White particles floating at top of cider?

[turner03]

I have a five gallon batch of hard cider sitting in as glass carboy. It's about two and a half weeks old and all sediment has settled at the bottom. Yesterday I noticed little white particles floating to the top. Today they are all sitting on top. Any idea what this is?

 

[twistr25]

CO2 collecting together, yeast particles, unless it's filmy looking shouldn't be an issue. If you're real concerned, post a pic.

 

[turner03]

co2 collecting together, yeast particles, unless it's filmy looking shouldn't be an issue. If you're real concerned, post a pic.

 

[turner03]

 

[Hello]

If that is something then I too have something in mine. That doesn't look like an infection to me though.

 

[turner03]

That is on the glass at the top on the inside.

 

[Skep18]

Looks like what my Safale US-04 does when I brew cider, flocculate very well and float around in little gunky chunks during active fermentation, sometimes for a little while after. Even a week after, one or two bits rises with a bubble then falls down. But I suppose I don't pay much attention to my cider, so I've never looked that close after a few weeks.

 

[twistr25]

Yeah, looks fine, you'd know if it was infected

 

[turner03]

Any idea why it would be forming on the glass above the cider? This is the secondary vessel.

 

[Skep18]

Any idea why it would be forming on the glass above the cider? This is the secondary vessel.

I assume the wort/cider never touched that part of the glass to leave anything behind?

 

[turner03]

I assume the wort/cider never touched that part of the glass to leave anything behind?

Correct. Maybe a little splash when I racked it to the carboy other than that condensation is forming.

 

[Hello]

Could just be from the splash. I wouldn't worry about it at all.
Any reason for the secondary on the cider? Just curious.

 

[turner03]

Could just be from the splash. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Any reason for the secondary on the cider? Just curious.

Just racked from primary bucket to carboy for aging.

 

[Yooper]

Just racked from primary bucket to carboy for aging.

It need to be in a smaller carboy ASAP! That's WAY too much headspace in the carboy. You risk infection and oxidation from that much headspace, so it needs to be topped up or racked to a smaller carboy right away.

 

[aellis]

how much headspace is too much? i have about 5 gallons in a 6gallon carboy:

 

[podz]

how much headspace is too much? i have about 5 gallons in a 6gallon carboy:

Yeah, that's why I don't like using ale yeast for cider - you can't really use more juice than you have unless you start with a blowoff tube. Similar problem doesn't generally exist with champagne yeast. I am on my third and final batch of using US-04 for exactly this reason. That, and also I don't like the taste produced by the ale yeast in my cider.

 

[Yooper]

how much headspace is too much? i have about 5 gallons in a 6gallon carboy:

It's fine for now! But when fermentation slows down, it's good to rack it to the right sized carboy and make sure it's topped up with little to no headspace.