Homebrew mead has got mould, can I save this?

[Spruc3Moos3]

Hi

Sorry I know this question has been started a few times by other members but it didnt seem to fit my problem.

This is the first time I've tried making mead and I've checked it after 10 days (stirred it twice a day for the first 2) and there is white and green mould floating on the top. Do you think this will be ok to skim off before transferring?

Thanks and please excuse my ignorance about some matters as I'm incredibly new to this.

I would be very grateful for any advice to be honest, I accept I might need to chuck it but I'd rather now obviously.

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Looks like blue/green mold from pictures. These molds are common and belong to the Penicillium genus. This type of mold was used to make penicillin. It’s usually found on foods. You can probably safely skim it off. What are your OG & FG readings? Has fermentation finished? If so, add a campden tablet/Sodium or potassium metabisulfite and close the lid for 24 hours or so, to be on safer side.
The way I stir is - by never opening the lid but shaking the fermenter itself. My batches are usually 23L and it is easy to shake them gently a few times. I don't remove airlock during that time (mostly). This prevents any oxygen or nasties from going in and causing any problems. Hope this helps.

 

[Spruc3Moos3]

Hi

Thanks for replying.

I think I took the correct reading as 1.074 for the OG but according to the recipe I was following I've now got a four week wait. I'm not sure if its finished fermenting as it doesn't seem to be doing much but after taking another reading it seems to say 1.086 which doesnt make sense as it should be going in the other direction right? Very confusing and probably related to me getting mixed up somewhere.

I've now skimmed it off and put the mead in a new sterilised container so hopefully it doesnt happen again over the next 4 weeks but I'll definitely try the tablet, should I do that now or wait until later?

Thanks again

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Hi, the gravity readings aren't helping much here. I hope you might have used yeast nutrient etc as per the recipe and 4 weeks is good enough time for fermentation. You could do a smell and taste test to feel alcohol %. You'd know better by observing bubble rate from beginning to the end.
I'm not aware of your recipe but adding a bit of cinnamon or cinnamon powder (say 1 tsp) can also help as it is a powerful anti-fungal, plus it can enhance the aroma of the mead (depending on the recipe).
Using tablet now will be better in terms of taking care of mold. You can make a new starter again with nutrient and pitch again (after 24-36 hours) in case you feel fermentation wasn't over yet or you want it drier; or else you'll have a bit sweeter tasting mead, which is not a bad thing.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Mold is allergenic and may produce toxins and carcinogens.
Mead that had mold growing on it is not safe to drink, and should be dumped.

Determining it's safe just going by the color is pretty absurd. You don't know what species it is and what type of allergens or toxins it has produced. Skimming off the visible growth won't remove those.

You need to pitch healthy yeast and use a proper nutrient regimen. During a healthy fermentation, yeast consume and displace oxygen, preventing mold growth.

Welcome to HBT! Sorry about your batch.

 

[Spruc3Moos3]

Great, thanks very much for all of your help

 

[Miraculix]

Mold is allergenic and may produce toxins and carcinogens.
Mead that had mold growing on it is not safe to drink, and should be dumped.

Determining it's safe just going by the color is pretty absurd. You don't know what species it is and what type of allergens or toxins it has produced. Skimming off the visible growth won't remove those.

You need to pitch healthy yeast and use a proper nutrient regimen. During a healthy fermentation, yeast consume and displace oxygen, preventing mold growth.

Welcome to HBT! Sorry about your batch.

This!

It's a dumper!