white floaties?

Ok, got home from a 2 week vacation. the PM batch I was aging in the carboy now has white floaties floating on the top. It was done fermenting when I left (could have been bottled) and these floaties weren't there.

This is a batch I've been thinking had some issues, possible band aid flavor from either bleach sanitizer or bacteria.

I sniffed the thing last night and it didn't smell so hot - could the floaties be mold?

If you look closely and the floaties are just bubbles then that's normal. If they look more solid then it could be mold, hard to say.

tranceamerica said:

Ok, got home from a 2 week vacation. the PM batch I was aging in the carboy now has white floaties floating on the top. It was done fermenting when I left (could have been bottled) and these floaties weren't there.

This is a batch I've been thinking had some issues, possible band aid flavor from either bleach sanitizer or bacteria.

I sniffed the thing last night and it didn't smell so hot - could the floaties be mold?

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For myself I know that a lot of time little bits of yeast solidify and float at the top of the fermentor. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. I don't think it has any ill effects but I'm not positive. You may also be experienceing something completely different.

could be...but I'd cold crash it for a few days before bottling and see what happens.
Ed Wort just told me to:

EdWort said:

RDWHAHB. Give it time. All things on beer get better with patience.

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I think it applies here too.

they are solid, and white - I'm used to solid pieces (slighty brown) of yeast floating on top - this is different.

What is "cold crash"? I can stick it in the garage for a couple of days - that's cold. =)

Don't worry about them.

Cold crashing is simply sticking your carboy/kegs or whatever into a chiller to allow the beer to clear. Cold causes the yeast to drop at a faster rate.

Cold garages are great for this.

You didn't happen to use gelatin for fining did you? I can get white floaties from that....

videoman said:

You didn't happen to use gelatin for fining did you? I can get white floaties from that....

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nope. no gelatin. I'll bottle it soon, and try to leave the floaties behind in the carboy. Hope time reveals a good beer.

The good news is my last batch of beer with an off flavor (band aid) is almost drinkable...maybe in a few months might be even good. And the batch I bottled last night is already good, so I think my bad batches are limited to only two...

I've had lots of trouble with Band-Aid flavor and some problems with floaters.

The floaters are almost always aesthetic, pour your beer into a glass and no one will be the wiser (just don't show them an unopened bottle!)

The Band-Aid flavor could be a different thing altogether. ... keep everything you bottle or transfer the beer with (tubes, siphons, etc) in a bucket of sanitizer until the moment you use it. This cuts down on contaminators.

I cold crashed the beer in the garage for 2 days before bottling. The white floaties dropped to the bottom. The beer is tasty - still waiting for carbonation. Beer is also very clear - but it had 3 weeks in secondary + the cold crash.