• PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

Black spots around gasket (!)

Toggle sidebar
Barrel Char Wood Products
T

The5thHerring

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 3, 2011
33
0
0
Hello again. So the batch I recently thought might be bacterially soured (don't particularly think so anymore) now has a truly worrying sign.

Wedged in between the airlock gasket and the inside of the carboy neck, lately there have developed 4 or 5 little black spots, about the size of pinheads. Could be anything, really, but my uneducated eye thinks it's mold.

My question: should I immediately -- and very carefully -- rack to a verifiably sanitized container, even though primary fermentation has only been going for 9 days? Or would that stress the yeast and risk sticking?
 
Riverat

Riverat

Premium Patron
Premium Patron
Mar 31, 2011
626
5
0
Ellabell, Georgia
www.ogeecheeportapotty.com
I'm a mead newbee myself but as a brewer (and from the info shared with me on this site) I'd have to reccomend the "relax, don't worry have a homebrew" mindset. if you have a good fermentation going, most undesirables will have a difficult time displacing an active fermintation. if you have a spare air lock and stopper and a little food grade poison (my local package shop used to look at me funny when I refered to golden grain this way) it might make you feel better to sanitize a replacement stopper / lock, swab the inside of the neck with said food grade pioson and replace the offending stopper but I suspect you will be just fine.
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,447
59
48
Ottawa, ON
It's a possibility, if I saw something look like it's growing between the stopper and carboy I'd probably remove and re-sanitize the stopper and then carefully using a tissue dipped in sanitizer, wipe the spots up out of the carboy, then re-insert the stopper...

If you do decide to rack to a clean carboy, I would suggest inserting the racking cane very carefully so you don't take anything down into the must, and then gently stir the lees back in so you bring most of the yeast along with your must, so you don't interrupt your fermentation.
 
T

The5thHerring

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 3, 2011
33
0
0
You know, I hadn't even thought of just replacing the gasket and lock. Think I'll just go do that now. :)

And Riverat: I know now that baddies generally can't all of a sudden outcompete a good, fermenting yeast colony. Goodness knows I haven't lost sleep over it -- but the relaxing and not worrying is definitely helped by being able to ask these kinds of questions to people who'll answer!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom