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Mold?
- Thread starter GntlKnght
- Start date
More info please.
Green/Blue fluffy or hairy stuff in circular blobs like on stale bread, or a white scum floating over the whole surface (like the flor that helps make Sherry), or ...
I find that I sometimes get the white stuff, especially on higher acidic fruit meads (or wines), such as Kiwi fruit, pineapple (so far).
I either scrape off with a spoon, or top-up the carboy to overflowing, and "run off" the scum. The white stuff doesn't seem overly harmful.
The Flor used in Sherry making actually seals the top from further oxidation - check the web for more info.
The Blue/green stuff I would remove asap (via a spoon). Then ensure I had the mead sulfited sufficiently (which I usually don't do at all).
If you grow your own yeast cultures, the blue/green mold means you throw the yeast culture out to avoid "bad yeast" or bacterial infection (although I have managed to remove just the portion where the blue/green mold was growing, without the rest of the culture being affected - but yeast cultures are another story
)
Green/Blue fluffy or hairy stuff in circular blobs like on stale bread, or a white scum floating over the whole surface (like the flor that helps make Sherry), or ...
I find that I sometimes get the white stuff, especially on higher acidic fruit meads (or wines), such as Kiwi fruit, pineapple (so far).
I either scrape off with a spoon, or top-up the carboy to overflowing, and "run off" the scum. The white stuff doesn't seem overly harmful.
The Flor used in Sherry making actually seals the top from further oxidation - check the web for more info.
The Blue/green stuff I would remove asap (via a spoon). Then ensure I had the mead sulfited sufficiently (which I usually don't do at all).
If you grow your own yeast cultures, the blue/green mold means you throw the yeast culture out to avoid "bad yeast" or bacterial infection (although I have managed to remove just the portion where the blue/green mold was growing, without the rest of the culture being affected - but yeast cultures are another story
)These appear to be white flat blobs floating on the surface of the mead. The largest of them is only 1/4" in across. This was a 6 gallon batch of honey-water-yeast. We are using it as a base for several smaller batches of flavored meads. It was still active when we racked it last week.
We racked it into 5 different carboys at that time. One 1 gallon with Lavendar, two 1 gallon with Pineapple, one 1 gallon with black berries and 1 two and three quarter gallon in a 3 gallon carboy with nothing added to use for topping off later.
The ones with the fruit and herbs are still active and show no signs of this "mold". The 3 gallon carboy is the only one that does. There is much more head space in it that I would normally prefer, but it was still releasing so much CO2 that I didn't think it would matter. The day after racking the airlock stopped and the yeast dropped! We started seeing some dots form on the surface. This was the first batch we had tried with no additives and did not heat the honey at all, so we thought it may have been wax or other "impurities" being brought to the surface my the CO2 bubbles. But when the bubbles stopped and these began to grow, my theory obviously changed!
I think I will try racking from below these and try to save a couple of gallons of it. If I treat it with some Potassium Metabisulfite when I rack it, do you think that will help?
Thanks!
We racked it into 5 different carboys at that time. One 1 gallon with Lavendar, two 1 gallon with Pineapple, one 1 gallon with black berries and 1 two and three quarter gallon in a 3 gallon carboy with nothing added to use for topping off later.
The ones with the fruit and herbs are still active and show no signs of this "mold". The 3 gallon carboy is the only one that does. There is much more head space in it that I would normally prefer, but it was still releasing so much CO2 that I didn't think it would matter. The day after racking the airlock stopped and the yeast dropped! We started seeing some dots form on the surface. This was the first batch we had tried with no additives and did not heat the honey at all, so we thought it may have been wax or other "impurities" being brought to the surface my the CO2 bubbles. But when the bubbles stopped and these began to grow, my theory obviously changed!
I think I will try racking from below these and try to save a couple of gallons of it. If I treat it with some Potassium Metabisulfite when I rack it, do you think that will help?
Thanks!
How about rack 2 gallons from the bottom into one carboy or container, then rack the last gallon to a separate container, just in case.
If you can spoon the white stuff off the top, it is probably easier than stopping it getting sucked up the racking cane.
Pot meta? - definitely (or at least the last 1 gallon)
The last gallon may not be perfect in taste, but it will probably still be ok.
Let us know.
If you can spoon the white stuff off the top, it is probably easier than stopping it getting sucked up the racking cane.
Pot meta? - definitely (or at least the last 1 gallon)
The last gallon may not be perfect in taste, but it will probably still be ok.
Let us know.
