Second beer - mold?

[Xtipi]

Yes another what's on my beer post sorry! These things popped up a week into fermentation. Looks like canoes with black things on top. I searched the forums and the white growth I think are yeast rafts but what's on top? Is it still safe? Still smells hoppy and sweet though

 

[ImNoExpert]

Hard to tell from the pic. does not look good. I've never had a ferment that looked like this. What yeast did you use?

 

[Xtipi]

Used saflager w-34/70. Yeah, it doesn't look like all the other infections here

 

[antony]

+1 to the "that doesn't look good". I've had a bit of mold on a lager before...racked from underneath & it was just fine. Don't toss it till you've finished the process...just keep your racking cane away from the funk for now.

 

[bransona]

Can't quite be positive, but it looks moldy. Uneven edges, possibly furry. No es bueno. Let it ride, and if you rack it, definitely stay away from that part and leave a few inches of beer.

 

[Xtipi]

Yup definitely fuzzy, could I still rack it? Will it affect the taste? Or my health? Hahaha

 

[JonM]

Eh, it looks like a one-gallon batch, so not a huge loss if you have to toss it. Five gallons? I'd say try to save it. But one gallon? Screw it - that batch looks pretty funked up.

 

[FatDragon]

That pic definitely looks like a bunch of mold floating on top of your beer. I would dump it.

 

[bransona]

As a small batch brewer, my instinct is to save it. It's a principle thing. YMMV, but you could probably save half or more if it tastes good.

 

[Xtipi]

As a small batch brewer, my instinct is to save it. It's a principle thing. YMMV, but you could probably save half or more if it tastes good.

Yup and it's my second batch so it's a "big loss"

 

[antony]

bah...don't dump it unless you want to. Rack from underneath, don't come in touch with it, & leave beer behind. Worst case scenario is you taste it & it's horrible. Then you can dump it. I'd bottle it and let it sit for at least 6 weeks before trying any.

 

[Atlmustang]

Dump. No frickin way.

 

[JonM]

So maybe we can help prevent something like this in the future. Can you tell us about your sanitation method?

 

[kombat]

Definitely mold. That looks nasty. I've had that sometimes in my jars of harvested yeast. It might still taste fine, but I'd be too horrified to drink it knowing what was in it.

 

[Xtipi]

So maybe we can help prevent something like this in the future. Can you tell us about your sanitation method?

This time I rinsed all I used with baking soda to clean the equipment before using Brooklyn brew sanitizer. I'm thinking next time I'll let a iodine solution sit in the carboy in between brews

 

[ImNoExpert]

I like to clean with oxyclean free. A 24 hour soak and three rinses usually means no scrubbing. Then I sanitize with Starsan on brew day.

Super easy and the starsan lasts for several batches.

 

[badmajon]

Most molds won't hurt you.

Whaaa? Yes, that's right. Most will not kill you or even make you sick.

Check this out:

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/125619-green-mold-on-dry-cured-sausages/

That being said, some of the really bad stuff can cause liver cancer. HOWEVER, the really bad stuff is a form of aspergillus which AFAIK, does not grow on beer. The reason why sausage makers like myself can be less worried is because the really bad stuff doesn't grow on sausages.

I would personally dump it but it's not my second batch. You could try racking from beneath it and tasting it.

Remember, how do you think our ancestors survived drinking unhopped beer made from God knows what?

 

[kh54s10]

This time I rinsed all I used with baking soda to clean the equipment before using Brooklyn brew sanitizer. I'm thinking next time I'll let a iodine solution sit in the carboy in between brews

There is no need to keep a sanitizer in the carboy between brews if you clean well and sanitize properly on brew day.

I always suspect a sanitizer sold at a brew supply site using their name unless I know what it is.

Get some Starsan (my choice) or Iodaphor.

 

[charliethebum]

+1 on the starsan. Get a cheap spray bottle and keep that filled with the stuff too

 

[Queequeg]

Yep that is mould, or possibly filamentous bacteria. If it limited to the surface you will probably be ok.

 

[msayler]

Pot stickers. Definitely pot stickers.

 

[kev211]

This time I rinsed all I used with baking soda to clean the equipment before using Brooklyn brew sanitizer. I'm thinking next time I'll let a iodine solution sit in the carboy in between brews

Im in for +1 on dumping it.

As far as sanitation is concerned, another +1 for StarSan (problem with Iodophor is that it breaks down really quickly; ~24 hours once mixed IIRC). But, no need to let any sanitizer sit in your carboy between brews. Just sanitize it on brew day. Ive never used baking soda, but Im a big fan of OxyClean Free. Cheap and works well.

 

[lolcats]

I would rack from underneath to a secondary and dry hop it like crazy

Don't dump it can be some sort of experimental batch

 

[FatDragon]

This time I rinsed all I used with baking soda to clean the equipment before using Brooklyn brew sanitizer. I'm thinking next time I'll let a iodine solution sit in the carboy in between brews

An iodine solution is only effective for about a day. As others have said, keeping a sanitizing solution in the carboy is unnecessary, but keeping a denatured sanitizing solution in the carboy is even sillier. Give the carboy a hot water soak with a quality cleanser like Oxyclean Free, rinse a few times, and then swish or spray a no-rinse sanitizing solution like Starsan or iodophor shortly before filling. Don't forget to sanitize anything else that will touch the chilled wort as well, like the carboy lid/stopper, airlock, and any tubing you use.

 

[kombat]

I keep Star San in my glass carboys, but it's not because I think it's preserving sanitization or anything, it's more just a by-product of how I clean and store my carboys. After I empty a carboy of beer, I swish some hot water in it to get out the bulk of the yeast and trub, then fill it to the brim with hot Oxyclean solution and cover the top with a foil cap. A day later, I dump it, give it 2 rinses, then pour in some Star San and swish it around. This produces a lot of foam. I dump it out, and cover the top with a (sanitized) foil cap, but there are still copious Star San bubbles in the carboy. I set it on the shelf, and eventually, those bubbles settle out, and I'm left with a small puddle of Star San in my carboy. I don't bother dumping it, I just leave it there till brew day, then swish it up a little more (to re-sanitize the interior of the carboy), then dump it out immediately prior to racking chilled wort into it.