Yeast or Mold?

[AMac]

Hello,

I pitched my first batch of cider today around noon (pasteurized, cloudy grocery store cider + Lalvin D47 yeast) with a healthy fear of contamination - PBW, then a nice soak in star san for all of my tools. When I pitched the yeast there was a little bit stuck in the neck of the jug I wasn't able to swirl out very well, and I just noticed (about 11 hours later) some fuzzy white spots in the neck that I'm pretty sure are just the bits of yeast I missed (can be seen in both pics as two small spots diagonal to each other).
I'm fully aware I'm micromanaging my cider, but if anyone could confirm/deny this is what stray yeast grows into, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[CKuhns]

I would wait to see if they grow, kind of looks like yeast but if it turns hairy or changes colors then likely mold.

Another note - You don't have a lot of head space in that jug. If your ferment gets pretty active your krausen could reach your airlock and plug it up and cider spewing from the jug is rather messy. I would add a blow off tube and container with sanitizer in it or take a cup or so of must out of your container.

 

[RPh_Guy]

^ What he said.

Mold generally doesn't grow very fast, so it's almost certainly not mold.

 

[AMac]

Ok, great, thanks!
Also with regards to head space - we're trying to keep it low and slow at 64°F (with some brief fluctuations lower ~62°F due to our cheap wine cooler), I'm not sure how that affects overall fermentation activity but would you still recommend removing some of the must?
Also we're about 20 hours in and no bubbles yet, although the fluid level in my S bubbler shifted from even at bottling time, to higher in the right chamber (probably because of the decrese in temp from putting it in the cooler from room temp?), to now higher in the left chamber.
Not sure if this fluid level change is significant, or something I should intervene to fix.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[jseyfert3]

Also we're about 20 hours in and no bubbles yet, although the fluid level in my S bubbler shifted from even at bottling time, to higher in the right chamber (probably because of the decrese in temp from putting it in the cooler from room temp?), to now higher in the left chamber.
Not sure if this fluid level change is significant, or something I should intervene to fix.

I'm also doing my first ciders right now (two batches of EdWort's Afpelwien started a couple days apart, first one started Tuesday). So I'm a total noob.

That said, the change in aiock levels is normal. I am using three piece airlocks not S airlocks but when I moved my first batch from upstairs kitchen (~65 °F) to basement (60 °F) I got some suckback as things cooled down.

The airlick moving the other way is likely due to fermentation starting and buulding up pressure. It's doing what it's supposed to do. Certainly don't try and intervine unless the cider bubbles up into the airlock later on during fermentation due to your low headspace. It's on the verge if it's first bubble it looks like, if it hasn't already bubbled. Within another day I suspect you wilk be getting regular bubbles out of the airlock.

 

[AMac]

Of course that same night I came home to it bubbling away! It has a bit of a krausen developing on top, and as of this morning we're getting a bubble about every 2 seconds. I'll be checking on it every few hours to make sure it doesn't bubble up into the airlock, thanks for the reply!