Mystery of Canadian Whiskey Fungus

[AKAAB]

I found this article in Wired magazine fascinating.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/05/f ... hare/all/1

[Braz]

Neat article. Thanks.

[Bushman]

Enjoyed the read, not sure I want to go out and lay under a peach tree for a week to see what bugs move from one to the other? Without different people that compose this world our knowledge level would be far from what it is today

[LWTCS]

Very very good read for me especially,,,,,and here is why.
I have been unable to replicate the mold growth that gave me the chocolate beer notes when using dunder with minimal to zero abv.
Conversely, the batch containing the 8-10% abv bloomed very promptly when exposed to a bit of air and exposed to the hot summer temps within my garage.

Im not concluding anything......just making an observation.

[Prairiepiss]

Yes thank you for the interesting read.

[Samohon]

Very Interesting, Thanks...

[AKAAB]

Very very good read for me especially,,,,,and here is why.
I have been unable to replicate the mold growth that gave me the chocolate beer notes when using dunder with minimal to zero abv.
Conversely, the batch containing the 8-10% abv bloomed very promptly when exposed to a bit of air and exposed to the hot summer temps within my garage.

Im not concluding anything......just making an observation.

Maybe you should harvest some of that mold and use it to seed the next batch? You could also send a sample in to get it identified - just for fun.

[LWTCS]

Maybe you should harvest some of that mold and use it to seed the next batch?

Good idea.
I actually added the entire disc to my other dunder pit. It was so structurally sound that it quite easily slipped right into the container.......But the mold,,,,,,,?????? hairs are not as stout/vibrant looking. Pretty sure the colony wants some likker.

Think I'll add a piece to a forthcoming completed ferment and see what happens.
The mold structures blooming in the more recent test dunder pail looks nothing like the mold that bloomed in the test wash posted on the rum talk thread.

[mash rookie]

I found it an interesting read from our perspective, but beyond identifying the source as being alcohol he never came to a conclusion on how to solve the problem for the town folks. No wonder they fired him. Many people are terribly allergic to mold spores.

Why the hell would you pay a consultant if he doesn’t make recommendations about his conclusions.
Yes, he now has his name in a record book. So freaking what.

I guess they will need another consultant $$$$ to tell them how to solve the problem. A potential health problem that the distillery wont pay for. I guess it shows that something a benign as our beloved hobby can have an impact on others.




And of course mold fungus can make some really kiler LWTCS rum

[LWTCS]

Many people are terribly allergic to mold spores.

Yeah it could be a tough situation....Thought the article said they put together a pressure wash fund...

Mold been around for ever...We likely breath it every day,,, then there is strawberry allergies, peanut allergies,,,shell fish allergies,,,,,,lactose intolerance......some times I think humans are the cancer,,,,,,,jes look how we fugct every thing up in a mere 200 years........ give us a few more years and we'll likely screw up the miracle of sugar too.
likker talkin now.
No matter
Cheers

[AKAAB]

I found it an interesting read from our perspective, but beyond identifying the source as being alcohol he never came to a conclusion on how to solve the problem for the town folks. No wonder they fired him. Many people are terribly allergic to mold spores.

Why the hell would you pay a consultant if he doesn’t make recommendations about his conclusions.
Yes, he now has his name in a record book. So freaking what.

I guess they will need another consultant $$$$ to tell them how to solve the problem. A potential health problem that the distillery wont pay for. I guess it shows that something a benign as our beloved hobby can have an impact on others.

And of course mold fungus can make some really kiler LWTCS rum

I see it like asking an expert to tell you how to get rid of mildew when you live next to Niagara Falls. It's pretty obvious that the only way to kill it is to starve it of what it is feeding on. And, that's just not feasible, is it? Perhaps hermetically sealed warehouses with ETOH filters?

[mash rookie]

I don’t think that is a reasonable comparison. Niagara Falls is natural. People can choose to live nearby or not. There could be no expectation to change nature.

The distillery or any business for that matter is and should be responsible for its impact on the surrounding environment and residents. The standard corporate position is to deny responsibility until legally forced to respond. Even then it is typically cheaper to settle with $$ than to be a good neighbor. Sad but that is how it works in the real world.
All the clean up in the world wont help unless they solve the problem

“Perhaps hermetically sealed warehouses with ETOH filters?”

First, what is impacting the surrounding area? Are they releasing tremendous amounts of mold spores?
Or are they releasing ethanol fumes that encourage the growth of existing fungus once started?

Yes they would have to seal and ventilate their warehouses accordingly. If is an abundance of airborne spores all exiting air could be passed through a germicidal ultraviolet light system in ducting that would sterilize the air.

ETOH filters? Is there such a thing that would filter air and remove all alcohol vapor?
If so that would be a simple solution. If not, pulling air into a chimney furnace would consume any vapors and create an exit.

No it would not be necessary to hermetically seal a building. Just close it and push air out through a sterilizing system thereby creating a vacuum environment. All leaks will bring in the supply air. Ever seen how a house is tested for air leaks?