maybe mold, maybe foam?

[plaztikjezuz]

I'm unsure if this is a problem or not.
i'm making a black cherry mead.

i already made 5 gallons off of 18# of sweet black cherries with 15# of honey. i racked off the mead and the cherries where still in tact. and had a lot of color. so i decided to add 15# more of honey. i had the cherries in a straining bag (first time i used one, very nice) and just put them in a new bucket with the water honey mix.

for the first batch i used the non-boil method with camdon tablets to sanitize the fruit and honey. for the second batch i heated the honey @ 150-160 for 25-30 minutes i added some spices to the second batch and wanted to step them also. so i'm pretty sure this did not come from the honey or fruit?

but its a white foam it does not look furry or have other colors in it. what makes be think its nothing? but i dont have a thief here at my new house yet and the syphon it a pain for jsut a taste. i have posted a picture below. oh almost forgot it showed up after i transfered the first time. i could not really tell in the bucket with the bag and cherries in there.

the only reason i post this is o have been brew for a long time but am new to mead i'm on my 8th batch over 2 years and i have not encountered any thing like this in mead. it kind looks like what beer does a little but it would be more violent of a krausin and would have happened shortly after pitching the yeast not 3 weeks later and not 5 days after the transfered.

well maybe, i'm no expert.

 

[Jmattioli]

Probably just some stuff from the cherries skin since you didn't use a bag or maybe even spices. Especially since you heated this time. It breaks them down and after fermenting for awhile it sometimes separats pectins and stuff. I wouldn't worry about it. Leave it behind when you rack next time.
Joe

 

[plaztikjezuz]

thanks for the fast reply.
but i did use a straining bag was the first time i did, which is how i was able to ferment with the cherries twice.

i had something like happen with a beer once.
it was a clone of corsindok.

i asked the then brewer at work what he thought because it only happened in one carboy (i make 15 gal batches) but it did not effect taste or apperience other then to sit on top of the beer.

he said it was most likely so old yeast that was caked on and broke free.

the beer was fine, i did not rack, the stuff into the keg and it aged well.

 

[ScottS]

I see that all the time, most batches but not all. It is just foam that makes weird patterns after sitting for a long time. Unless you detect an odd odor, I wouldn't worry about it. Take off the airlock and inhale deeply.

By the way, 30# of honey in a 5 gallon batch? You must have a serious sweet tooth! ;D

 

[Oskaar]

I have the same thing on a couple of my carboys too. Not as pronounced as what you have on yours, it's more like a fine powder like talcum on top of the mead.

I've never had it foul my mead and when you rack you can leave it behind.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[plaztikjezuz]

By the way, 30# of honey in a 5 gallon batch? You must have a serious sweet tooth! ;D

2x15# 5 gallons or 30# in 10 gallons

i have heard of 50/50 mixes of honey water in polish meads. that would be a serious sweet mead!

some wine makes and beer makes rack back on to the lees/turb it use the yeast again. i had a straining bag full of cherries that had not been eatten down by the yeast to much so i decided to reuse the cherries in a second batch. someone at work was also telling about "jerk wine" dont know if its a real term? but you use what left of the fruit when making a wine and add more sugar. i just added more honey.

it came out lighter about half as dark but has a good cherry flavor and aroma still. i added spices to the second batch to give it a different taste. but the first batch is a very dark purple almost black, in the carboy. the second is little lighter then a merlot in the carboy.

*ps.
becareful, i almost just killed myself brewing.
slipped while carring a carboy and almost fell on the hudge shards of glass.