Pellicle Photo Collection

[Hopbreakers]

This was the first one for me. It was on an Octoberfest. Should I just dump it?

 

[mrkrausen]

This was the first one for me. It was on an Octoberfest. Should I just dump it?

I would taste it. If you like the taste take a gravity reading and let it ride.

 

[BriosBrew]

Do all the bugs transfer over when they infect something nearby like that? Could they be stuck in my fermentation chamber forever?

It is possible, though I'd recommend you trace your steps as it's more likely that some equipment made physical contact with all your infected stuff.

It's probably not in your chamber forever but I would really deep clean it and spray it down heavily with sanitizer.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

And if that's a plastic fermenter, it's now a plastic sour fermenter!

 

[Clef051]

Here is a saison made with Omega's all the bretts

 

[xpops]

You definitely caught something in there. I'd pull a taste and decide if you want to keep it.

So I let it ride a few weeks....my once stable FG of 1.011 is now at 1.008. it tastes....not great. Looking to be a dumper

 

[BriosBrew]

That strawberry rhubarb enkel tasted terrible and went down the drain.

 

[TandemTails]

3 gallons of unhopped 1.032 wort with 2 shots of goodbelly mango probiotic. I held this at 95'F for 62 hours before boiling. pH dropped from 4.5 to 3.35 during that time.

This is being turned into a gose with lemongrass, lime and thai basil.

 

[rideincircles]

Here is my cantillon starter collection. My cantillon starter is in the corner, and I had some other regular yeast starters under foil caps that got infected probably when the fridge fan was blowing. they all seem to have the cantillon bug other than a couple things I cultured.

I have since quarantined them and may split them all up to see how they fare later. vermont ipa/cantillon, abbey/cantillon, and saison cantillon. For now I will just be pitching some of the actual cantillon starter in to my consecration clone when I rack to secondary.

Do I just pour out the liquid and add the dregs? Do chunks of pellicle matter? Just checking, this will be my first sour, and I am already worried I may have cantilloned my fermentation chamber. Nothing else inside has shown any issues, just the foil cap starters I had, but the fridge funk culture on the front right is from my fridge with just the ventilation going. Not sure if the bugs are inside forever.

If so, at least its cantillon bugs, I would not complain if thats my house sour culture.

 

[Clef051]

A ongoing sour project with many dregs and cultures in itView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1502492825.470672.jpg

 

[bob1852]

Soured blonde coming along nicely.

 

[nadeaunm5]

Funk weapon 3 carboy dregs that I'm trying to prop up in a mason jar

View attachment 1502760119429.jpg

View attachment 1502760128433.jpg

 

[hlmbrwng]

I'm a bit confused by all of the photos in which the tops of kegs and buckets are opened widely. If I'm not mistaken, opening the containers in such a way can potentially introduce enough oxygen to create significant sour.

I understand that many want to taste that sourness, so some oxygen is good. But are people constantly opening their fermentors? I have 4 sours aging right now, and none have more than a couple spots were I see pellicle. With the extreme pellicle growth in these photos, I'm guessing these beers are going to be quite sour.

Am I missing something? Should I be opening my fermentors occasionally and intentionally introducing oxygen? I am using glass carboys right now, so unless I pop the top, not much oxygen is going to be introduced.

 

[xpops]

FWIW - when i first made my sours, i was also using glass carboys. I even purged with co2 prior to transferring, and hadn't removed the airlock for well over 6 months. they both had large pellicles. According to MtF, very little is truly known about pellicle formation, or even how oxygen truly plays into the formation. I've heard that some sours may not even show signs of a pellicle, but indeed have the bugs/yeast strains responsible for "making" pellicles.

 

[Brizzo]

I'm a bit confused by all of the photos in which the tops of kegs and buckets are opened widely. If I'm not mistaken, opening the containers in such a way can potentially introduce enough oxygen to create significant sour.

I understand that many want to taste that sourness, so some oxygen is good. But are people constantly opening their fermentors? I have 4 sours aging right now, and none have more than a couple spots were I see pellicle. With the extreme pellicle growth in these photos, I'm guessing these beers are going to be quite sour.

Am I missing something? Should I be opening my fermentors occasionally and intentionally introducing oxygen? I am using glass carboys right now, so unless I pop the top, not much oxygen is going to be introduced.

Pellicle growth or formation or appearance is not going to dictate how sour a beer is. It's just a formation that is protecting the underlying beer. Some look crazy. Some don't. Some sours don't get them. I have carboys that are full- have some that are half full; they are all making Award winning sours. I love these forums but lots of people overthink things just relax, let them ride and you will know when they are done or when they need to be fruited or blended.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

To add a little more about pellicle formation.

I have a nearly 3 year old sour that's been blended, I think 4 times now. It's been in plastic for most of the time(so sue me). I've had times where it's formed a big thick white pellicle, other times it's just the wispy bubbles, other times nothing at all. Essentially the same beer, it's been 50/50 blends each time of old/new beer.

Split the old beer in half and added fresh unsoured beer and I don't always get a pellicle, and it's unbelievably sour all the time. Being in plastic one would think it'd always have a huge pellicle.

 

[dinnerstick]

it's not very homebrew but screw it, two brett pellicles from my 600L conicals, i opened the (top) manways for the first time to do various additions. both are brett blends, the first is yeast bay amalgamation added after primary fermentation (7 months on) and the second is 7th generation of a house blend of many strains as primary fermenters after about 2 months.
pellicle!

 

[TandemTails]

Captured this off of a flower in my yard. Just pitched some of it into a 1 gallon unhopped wort to see how it sours. Will finish off fermentation with US-05 and age for a few months.

 

[crane]

Berliner Weisse that didn't sour to my liking, so I threw in some jolly pumpkin and rare barrel dregs. It's much better now.

View attachment 1506192882523.jpg

 

[sweetcell]

^ i am horrified, and yet somehow intrigued.

 

[crane]

Berliner Weisse that didn't sour to my liking, so I threw in some jolly pumpkin and rare barrel dregs. It's much better now.

And here is what's left after transferring

View attachment 1506212112861.jpg

 

[TANSTAAFB]

That's nasty! (Cleveland Brown GIF wouldn't load...)

 

[BenWillcox]

Here are some side-shots of Pellicles on two Lambics I currently have on fruit. Both have been on the fruit for about 9 weeks, and probably get bottled in the next week or two. Both Batches are 5 gallons of well aged, blended base lambic, that had to be split into two carboys to accomodate the fruit.

9 pounds of raspberries for one batch, and 21 pounds of Blueberries for the other...

 

[Br3w4u]

And here is what's left after transferring

I couldn't bring myself to drink anything that this monster was swimming in!

 

[Konadog]

I knew there was a reason I don't care for sours. After seeing these pictures, I "really know why" now!

 

[Rhaop]

Berliner Weisse that didn't sour to my liking, so I threw in some jolly pumpkin and rare barrel dregs. It's much better now.

Looks like pizza dough to me

 

[radwizard]

And here is what's left after transferring

That's pretty gnarley.
Have you ever had something like this before? Did you rack with a racking cane, was it scary??

 

[crane]

That's pretty gnarley.
Have you ever had something like this before? Did you rack with a racking cane, was it scary??

This is the most thick and substantial pellicle I've had grow on any of my beers. I did rack with a racking cane, which worked out well. Not scary at all, it's just beer.

 

[saltymirv]

This is from my brett saison. I really want to bottle but this pellicle appeared a couple weeks ago.

 

[BenWillcox]

Have you tasted it? Where is your SG? Pellicle or no, if your SG is stable over a 1-2 months, then go ahead and bottle..