Contaminated Mead

[Cwaldvogel]

Hey everyone,

Still fairly new to the home brewing scene and ran into a problem I have not encountered yet. I’ve made a few batches of mead in the past but I’m worried that this batch I’m currently working on may be contaminated.

This batch has some blackish looking stains on the side of the carboy with a small black patch in the top center or the must. I’m guessing it’s most likely contaminated but wanted to get a consensus from others before abandoning it.

 

[MightyMosin]

That doesn't look so good, but your ingredients are already committed. I'd let it go and see if it continues to grow. Everything under it looks good.

I might try racking under it to another container and see if you get any growth there. If it is contaminated, you will likely see it there too.