So much mold!

[Brewskii]

Grain that has been boiled can cause mold, if put into fermenter? I frequently seem to get some into the fermenter.

At the time I asked I was thinking that raw malt might have been introduced into the fermentor which was my thought from looking at the picture the OP posted.

Grain carried over from the lautering or steeping and consequently boiled and carried forward from the knock out to the fermenter is likely to give you some bad tannin issues but probably not going to cause mold.

 

[catalogguy]

Wow, you are such a helpful group. I really appreciate the information.

I sanitized the yeast packet by putting some iodophor on a paper towel and wiping it on the outside of the packet in the area where I tore it open.

The yeast was from 2010, so maybe the most likely thing is fermentation did not begin for a long time, if at all, and bad stuff got a foothold in there.

If I forgot to sanitize something, I don't know what that was. Next time I will be more careful in measuring the Iodophor to make sure I get it right. I had not used a transfer hose or siphon equipment, just poured from the brew pot into the ferment bucket.

I made a 5 gallon batch in a 6 gallon bucket.

Do I really need a new bucket? Is bleaching it now and then later doing Iodophor near brew day a more certain way to get it clean? Is it best to sanitize on brew day, the day before, how long does Iodophor need to dry? Ha ha Aquaman, that's great!

I think I used grain. The beer store man called it malt, but it looked like what I would call grain, 4 types of brown organic material that he crushed in his machine and put in a brown paper bag. That is the stuff I put in the big teabag and "steeped." I will try to be more careful of temperature management as I am sure I made a mess of boiling, going off the boil, boiling again, etc.

We do not have a problem with mold growing in the house, but I see the point about mold still being present and always a risk.

Thanks again for all the help. I will get to cleaning all this stuff now.

 

[DrunkleJon]

You do not need a new bucket. Clean it well and sanitize it thoroughly (sanitize just before transferring wort to the fermenter) and you should be ok. If it happen on your next batch then replace. Bleaching will kill the nasties but be sure to rinse it well. I mean rinse until you can no longer sense the chlorine.
The extract that is being referred to is the DME(dry malt extract, a very fine powder) and LME (Liquid Malt Extract, a syrup). The steeped grains are used for color and flavor. 2-row is a base malt. Base malts are used for the bulk of fermentables in all grain batches and to provide enzymes to break down any starches in the specialty grains. What we are thinking you did was a partial mash brew where you do a combination of malt extracts and a mash with the base grains and specialty grains for about an hour. Temperature matters with mashing, with steeping it is far more forgiving.

 

[nhindian]

Definitely think the yeast was the issue here. A packet from 2010 probably wouldn't be very viable, if at all. And this was liquid yeast, so was it stored cold since 2010?

Not to mention you said your OG was 1.100... That's a pretty hefty beer.

Add old liquid yeast that you didn't make a starter for and I'd doubt it even began to ferment. Enter the mold baddies and there you go.

 

[Komocabo]

That yeast Is way too old. I think you said the OG was 1.1...? Need more than one FRESH smack pack for that high next time. You could make a starter, but I would hold off until you get some basics under your belt. Good luck on your next batch! It will get better.

- Cue the "Always make a starter" crowd: )

 

[Komocabo]

Rhindian you barely beat me to it

 

[nhindian]

Also, your sanitation process seems sound, but you shouldn't really be letting what you sanitize "dry".

I sanitize my beer theif, fermenter, funnel, transfer bucket, etc while my wort is boiling and take it out right before I have to use it. I use Star San and will swirl some in the carboy right before transferring the wort into it; right on top of the foam.

Also, did you aerate your wort after adding the yeast?

 

[Clonefan94]

The 2010 yeast pack definitely secures my feelings that the yeast was the problem. Your sanitization procedures seemed sound. And sanitizing is just that, it's not sterilizing. The yeast never took off, so the mold did.

 

[Komocabo]

Yep. THAT was the question that needed to be asked. Get fresh yeast and you'll be good next time, bud