Gunk in the jar during fermentation

**Achtlaut** · 11-20-2015, 11:10 PM

So I made two batches the other day. One had a pinch of allspice and the other didn't. Other than that the two were identical. The foam in the allspice batch was really thick and dense, almost like a putty and there is a bit of it. I've never had this type of "gunk" appear before. The wife thought it was mold but idk. I'll put up photos soon. Any thoughts? Should I be worried?

**Mazer828** · 11-21-2015, 12:37 AM

Need more details. At what phase of fermentation did you add the allspice? How big was the batch? How much is a pinch? Is the gunk on the top or the bottom? Etc.

**Achtlaut** · 11-21-2015, 12:43 AM

Added it when I mixed the must. The gunk appeared about 3 days after I pitched the yeast. It's a 1 liter batch. Less than an 1/8 of a tsp. And at the top of it. Anything other details needed?

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/...psdvvh7vsd.jpg

**pokerfacepablo** · 11-21-2015, 01:06 AM

Some foam can look worse than others but it's probably safe. I've had nasty white mold for my Tej but it turned out fine. In fact, that was all part of the fermentation process for the Tej... YouTube it if you're interested.

Try taking a taste and find out if it's gone bad. If it tastes good you're ok. Im curious to see so take a pic and post.

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**Achtlaut** · 11-21-2015, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by pokerfacepablo

Some foam can look worse than others but it's probably safe. I've had nasty white mold for my Tej but it turned out fine. In fact, that was all part of the fermentation process for the Tej... YouTube it if you're interested.

Try taking a taste and find out if it's gone bad. If it tastes good you're ok. Im curious to see so take a pic and post.

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I was using the cheap balloon airlock trick and it foamed up into there and wrecked the balloon. It stayed intact but clogged it badly. And here is a link to the pic of it

http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/...psdvvh7vsd.jpg

**pokerfacepablo** · 11-21-2015, 01:45 AM

Looks good to me but I would reseal with a proper airlock. Taste it and give us notes.

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**Achtlaut** · 11-21-2015, 01:50 AM

Sadly I don't have one available at the moment. I'll taste is when I rack it and let you know. Thank you for the insight, feeling a bit better now

**GntlKnigt1** · 11-21-2015, 08:30 AM

Was there fruit in the batch? If so, how much pectin enzyme?

**Mazer828** · 11-21-2015, 10:42 AM

I agree it's probably fine. Get another airlock or cover of some sort on there, just to keep the cooties out until it gets close to the end of fermentation. Then everything will drop to the bottom and you can rack it into another airtight vessel to clear. Definitely get a good airlock for that step.

I doubt it has to do with the allspice. But if you have some mad scientist in you, repeat your recipe without the spice and see if your results change. You can always add spice later anyway, which is what many recommend. Plus it's less likely any bugs in the spice will do any thing weird to your mead since it'll already have a good percentage of alcohol in it.

**Achtlaut** · 01-27-2016, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by Mazer828

I agree it's probably fine. Get another airlock or cover of some sort on there, just to keep the cooties out until it gets close to the end of fermentation. Then everything will drop to the bottom and you can rack it into another airtight vessel to clear. Definitely get a good airlock for that step.

I doubt it has to do with the allspice. But if you have some mad scientist in you, repeat your recipe without the spice and see if your results change. You can always add spice later anyway, which is what many recommend. Plus it's less likely any bugs in the spice will do any thing weird to your mead since it'll already have a good percentage of alcohol in it.

So the personal reason I thought the allspice was affecting our was I had two identical batches going with the exception of one having a pinch of allspice. Also I noticed the one with the allspice still bubbling for a week after the other one

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**Mazer828** · 01-27-2016, 09:40 AM

Did it foam up when you added the allspice? That could be it. If the fermentation was already going and you dropped a pinch of powder in, that would create a bunch of nucleation sites where carbon dioxide would be released.

**Mazer828** · 01-28-2016, 01:20 AM

Just reread the whole thread. You already answered that. Sorry. Can't tell what caused the foam up. Only thing I could guess is that some compound in the allspice is creating some kind of long chain polymer or something, and that's allowing more sudsing than the other batch. Just a completely wild guess. As said though, it's probably just fine. Taste to confirm no obvious signs of contamination, and let it keep going!