Little White Spots...Yeast or Mold? W/pics

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Deathblooms8788

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I recently brewed a pumpkin ale and racked it 48 hours ago into glass carboy for secondary fermentation. It spend 7 days in primary and now I've been noticing these little white dots. I've read on this forum about other people having same issue. I'm hoping it's just yeast, i removed the stopper and smelt the beer and it has no moldy smell just pumpkin and beer smell.


Can anyone give me a definite answer? Yeast or Mold?? Dump or Keep? Bottle or leave for another week or two? Below are photos. Thanks! :mug:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047767018/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047766506/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047762557/in/photostream
 
recently brewed a pumpkin ale and racked it 48 hours ago into glass carboy for secondary fermentation. It spend 7 days in primary and now I've been noticing these little white dots. I've read on this forum about other people having same issue. I'm hoping it's just yeast, i removed the stopper and smelt the beer and it has no moldy smell just pumpkin and beer smell.


Can anyone give me a definite answer? Yeast or Mold?? Dump or Keep? Bottle or leave for another week or two? Below are photos. Thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047767018/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047766506/in/photostream


http://www.flickr.com/photos/42058242@N04/8047762557/in/photostream
 
kinda hard to tell from the pics if it's mold. Does it smell moldy? Yeast do tend to clump together so it's most likely that...
 
Those look like "Yeast Boats". Do a search for that. Seems normal to me. I would leave it in secondary at least 2 more weeks before bottling or kegging anyway and if those don't get larger then you are just fine. Every lighter beer I make tends to get some yeast boats on the surface once the krausen foam is all gone.
 
Those look like "Yeast Boats". Do a search for that. Seems normal to me. I would leave it in secondary at least 2 more weeks before bottling or kegging anyway and if those don't get larger then you are just fine. Every lighter beer I make tends to get some yeast boats on the surface once the krausen foam is all gone.

Everything had settled 24 hrs ago and then there were like maybe 12 little white spots and it looked like it has maybe doubled. When would i know if this is mold?
 
It looks like yeast and CO2 bubbles coming to the surface, unless it starts to grow a "skin" and look a bit like "spider webs" I wouldn't worry about it. RDWHAHB
 
Everything had settled 24 hrs ago and then there were like maybe 12 little white spots and it looked like it has maybe doubled. When would i know if this is mold?

If mold or an infection has set in, believe me...it will cover the surface in no time. There is no point in doing a secondary for less than 7 days so give it a couple more days before freaking out. Relax, have a home brew. :mug:
 
Your fine, look up beer infections on google images, they spread across the top of your beer like some alien symbiote looking thing and there is no mistaking them...you just have yeast rafts...
 
Flocculated yeast. It will look like little bubbly clumps if it is yeast. Mold generally has hairy looking spots.
 
I dont have definite answer, but I think it is yeast.
Dont do anything before you taste it, wait until bottling/kegging day to do so.
 
Def not co2. They have what looks like roots streaming down from them. And yeast rafts always look like big thick flake shapes that I've seen. Did you cook the pumpkin 1st? Might be mold from the uncooked pumpkin...
 
That looks like yeast to me. But I am looking at it on my cell phone. So kind of hard to tell. What's your s.g.? if your ready to package just rack from under it if your that worried. But like I said it looks like yeast to me.
 
Def not co2. They have what looks like roots streaming down from them. And yeast rafts always look like big thick flake shapes that I've seen. Did you cook the pumpkin 1st? Might be mold from the uncooked pumpkin...

i did not cook pumpkin, i took it from the can and added my spices and then steeped it in a muslin bag...
 
That looks like yeast to me. But I am looking at it on my cell phone. So kind of hard to tell. What's your s.g.? if your ready to package just rack from under it if your that worried. But like I said it looks like yeast to me.

OG was 1.060 and Fg was 1.014
 
It is hard to tell from those pics, but chances are it is probably just bubbles/yeast. However, that second pic looks a little suspect, almost like there is a pellicle forming.
 
Deathblooms8788 said:
OG was 1.060 and Fg was 1.014

Are you going to keg or bottle? The reason I ask is that if you do end up having some kind of infection. You could potentially end up with bottle bombs. How long have you been at that F.G.?
 
Are you going to keg or bottle? The reason I ask is that if you do end up having some kind of infection. You could potentially end up with bottle bombs. How long have you been at that F.G.?

FG was taken sunday afternoon and i do plan on bottling. I get so many different answers on here it's hard to know for sure. if there some kind of test i could do for mold if i take a sample of it out?
 
Deathblooms8788 said:
FG was taken sunday afternoon and i do plan on bottling. I get so many different answers on here it's hard to know for sure. if there some kind of test i could do for mold if i take a sample of it out?

Try to get a better picture. Something a little more up close and clear. If you can. Just so we can better idea of we're looking at!!
 
Also taste it does it taste sour or bad in anyway? If it doesn't taste bad give a few days and take another gravity reading. If your numbers are good I say go ahead and bottle it.
 
Is your fermentation close to being done? If so, I'd let it go another day, test the gravity again, and if it's stayed the same and tastes good, bottle it.
 
Is your fermentation close to being done? If so, I'd let it go another day, test the gravity again, and if it's stayed the same and tastes good, bottle it.

yes its done fermenting it spent 7 days in primary and then i racked it to secondary 3 days ago. some people are saying to leave it and others are saying to bottle it...i have no idea whats best!:(
 
The normal co2 bubbles during primary will break flakes of yeast off the cake on the bottom as floaters. But these are pea shaped with tails hangin down. Never saw yeast rafts like that. If it/they grow,you have a problem.
 
The normal co2 bubbles during primary will break flakes of yeast off the cake on the bottom as floaters. But these are pea shaped with tails hangin down. Never saw yeast rafts like that. If it/they grow,you have a problem.

So what should i do? Do I wait? Do I dump it or do i bottle?
 
have you said what yeast you used? again just leave it for now don't dump it's fine
 
have you said what yeast you used? again just leave it for now don't dump it's fine

Ok i will taste this afternoon and i looked again and it looks like a bunch of little bumbles are surrounding these little white spots, does that help in determining if it's yeast or mold? Yeast I used was Wyeast 1056
 
Okay, protip: You asked the exact same question in two separate forums. If you put it in one spot you wouldn't have a hard time getting straight answers.

Second, read advice given to you and taste it, transfer it to your bottling bucket, take a sample while you are doing it. If it's still at your FG, and tastes good, you are good to go. Don't forget to carb it.
 
Ive tasted it and im not impressed. Doesnt taste much of anything slight taste of pumpkin and white spots have mostly dissapeared
 
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