N00b cider secondary fermentation question

Hi guys,

I'm very new to brewing and enjoy drinking cider. I thought I would brew about 10 liters of strawberry cider.

Everything had been sterilized and during bottling, I had to use a sieve to remove any additional chunks of strawberry, raspberry or rhubarb that was used.

I used 2 'coopers carbonation drops' into a 750ml bottle. It's only been fermenting for about a week and a half and in my pantry. When I took a look at the bottles, I noticed fury like objects floating around in the bottles.

Seeing as I've sieved out the chunks, something has had to have been growing. But I'm clueless as to what.

Can anyone give me an idea (from the attached pictures)? It doesn't look healthy. By the look of it, I'm guessing it's something I'll have to pour down the sink, sterilize and start again.

:-/

Thanks

James

Looks like conglomerations of pectin to me. Pectin is harmless. Where did the juice come from? Did you add any pectic enzyme? How does it taste and smell? Most infections form on the surface and will form a noticeable film.

I've yet to open it. Should I give it a try.

The fruit based ingredients were washed before using....

:-/

its pectin from the strawberries.
strawberries are evil, strawberries will mock you.

strawberries take tons of pectic enzyme (2-3 times the normal amount for wine) or lots of time, 3 to 4 rackings at 30-45 day cycles or when you get sick of looking at the lees.

or both.

So. This would be worth pouring Dow. The sink and chalking it up as learning??

No, don't dump it, cosmetic problem only.

The only place you should be pouring it is down your throat. Or mine. It's probably also some yeast activity that is producing more lees. If you bottle carbonate you'll always have some of that. I hear it's Vitamin B6 and helps mildly with hangovers.

Guys, I'm a noob also, so forgive my ignorance.

Do the Coopers drops include dried yeast as well, or are they, essentially, precisely measured sugar cubes with a good blend of dextrose and sucrose? I didn't see any mention of yeast in JamesPorters original post, is it possible that he washed away the wild yeasts so there is no activity going on at all?

Of course, he could have added his yeast and neglected to mention it in the initial post; in which case, belay my entire comment

In looking at the photos, it seems like an active ferment would be pushing the globs o' stuff toward the surface, but the globs seem static.

My $.02.