is this normal ?

[ash]

I have some strage things going on. This is some weeks after racking and adding a liter of apple juice (both batches)


batch one:

batch twoo:

has enyone seen this before?

 

[Medsen Fey]

Ash, what are we looking at here?

Batch 1 looks like there might be some fermentation going on. Can you give us the recipe and process details?

 

[ash]

I know, had the wrong link, should be good now

 

[dr9]

Mother of Vinegar?

 

[ash]

6 kg honey per 15 L batch, just tossed in some cinamon, some clove and half an apple cut into small pieces). I put the rehydrated yeast in that (Vinoferm, Bioferm Blanc : saccharomyces cérevisiae ellipsoidus 'Epernay'), a bit of yeast nutricion and let it sit in a carboy with airlock.

This goes for both batches, exept for batch 2, where I pasturised and used a yeast starter.

They have been sitting since september last year. Everything went normally (but slow). A couple of weeks ago I racked them and topped them with apple juice without preservatives.

Batch one has an ever so fine foam on top of it now, looks like yeasties indeed.
Batch twoo has a cloudy looking thing floating in it.

 

[wayneb]

My first guess, given your pictures, is that fermentation has re-started with the addition of the apple juice and you have colonies of yeast in there. The second batch appears to have formed a yeast "pellicle," and the first one just has a layer of yeast on top. It is possible, though unlikely, that it is an acetobacter infection. One way to easily tell is to give them a sniff. If you smell vinegar (acetic acid), then you have a problem. If all smells well (not spoiled, acetic, or mouldy) then you are probably OK.

 

[ash]

so if all smells good, then its just another couple of months waiting....

I want to drink it, not wait for it


by now batch one is pulling water back towards the carboy, so it's done fermenting again. The foamy stuff is till there, but not as much as in the picture. Dead yeasties floating?

Bach twoo is still having airloch activity, be it very few.

What do I do with both batches ?

Can you tell me more about the yeast "pellicle", I'm eager to learn more.


thx !

 

[ash]

it certainly does not smel like vinnigar. They both have a fruity smell (with a lot of clove in it), and the second batch also still smells CO2ish, but then that would be normal, since the airlock is still showing activity.

What dou you guys think I should do with those batches?

 

[Oldonehundredth]

The wild fermented brewers of beer in your location have seen their share of both pellicle (photo one) and glob (photo two), along with ropiness, acetic infection, etc., which could be the clues to understanding what is going on in your batches. Suggest you ask around and find a lambic brewer in your area, who can identify the tastes and smells also. If you manage to do so, let us know what they say. This might actually be a good thing, it's just kind of hard to say at the moment.

 

[wayneb]

Some yeast strain colonies will naturally form localized collections of cells; as Oldonehundreth noted, this is fairly common in wild yeast fermentations, but it can also happen occasionally in homebrews that have been inoculated with mixtures of strains of yeast. I don't know if it is a symbiotic association of the mixed strains or if it is instead a "self defensive" mechanism of one strain in a multi-culture must, but the yeast can collect either in a surface layer or in a distinct globular formation near the surface. Again, neither is much cause for concern unless you detect some off-putting smells from the must.

 

[ash]

I'm affraid I know no collegue homebrewers around here and the big proffesional brewers can't be bothered...

I guess I'm not to pannic?

What do you meen by 'glob'. I can't seem to find anything on google that makes sense

 

[wayneb]

A "glob" is a soft, thick lump of something. In American English the term is used to describe a lump of something that is not hard and that has an irregular shape. Very much like the yeast colony that is floating around in your batch #2! ;D

 

[ash]

oh ok, like the 80's horrorflick

 

[wayneb]

That's "The Blob," but yeah -- close enough! ;D

 

[ZachR]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but what kind of bottle is that in the 3rd pic and where did you get it? That thing is really cool... it almost looks like a huge Orangina bottle.

 

[ash]

it does !
I couldn't tell you what brand it is.
I bought it in my local distillery. They have lots of brewing stuff there, elas not the know-how to answer all of my questions.

 

[Angelic Alchemist]

A "glob" is a soft, thick lump of something. In American English the term is used to describe a lump of something that is not hard and that has an irregular shape. Very much like the yeast colony that is floating around in your batch #2! ;D

Ah hahahaha! Wayne, you are so dry! Love it. On a side not (though not a total hijack) this thread has relaxed some of my fears regarding a batch of Poltorak I have sitting in the coat closet at the moment. It has a similar layer of gack at the top of the carboy (resembling batch #1 in the photo), but smells fantastic. I can post photos and the recipe (here or on a new thread) if people want to see.

 

[wayneb]

Ah hahahaha! Wayne, you are so dry! Love it.

So are my meads!

But seriously, if you have pics to post, feel free! I love to look at the progress of other folks' batches -- but do start a new thread so we don't hijack this one any further. ;D

 

[ash]

the meads I'm working on right now do not really have a lot of smell. Maybe next time I should spend more on the honey ?

 

[Medsen Fey]

Better honey gives better mead, but more expensive doesn't always mean better. Sometime getting it fresh from the beekeeper is actually cheaper, with superior honey.

What type of honey did you use?

Also keep in mind, it is very common for new meads to have little honey aroma and to be very harsh. You will be amazed how much the aroma will develop with a year of aging.

Medsen