decided to put down "extra" protection and sprayed the interior of the ferm chamber with starsan. After a week I had a supplemental cleanup to remove the mold that had grown inthe starsan in the bottom of the chamber. Lesson learned. the3 best way to prevent bacteria grownt is to control moisture. Everything else is just added protection. Now I keep a clean dry towel in the chamber. When It feels damp to the touch, I pop it into the dryer for 20 minutes. No mold now.

As far as I know, mold can't really grow in fermenting beer. I was always under the impression that only certain kinds of bacteria and yeast could. I noticed some mold in my bottling line once, but those bottles are still in my cellar, no mold.

So, turns out you guys were right. The beer came out just fine! It's been in the bottle three weeks and I've had two or three of em and there are no off flavors or weirdness at all. Thanks so much for reminding me to RDWHAHB

we'll see if you are still alive in a couple days

joking, joking




or am i...............

mewithstewpid said:

or am i...............

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nobody's done it yet; so I will:

Quick.. he's not joking!!! Send me the remainder of the batch for analysis, and I will forward you the appropriate serum to negate the poison.

Damn this beer is good! I plan on letting it age for several more months but I've poured one tonight and I must say it has dramatically improved with age. Lots of complex flavors and a beautiful nose. Win!!!

KraphtBier said:

Damn this beer is good! I plan on letting it age for several more months but I've poured one tonight and I must say it has dramatically improved with age. Lots of complex flavors and a beautiful nose. Win!!!

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Make sure to get some of that mold in all your beers.

passedpawn said:

Make sure to get some of that mold in all your beers.

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Will do, thanks brother!

Sounds like a house strain to me. . .