White floating(?) specks(?)...ok?...infection?...

Sorry about that, but the original title "White floating(?) specks(?)...ok? ...infection?..." only got one view in 24 hours so I figured I needed to do something to get some attention.

I'm concerned about my second batch of mead possibly having a problem. I'm seeing "white specks" apparently floating in the mead that "appear" to collect in a ring on the inside of the vessels. I pitched the yeast for the traditional mead back on November 24th, 2012. Here's some basic info about it:

*Target Volume: 3.25 gallons (ended up a little over this)
*9.75 lb. Local Medium Colored Wildflower Honey (not sure of final weight...added honey to bring OG to 1.108.
*Added enough water to make 3.25 gallons must (probably 2.5 gallons of bottled water).
*KIV-1116 w/Go-Ferm Protect
*Fermentation temperatures ranged 65F to 69F, aging now at roughly same temps.
*Added nutrients and energizer after lag and again at the 1/3 sugar break.
Had a good fermentation (I think).
Aerated for the first three dags (until the 1/3 sugar break). After than I would gently swirl the air-locked bucket once or twice a day.
On December 15th I racked to 3-gal carboy (29 days).
At racking time pH was 4.0+ (simple test strips) and gravity was 1.009.
No sulfphite or sorbate has been added, yet.

Below are some images and a video detailing what I'm seeing. Anybody want to take a guess at what I have here? One thought that crossed my mind is "flowers of wine", but I haven't seen a thick layer build up...BUT, I haven't given it time to build up as I swirl it once or twice a day.

Thanks for any help or ideas that you can give me!

Ed

Here is the 3-gal carboy's neck area. This is what built up around the surface in twelve hours. A gentle swirl will dislodge/disperse this into a thin cloud...


This is a link to a close-up youtube video of CO2 bubbles rising towards the neck after the carboy was swirled a bit. You can see some of the larger "white specks". At about the 52 second mark it gets another good swirl that re-invigorates things. It's odd but some of the "bubbles" appear to be going downward and sideways which makes me wonder if those are bubbles or "something else".


The "overage" that was put into a 1-liter PET drink bottle.


After picking up the drink bottle you can see some of the white matter that has been disturbed beginning to drop down...


Lastly, this picture shows the cloud created immediately after swirling the drink bottle...

Thanks for any help here!

Hmm, I think I might need to go ahead and dump it out...

Don't you dare!

I have no idea, but it doesn't look like an infection which spreads and grows across the surface. Maybe it's yeast, pollen, etc, but I would NOT worry too much about it unless it grows fur.

Dont dump! You have provided a lot of info execpt how it tastes. Taste a sample already. Even some sour meads are good.

<chuckle> Don't worry, I'm not gonna pitch it...just wanted to be sure the post wasn't invisible or something. So far no fuzzies, Yooper. I'm planning on doing a little mead work this weekend...got a JAOM to bottle (it'll be my first bottling....probably about eight 12oz beer bottles). I plan on checking pH and gravity on the Iron Bowl mead, too. I'll run the mead through my filter system and let ya'll know how it tastes.

Thanks for the shout,
Ed

Intheswamp said:

Sorry about that, but the original title "White floating(?) specks(?)...ok? ...infection?..." only got one view in 24 hours so I figured I needed to do something to get some attention.

I'm concerned about my second batch of mead possibly having a problem. I'm seeing "white specks" apparently floating in the mead that "appear" to collect in a ring on the inside of the vessels. I pitched the yeast for the traditional mead back on November 24th, 2012. Here's some basic info about it:

*Target Volume: 3.25 gallons (ended up a little over this)
*9.75 lb. Local Medium Colored Wildflower Honey (not sure of final weight...added honey to bring OG to 1.108.
*Added enough water to make 3.25 gallons must (probably 2.5 gallons of bottled water).
*KIV-1116 w/Go-Ferm Protect
*Fermentation temperatures ranged 65F to 69F, aging now at roughly same temps.
*Added nutrients and energizer after lag and again at the 1/3 sugar break.
Had a good fermentation (I think).
Aerated for the first three dags (until the 1/3 sugar break). After than I would gently swirl the air-locked bucket once or twice a day.
On December 15th I racked to 3-gal carboy (29 days).
At racking time pH was 4.0+ (simple test strips) and gravity was 1.009.
No sulfphite or sorbate has been added, yet.

Below are some images and a video detailing what I'm seeing. Anybody want to take a guess at what I have here? One thought that crossed my mind is "flowers of wine", but I haven't seen a thick layer build up...BUT, I haven't given it time to build up as I swirl it once or twice a day.

Thanks for any help or ideas that you can give me!

Ed

Here is the 3-gal carboy's neck area. This is what built up around the surface in twelve hours. A gentle swirl will dislodge/disperse this into a thin cloud...

This is a link to a close-up youtube video of CO2 bubbles rising towards the neck after the carboy was swirled a bit. You can see some of the larger "white specks". At about the 52 second mark it gets another good swirl that re-invigorates things. It's odd but some of the "bubbles" appear to be going downward and sideways which makes me wonder if those are bubbles or "something else".
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl0gNCdD4yQ

The "overage" that was put into a 1-liter PET drink bottle.

After picking up the drink bottle you can see some of the white matter that has been disturbed beginning to drop down...

Lastly, this picture shows the cloud created immediately after swirling the drink bottle...

Click to expand...

Flowers of wine: flowers of wine are little flecks of a yeast that will ruin the wine. Various sources suggest sulphiting and filtering.

spud500 said:

Flowers of wine: flowers of wine are little flecks of a yeast that will ruin the wine. Various sources suggest sulphiting and filtering.

Click to expand...

Ok, are you giving me a definition of flowers of wine or are you stating that what I have *is* flowers of wine?

I'm a bit confused on what to do here.

Have long have you been making mead/wine, spud?

Ed

Since flowers of wine only grows in an environment of less than 10.5% ABV, and since it's more of a white powder, I doubt very much it's flowers of wine.

That said, treating with campden/metabisulfite won't hurt and could help.

It really looks more like yeast clumps to me, but it's hard to tell from a photo so it might be wise to err on the side of caution and sulfite the mead.

My chocollate mead did this, was going to sterilize it
When dragged it across floor white stuff disappeared
Check out my thread if you can find it for picts, sorry dont know how to do a link.....didnt do anything to it...
Thinking it Was just scummy bibb.es, has not come back....

Yooper, I was wondering about the flowers of yeast needing oxygen. I *did* have an issue with a stopper. Seems when I racked it to the secondary that I couldn't get a regular drilled bung to stay in the mouth of the carboy...everything was wet from sanitizer. I had purchased two of the orange carboy "caps" with the two holes in them. I grabbed one of them and started to put it on when I saw a slight depression like a small tack or nail would make in the outside (I've sold auto tires all my life so I know a nail hole when I see one...or, thought I did). When I looked inside the cap I saw a hole where the "depression" was on the outside...an air bubble had gotten into the material when the cap was being molding. I threw that one to the side and grabbed the other one and stuck it on the carboy. The mead had all but quit bubbling when I racked it and it didn't bubble any in the airlock after I got it into the carboy. Then I got to noticing that if I swirled the mead and dislodge some CO2 bubbles that the air lock would bubble a few times BUT it wouldn't "hold pressure". In other words, I couldn't see any positive pressure holding the liquid away from the mead and towards the atmosphere...both sides of the "S" air lock were level with each other. I even wrapped the junction of the cap and carboy with food wrap in an attempt to create a good seal and hold that pressure against the air lock liquid. It didn't work. I finally sanitized a bung and another air lock, let them dry under some paper towels and replaced that cap with them. Amazingly it started holding some positive pressure. I'll never use another one of those orange caps again!!! So, in fact it did have close to a couple of weeks where it had an air leak "somewhere". Since then it has had positive pressure inside the neck so I feel it has had a blanket of CO2 over the mead.

I also used K1V and it should have taken it up to around 14% ABV according to the amount of honey I used.

I know some folks never sulphite but if you *are* going to sulphite is the normal sequence to sulphite at secondary and then every other racking? Other than possibly sulphiting a fruit filled must before pitching the yeast I was under the impression to only sulphite at bottling time when you also add sorbate.

The white "specks" are really weird when I swirl the carboy. I can see some of them heading upwards just as the bubbles are racing upwards but I also see some(thing) headed *down*. Weird...

garlicbee, thanks for the tip about your thread. If found it, read it to the end, and saw that you had bumped it for me. Thanks. Your pictures could've been pictures of my mead. Yes, jarring/swirling the must inside the carboy makes it disappear into a thin white cloud. The thing with my mead is that when I swirl it and the white ring disappears it's back the next day. I'm working with my mead tonight and will get a pH, gravity, and taste sample of it and report back.

spud, looking back on my last post I hope you don't take my inquiry about your length of time making mead as a negative statement from me...I was trying to determine how much experience you have being as you have a low post count and knowing that a low post count doesn't mean your a newbee like me.

Thanks everybody, I'll post back later tonight,
Ed

Ok, let's get an understanding here...I've had maybe 2 or 3 drinks over the last 3 or 4 (or 5?) years. Anyhow, call me a wimp or whatever but I've got a buzz off the test tube of the traditional mead. Before messing with the traditional I bottled 7+ bottles of my JAOM to start with this evening (my first bottling job). I checked the gravity on it and it's something like 1.040. It's a bit bitter to me, but I was sampling the "dusty" +bottle...I'll let it age for a while...bottled in 12oz beer bottles.

I checked the traditional batch tonight...the one I've been worried about. I thieved a test tube full. The pH is off the scale high according to my test strips...I'm wondering if something is weird with the strips but they respond quickly to vinegar. Anyhow, the gravity I'm reading at 1.008...my hydrometer is off .002....the OG was 1.108 The taste is...like a heavy wine or something:cross:...kinda reminds me of some moonshine I've got that an old gentleman that used to run with my granddaddy made....both are dead now and the shine is now over 25 years old. The moonshine didn't kill'em. The mead doesn't taste as high alcohol as the shine or anything but I seem to sense a grain taste in the mead but their ain't no grain in it. I guess it's kinda of a hybrid between a white wine and some low alcohol moonshine. It's good, has a bit of an edge to it, will mellow out, will get you drunk I believe given a chance.

Anyhow, I could sense kind of a hot alcohol with my nose (it's going on 2 months old so it ain't exactly grown yet). I'd drink some and thinik to my self....myself, this don't taste bad at all and wrinkle my nose just a touch. If age does what folks say it does then I think this will be pretty doggone good. I'm sitting here looking at the now empty glass (3rd one) kinda wishing I had a little more but I've done topped off the carboy and sealed'er back up...probably a good think. Gee, at test tube amounts this 3-gallon batch oughta last me a long time!

So, did someone say something about white speck, speckles, er specklers, uh, Mr. Spock...tell Scotty to beam me up.

Ed

Be sure and look at this one...look at the line of bubbles right under the "1"...






ETA: After looking back at the photo of the hydrometer reading this morning I think the SG is reading 1.010 after error adjustment (hydrometer off by .002).

Intheswamp said:

Sorry about that, but the original title "White floating(?) specks(?)...ok? ...infection?..." only got one view in 24 hours so I figured I needed to do something to get some attention.

I'm concerned about my second batch of mead possibly having a problem. I'm seeing "white specks" apparently floating in the mead that "appear" to collect in a ring on the inside of the vessels. I pitched the yeast for the traditional mead back on November 24th, 2012. Here's some basic info about it:

*Target Volume: 3.25 gallons (ended up a little over this)
*9.75 lb. Local Medium Colored Wildflower Honey (not sure of final weight...added honey to bring OG to 1.108.
*Added enough water to make 3.25 gallons must (probably 2.5 gallons of bottled water).
*KIV-1116 w/Go-Ferm Protect
*Fermentation temperatures ranged 65F to 69F, aging now at roughly same temps.
*Added nutrients and energizer after lag and again at the 1/3 sugar break.
Had a good fermentation (I think).
Aerated for the first three dags (until the 1/3 sugar break). After than I would gently swirl the air-locked bucket once or twice a day.
On December 15th I racked to 3-gal carboy (29 days).
At racking time pH was 4.0+ (simple test strips) and gravity was 1.009.
No sulfphite or sorbate has been added, yet.

Below are some images and a video detailing what I'm seeing. Anybody want to take a guess at what I have here? One thought that crossed my mind is "flowers of wine", but I haven't seen a thick layer build up...BUT, I haven't given it time to build up as I swirl it once or twice a day.

Thanks for any help or ideas that you can give me!

Ed

Here is the 3-gal carboy's neck area. This is what built up around the surface in twelve hours. A gentle swirl will dislodge/disperse this into a thin cloud...

This is a link to a close-up youtube video of CO2 bubbles rising towards the neck after the carboy was swirled a bit. You can see some of the larger "white specks". At about the 52 second mark it gets another good swirl that re-invigorates things. It's odd but some of the "bubbles" appear to be going downward and sideways which makes me wonder if those are bubbles or "something else".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl0gNCdD4yQ

The "overage" that was put into a 1-liter PET drink bottle.

After picking up the drink bottle you can see some of the white matter that has been disturbed beginning to drop down...

Lastly, this picture shows the cloud created immediately after swirling the drink bottle...

Click to expand...

from the last couple of pic I wouls say its yeast the way it looked when you swirled it around would lead me to believe that I could be wrong though

I think I'm going to let it ride and watch it. Should I consider racking it onto sulphites? Would simply crushing some campden tablets, mixing with a little must and adding to the carboy work?

Ed

You might consider cold crashing, see if you can get it precipitate out then rack off of it.

I have this exact thing happening in a few of my meads. It seemed to start in one of my melo-pyments that I topped off with more juice and water, it was fine before I added the juice and water. Can anybody confirm what it is in the pics?
I opend one of my meads up that has some of this and it appears to smell just a little citrusy lemon like,nothing bad.

It happend in meads I did D47 in and raw honey. The ferment didnt appear to be real strong and after a week it was only at 1.07 with a start of 1.113. I let it go for a month til I racked to secondary and it appeard to happen at about 3 weeks primary when I first noticed it, it doesnt seem to be going away. IM hoping it is just pieces of protein/beeswax or whatever but when I swirl around the jug a little its a white cloudyness that continues to settle up near the top,just like the second-and third pic.
My meads with this are also not clearing very well but has this white cloudy swirly yeastiness after going on two months when ferment should be over. Could it just be surviving D47 yeast moving/fermenting more slowly?

Another thing to note: is when I racked from primary after a month with D47 yeast, there wasnt a whole lot of sediment or yeast cake, could it be that it is just flocculating very poorly and is the only worry?