Uh oh... what has infected my freezer?

[Airborneguy]

My last two batches had major blowouts in my freezer while fermenting. I had a Black IPA and a Hefeweizen in there using 1056 and 3068. I cleaned the beer pretty well, but apparently I must have left some enough wort/beer on the shelfs for some sort of mold/yeast/bacteria to grow... profusely!

I tried to take pictures but none came out worth posting. The mold was DRY, like powder (I'm guessing some sort of spores?) and dark green. I was DEFINITELY GREEN, not black (I had a small black mold problem taken care of last year so I know what it looks like). The spots were smaller than a dime and mostly separate, although a few seemed connected by little lines of mold.

I cleaned out the whole freezer with Clorox disinfecting wipes and took out whatever pieces could be removed and cleaned them in the shower with soap and hot water. I'll disinfect them tomorrow before putting them back.

Both beers turned out perfect; no flaws at all.

Any ideas?

 

[EdWort]

I've gone through those experiences after major blowoffs with my Hefe and Robust porter. What a mess.

I've poured in buckets of hot PBW and scrubbed the walls, then removed the water with a wet vac. I then followed up with spraying the entire interior with a Clorox cleaner that disinfects.

No problems since and since I started using solid lids just resting on the buckets (no airlocks), I have had no overflows too.

 

[Airborneguy]

Think it's just the yeasts from the beers that blew?

 

[JasonToews]

Why not just use fermcap? Works awesome!

 

[LongEared]

Bleach does not kill mold. Im not sure but starsan is probably a good bet.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

This happened two me, it is the most annoying thing. I had to take out all 6 carboys wash and disinfect the outside of them, then wash and disinfect the freezer. I brewed a batch, took off to California, when I got back the beer I thought had enough head room had pushed up through the airlock and spilled beer all around the carboy. It was a sit to see when i opened it. Mold everywhere and a very nasty smell.

 

[Airborneguy]

I've always read and heard that bleach is just as effective, if not more depending on concentration, than StarSan.

 

[br1dge]

Bleach does not kill mold. Im not sure but starsan is probably a good bet.

Bleach certainly does kill mold in most circumstances. Bleach does not readily absorb into porous materials, like wood, so may not go deep enough in to kill the "roots" of the mold, but for non-pourous surfaces like plastic and metal, it does indeed work.

 

[theredben]

Green fuzz is usually a mix of various Aspergillus/Penicillium ssp.. Not anything that can infect your wort. Just be careful not to eat the mold and you will be fine.

+1 on bleach being the best disinfectant to use for clean-up. A 5-10% solution is strong enough, works out to around 1 Tbsp (15mL) per cup (250mL). Star-san is not terribly effective against moulds AFAIK.

 

[Airborneguy]

Gonna wipe it one more time with a bleach solution today while I'm brewing. I need to use it for the brown ale I'm making today so I want to make sure it's good to go. Thanks for the tips! I checked this morning by the way and nothing new had popped up, but I want to be sure.

 

[EdWort]

Here's what I used. Fortunately, the inside of the freezer is non porous and it cleaned up nicely. I sprayed the interior, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wiped with a wet towel.

 

[Airborneguy]

My wife has that at home, perfect! Thanks again.