Was my LME moldy?

[wowbeeryum]

Brewed a Saison over the weekend and when I was about done noticed the inside of the LME container had black spots and swirls. The pic was taken after I cleaned the container out. The black stuff smeared a little bit when rubbed but wouldn't come clean completely (as you can see).

I purchased the LME, including the container, from my LHBS a week prior to brewing. It sat in my basement untouched until brew day. They poured/measured the LME and I didn't open it until pouring it into the kettle.

Is that mold spots? Something else? I'm especially concerned because I poured half of the extract in at flame out (didn't boil).

 

[Kingfish]

A tub of LME from the LHBS should be refrigerated. All sorts of nastiest have been chomping on that sweet nectar. I would be worried too. Is it fermenting now? Best thing to do is to let it ferment out and see what you have if it is.

 

[duboman]

If you added at flame out you should be fine as the wort was still at 200+ degrees and will kill anything that may have been present but I would definitely discuss this with the LHBS that you purchased at. Freshness of product is the first step to brewing good beer!

 

[wowbeeryum]

A tub of LME from the LHBS should be refrigerated. All sorts of nastiest have been chomping on that sweet nectar. I would be worried too. Is it fermenting now? Best thing to do is to let it ferment out and see what you have if it is.

Really? It's not refrigerated at the store. Yes, it's been bubbling away.

I'll give a call to the store. Does this look like mold or something else?

 

[IncredibleMulk]

I had this happen with TWO batches in one week (didn't refrigerate my extract & let it sit too long). I did everything as normal and the beer turned out great, no issues what-so-ever.

 

[Kingfish]

Really? It's not refrigerated at the store. Yes, it's been bubbling away.

I'll give a call to the store. Does this look like mold or something else?

My LHBS displaces volume with CO2. The barrel comes hermetically sealed and they attach a CO2 line. This would keep any nasties at bay.

As far as what exactly it is...No clue.

ETA:https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=76000&referrerid=41794

 

[YeastHerder]

I figured the stuff was like honey (hygroscopic/low water activity) and wouldn't spoil because the concentration of sugars is so high that any organisms that might fall in would basically get dehydrated and die in it. Now, I'm concerned. I used only half a tub of extract in my last batch and have had it sitting at room temp for about a month now - should I no longer trust it?

 

[wowbeeryum]

I had this happen with TWO batches in one week (didn't refrigerate my extract & let it sit too long). I did everything as normal and the beer turned out great, no issues what-so-ever.

whew. i tasted some of the extract and it tasted fine. fermentation smells good. guess i'll keep it refrigerated from now on.