yeast rafts?

[DrGarbonzo]

Hey, just looking for a confirmation on yeast rafts vs mold here. Day 3 since brewing, slight airlock activity and signs of what is likely yeast “dust” down the sides. Are some wild yeasts top-feeding? I harvested the yeast from my yard, so I’m expecting it to have some trouble but would rather pitch a pack than get moldy beer.

Cheers!

 

[DrGarbonzo]

I should mention I threw out my last beer from mold/ crazy pellucle so I’m trying to be vigilant

 

[GoeHaarden]

Some parts look suspect...

Didn't you have another infection thread recently? My advice: stop using yard harvested yeast and stop opening your fermenter...

 

[DrGarbonzo]

Yeah i’m that dude lol. Quality advice! I also sort of know i’m in for trouble so these aren’t expensive recipes.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The photo is too blurry to tell.

Mold is fuzzy. Take a close look at it.

Also, you didn't need to dump that least beer unless it tasted bad, and even then, Brettanomyces can do amazing things with wild fermentations.

 

[DrGarbonzo]

to be honest i think it’s an even battle right now

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yeah, that first photo there is pretty clearly mold. Bummer, time to dump that.

You just need to step up the culture to an adequate pitch rate before brew day.

 

[smata67]

You need to tighten up your sanitation procedures.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You need to tighten up your sanitation procedures.

It's wild yeast.

Rapid fermentation and protection from oxygen is what prevents mold.

 

[yourlastchance89]

I would suggest at least investing a little in malt agar plates. Anything you harvest wildly you should at least be able to streak out and separate the different microbes you've managed to collect. From there you can isolate what you think is yeast and build up a starter from that.