Pellicle Photo Collection

[natural320]

at the advice of some other members, here is what is going on in my fermenter:

weird bubbles by natural320, on Flickr

it is simply Costco apple juice and a harvested slurry of Wyeast 3068. I was going for a simple cider (like I've done many times before), but returned from a week long vacation to see that.

totally unintentional, I have no idea what it is, but a sample taste was only tart...not puckering sour or anything like that.

 

[2brew1cup]

it is simply Costco apple juice and a harvested slurry of Wyeast 3068. I was going for a simple cider (like I've done many times before), but returned from a week long vacation to see that.

totally unintentional, I have no idea what it is, but a sample taste was only tart...not puckering sour or anything like that.

Made this same exact cider yeast combo. It was amazing young but became miserable with age.

 

[natural320]

and I take it that it didn't look like this during your ferment, right?

 

[2brew1cup]

and I take it that it didn't look like this during your ferment, right?

That is correct.

 

[mutedog]

Interesting. I did a spontaneous ferment for this one. Left it in the boil kettle overnight next to some rose bushes with cheesecloth covering the opening so maybe that's the driver here.

I just read in The Art of Fermentation that yeast that makes a thready layer like this is know as Kahm yeast and it's common on the surface water of vegetable ferments like pickles or kraut. I'm not finding out a lot of information about Kahm yeast, or what sort of species it might be. Mine only made a thready pellicle like that when exposed to air.

 

[acidrain23]

Foreign Extra Stout, with funky pellicle!

Is this Brett contamination? Lacto? Something worse?

 

[barrooze]

I just read in The Art of Fermentation that yeast that makes a thready layer like this is know as Kahm yeast and it's common on the surface water of vegetable ferments like pickles or kraut. I'm not finding out a lot of information about Kahm yeast, or what sort of species it might be. Mine only made a thready pellicle like that when exposed to air.

When I tried the beer after it was fermented, it had a very weird, slightly unpleasant aftertaste I attributed to the wild yeast. It only went down to 1.026, but I mashed at 160 to ensure lots of food for the bacteria to eat over the next several months. The CO2 had a terrible odor during primary as well. You can still get a weird aftertaste from this one, but I'm hoping the souring really knocks it down. Time will tell.

 

[mutedog]

When I tried the beer after it was fermented, it had a very weird, slightly unpleasant aftertaste I attributed to the wild yeast. It only went down to 1.026, but I mashed at 160 to ensure lots of food for the bacteria to eat over the next several months. The CO2 had a terrible odor during primary as well. You can still get a weird aftertaste from this one, but I'm hoping the souring really knocks it down. Time will tell.

My first batch with it had a bit of a farm yard/grassy sort of taste/aroma to it But that hasn't shown up in any subsequent batches with the yeast.

 

[lunshbox]

Foreign Extra Stout, with funky pellicle!

Is this Brett contamination? Lacto? Something worse?

Looks like brett and lacto. For some reason, I have done three brett beers and always get the same kind of rocky bubbles. I only get the white pellicle when lacto is added.

 

[acidrain23]

Looks like brett and lacto. For some reason, I have done three brett beers and always get the same kind of rocky bubbles. I only get the white pellicle when lacto is added.

Cool, thanks! I was thinking about- either 1) knocking it back with some Camden tablets and pitching some fresh yeast, OR 2) let is ride and see what happens... I guess there is always 3) dump it and clean better next time! What should I do?

 

[barrooze]

Cool, thanks! I was thinking about- either 1) knocking it back with some Camden tablets and pitching some fresh yeast, OR 2) let is ride and see what happens... I guess there is always 3) dump it and clean better next time! What should I do?

I'd definitely let it ride. It's now a historical beer! I'm sure many of the original FESs had some brett in them!

 

[acidrain23]

I'd definitely let it ride. It's now a historical beer! I'm sure many of the original FESs had some brett in them!

Hah, cool- thanks for the reassurnaces. I'm going to taste a sample this weekend and if it doesn't taste like nail polish or baby vomit, we'll see what happens. Hey, maybe I'll even oak this bad boy.

 

[edmanster]

Hah, cool- thanks for the reassurnaces. I'm going to taste a sample this weekend and if it doesn't taste like nail polish or baby vomit, we'll see what happens. Hey, maybe I'll even oak this bad boy.

Oak will feed the Brett and be delicious..

 

[lunshbox]

Cool, thanks! I was thinking about- either 1) knocking it back with some Camden tablets and pitching some fresh yeast, OR 2) let is ride and see what happens... I guess there is always 3) dump it and clean better next time! What should I do?

I would most definitely let it ride. It may have to sit for a year or so, but I'll bet it turns out interesting. If after a while you taste it and it tastes bad, let it go longer. I wouldn't recommend using that vessel for anything but wild beers from now on though. Just stick it in the back of a closet and let it ride.

 

[Blackbox_Brewing]

Sour Gruit, Dubbel grain bill brewed with Nettle, Mugwort, Marsh Rosemary, Sweet Gale, and Wild Yarrow. Saison primary sacc, followed by inoculation with my dregs of a Consecration clone.

 

[barrooze]

Sour Gruit, Dubbel grain bill brewed with Nettle, Mugwort, Marsh Rosemary, Sweet Gale, and Wild Yarrow.

What in the world is that going to taste like?! Did you go into a field and pick as many "herbs" as you could find?

 

[TNGabe]

Oak will feed the Brett and be delicious..

How would wood feed the brett?

 

[corwin3083]

Brett can eat anything:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Brett

"Because its natural habitat is trees and lumber, brett has evolved the ability to digest the cellobiose in wood, and can survive by feeding on the barrel itself."

Sort of like the Blob.

 

[stubbornman]

Oud Bruin update:

Supplication clone:

 

[milldoggy]

Oud Bruin update:

Supplication clone:

Never thought bacteria looked so good

 

[pjdunn11]

Pellicle on Citrus Sour Blonde Ale. Primary was brett blend propagated from a bottle of RR Sanctification. After primary, added 12.2 oz (by weight) fresh tangerine and tangelo juice (as well as the zest). This appeared ~3 weeks later.

Full recipe and notes here

 

[JordanThomas]

Pellicle on Citrus Sour Blonde Ale. Primary was brett blend propagated from a bottle of RR Sanctification. After primary, added 12.2 oz (by weight) fresh tangerine and tangelo juice (as well as the zest). This appeared ~3 weeks later.

Full recipe and notes here

My god... that looks like worms... GROSS. I bet it will be amazing beer though!

 

[ndrice]

The pellicle on a peach sour I'm making before I racked it into a carboy.

 

[stblindtiger]

No idea but it looks just like mine.

Well I hope your turned out better than mine did! This was the first batch of beer I ever dumped. Smelled like 2 week old garbage, and tasted like puke.

Sorry... Like I said hopefully you will have better luck than I did.

 

[stblindtiger]

This is my second sour stout attempt. My first one turned out great, but trying to cut back the sour edge to it a bit so the roast shines through a bit more. When I pitched the Cal Ale yeast I also dumped dregs from about 5 different sour beers. It's been in primary for about 2 months now. Think the yeast cake will just provide food for the bugs, or should I rack it off the yeast cake/maybe only key it sit for 6 months instead of a year?

This is just the start of the pellicle forming....

A little closer up...

 

[milldoggy]

Jim,
I would just leave it for a while longer. Pull it off after 6 months and put another on the yeast cake.

 

[blizzard]

This is my second sour stout attempt. My first one turned out great, but trying to cut back the sour edge to it a bit so the roast shines through a bit more. When I pitched the Cal Ale yeast I also dumped dregs from about 5 different sour beers. It's been in primary for about 2 months now. Think the yeast cake will just provide food for the bugs, or should I rack it off the yeast cake/maybe only key it sit for 6 months instead of a year?

This is just the start of the pellicle forming....

A little closer up...

Taste it every couple if months to see where it's at

 

[stblindtiger]

Just kegged 5 gallons of this Lambic after a year. I made 10 gallons total, and fermented each half in it's own fermentor. I'm saving the other 5 gallons for a geuze.

 

[BeerBrent]

red flanders -roeslare blend

 

[dcHokie]

red flanders -roeslare blend

Love the picture, looks like you took it from inside the carboy! Did you have to shrink yourself down "Innerspace" style to get it?