I never thought I’d be asking a question about infection, but here I am.

[user 263363]

I’m quite sure of the answer, just looking for someone to confirm.

This is my maple wine that I made on Monday. OG was 1.110 and I pitched D47. I missed my 3rd nutrient addition yesterday due to a sick toddler and wife.

Today I pull it out and notice what seems to possibly be a pellicle forming. There’s some really gooey and thick material floating. It smells just fine. I didn’t taste it as I generally don’t taste anything this early in to fermentation any way.

Either way, I added my Fermaid O and degassed as normal. Even if it’s infected I will give it a chance.

 

[VikeMan]

That doesn't look like a pellicle. But it kind of looks (and sounds) like a Pediococcus infection. But if so, it seems odd that it would happen so quickly. Did you boil/pasteurize the maple syrup? I don't really know if Pedio can live in full strength syrup.

 

[user 263363]

That doesn't look like a pellicle. But it kind of looks (and sounds) like a Pediococcus infection. But if so, it seems odd that it would happen so quickly. Did you boil/pasteurize the maple syrup? I don't really know if Pedio can live in full strength syrup.

I did no sort of pasteurization with the syrup before putting it in to the fermenter. I used the same method as my meads and just dumped it in and mixed with water to get my desired OG.

I checked on it today, which is day 7, and it’s blowing out the air lock but it’s essentially “goop” for lack of a better word. I didn’t pull the lid and check on it as I really didn’t have a chance this evening. This is by far the oddest thing I’ve seen in probably 30+ batches of beer and mead.

 

[VikeMan]

How does it smell?

 

[user 263363]

How does it smell?

So I had a spare few minutes this evening and decided to pull the lid off the fermenter.

The liquid inside smells essentially like one of my fermenting meads, meaning it smells normal and fine. I decided to pull a small sample and this stuff is just like syrup. Obviously it’s made from syrup, but I added close to a gallon of water and it was quite thin when I stirred it all up.

I also decided to taste the sample and it tastes fine. Still a bit sweet. It just feels like a glob of snot in my mouth.

I will continue to let it go as the only off thing is the viscosity. This is such a strange thing. I hope something decent comes out of it!

 

[user 263363]

Just a small and final update on whatever this ended up being. Today I pulled the fermenter out and checked gravity. It was dry as a bone but still thicker than the syrup I used to make the wine. I tried to take a drink and it tasted pretty good but the consistency was like trying to swallow a mouth full of snot. I dumped it all. I don’t know if I need to throw the fermenter away also. I’ve just never experienced anything like this in my few years of home brewing experience.

 

[Bilsch]

You could have save it and just called it pulque. People around here will drink anything as long as it contains some alcohol.

 

[John Holland]

Hello- I’ve just read this post after sending a question of my own about this. This ‘glooping’ happens often to my elderflower wine, three or four days into fermentation. Like you say, it smells and tastes fine, not ‘off’. No one seems to know what causes it, or even what it is, and it’s very frustrating ‘cos it means I can longer make one of my favourite wines. It’s also surprisingly difficult to get rid of four gallons of gloop.

 

[AkTom]

Still. I mean give it to to me… I mean someone who would thin it then condense it.

 

[Miraculix]

You can join forces with your fellow wine maker @John Holland here: Gloopy wine

Seems to be season for pediococcus

I wonder if there's an amylase enzyme that would break down these dextrins?