What kind of Mold?

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trthskr4
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by trthskr4 »

I do think it's in the air here right now. Mold spores and the like (algae, etc.) of certain varieties will be in the air and when they find something they like with little or no competition they will set up house there. When I kill off the algae in a fish pond then what ever is in the air at the time will set up in that pond so it's a gamble as to what you are gonna get next. I disinfect everything with Clorox and hot water and let it sit for 20-30 minutes before and after use and rinse thoroughly a couple times afterwards. I vacuum my shop floor and that may pick up some nasties on the floor and blow them into the air. I wasn't gonna use this backset, I have plenty of other non infected stuff to use and am not even doing any corn right now. I just wanted to see what would happen.
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
Dnderhead
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Dnderhead »

maybe some one else will know but would it help to spray "Lysol-oust" or some other air disinfection before opening fermenters?
theholymackerel
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by theholymackerel »

Hey Dnder.

Personally I wouldn't. I suspose someone could if they gave it plenty of time to settle, but chems capable of killin' viruses would make me worry. I could be worryin' about nada, I do that sometimes.

Trthskr, ya gotta get yer fermenter and gear clean before ya use somethin' like bleach, or an Idophor sanitiser. Just a tiny dab of gunk stuck somewhere and dried is a whole ecosystem to micro-organisms. First use Oxyfree (it's made by Oxyclean but has no dyes, or perfumes) and warm water to get yer fermenters and gear clean. Then use a bleach solution, or even better, star-san or an Idophor sanitiser. This will make a big difference for folks that have an on-goin' problem with infections.

Once the clean/sanitised problem is fixed ya can give yer yeast a leg up on the competition by providin' a happy environment for the yeast and a bad environment for the nasty microorganisms. The easiest way to do this is to provide a low PH. Get yerself some citric acid in a pure powder form, and use it to lower yer PH. If yer doin' a UJSM type thing, the backset/dunder will lower the PH for ya. In fact it lowers PH so well that after sucussive generations ya have to use less and less backset or you'll get the PH so low the yeast will be stressed and unhappy.

I assume yer doin' closed fermentations, but if yer doin' open fermentations seal that fermenter up and use an airlock. Ya might wanna try and open the fermenter less often. Also sanitise yer stirin' utensil with very strong alcohol or a spraybottle of starsan before usin' it. Lastly if yer usin' a stirrin' stick, throw it away. Wood can hold and protect microorganisms that will get into and mess up batch, after batch.


So to recap: Get yer gear really clean with oxyfree, then sanitise yer gear with a high quality sanitiser like starsan or an Idophor sanitiser. Provide a happy PH for yeast and the other microorganisms will be unhappy. Think of it like a lawn... if the grass (yeast) is happy and thick the weeds (mold, bacteria, fungus, etc) get choked out, but if the lawn is patchy and unhappy the weeds pop up everywhere. And lastly do closed fermentations and open the fermenter as little as possible.








I wish ya luck.
trthskr4
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by trthskr4 »

Thanks HolyMackerel, that's a really good play by play on sanitization. I did go out and look in one of my fermenters that are soaking in bleach and water. There are air pockets all in it where theoretically a microorganism could hide out for a while. I'll look for the Oxyfree, Wally world usually carries the Oxyclean so they may have it. All my stuff's been pulling double duty or at least back to back duty for a couple months now, might need to stop, sanitize and restart everything. I haven't used the offending fermenter since I found that, just ran that batch and cleaned everything and let it sit. I usually open my fermenters (yeah they're airlocked) only once between start and finish.

Thanks alot,
TRTH
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
MountedGoat
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by MountedGoat »

Going back a bit. Has anyone ever done a Lactobacillus fermentation? I know that beer makers do it and it makes a crazy sour beer. Just a thought there. I agree with Alchemist that is definitely a form of Dirtybucketitus.
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frikz
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by frikz »

Remember myself noticing a slightly funny smell after I left a batch of UJSM dormant for about three days and the wash had just a few large air bubbles floating on top of it, but no spider web. When I added new sugar/backset it went off as usual and it finished in 4-5 days so I guess it's allright.

Maybe this is caused by some stuff that's in the corn? Personally I didn't boil my corn prior to adding it to the wash in order to get it sterilized - so don't know if it would make a difference either - but if the spider web thing is caused by a mold I'd say there must be a decent infection since it has to compete with the yeast.
Dnderhead
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Dnderhead »

I acquired the same spider web ---cause-- a fly doing the backstroke--scooped it out to late , that's all it took conclusion keep ferment covered no mater what
trthskr4
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by trthskr4 »

I've come to the conclusion that it's in the air or on the corn. I'm leaning towards the air (mold spores) but because I've had it show up in a gallon of backset that was pumped in hot off the still and sealed immediately I'm not sure either way.
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
Barney Fife
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Barney Fife »

Damn! I just checked-in on a wash that I've had going for a while, using my "spent" grains, just to see if i'd get anything useful from them. It was smelling like a bland beer a few days ago, but I just peeked-in, and was greeted by a thick-ish, white, spider web like cover, and the smell turned very sweet! I actually liked the smell, but I;m afraid I need to toss the whole thing, correct?

And yes, two small flies were floating around in it)loose cover)
Dnderhead
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Dnderhead »

I ran mine with out problems ,better run before it takes over completely
Barney Fife
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Barney Fife »

I dumped it. Decided I'd never be thirsty enough to drink whatever came from that mess :lol:
blanikdog
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by blanikdog »

Barney, you may have dumped the best batch you ever ran. In fact,I think you did. :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Barney Fife
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Barney Fife »

Thanks. I feel the love... :wink:
dougjones31
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by dougjones31 »

If it smells good then it probably is. Good smells usually go hand in hand with good tastes....and even some bad smells have a corresponding good taste(ie...Lacto). Just think of all the weird/unique bacteria that have been used in fermentations throughout it's history. Bacterial strains and yeast strains are what give unique tastes to different fermented beverages. I dare to say that every distillery in existance has some sort of bacteria that lends a unique character to their product. NOW granted.....probably nothing to this extent , but if you boil it then pitch yeast ( saving a culture for the future, if turns out to be good) , then I would say that it would be perfectly safe to try it and see what you get. Afterall......experimentation is the name of the game...isn't it?

But then again....I have been called CRAZY a time or two... :wink:
blind drunk
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by blind drunk »

While looking for a naturally fermented pickle recipe, I came across something called Kahm yeast. Looks very similar to what some get on there wash after fermentation is complete. I did a goggle image search and found this thread from a beer site -

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/my-tri ... ld-344275/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Scroll down to the brown pickling crock. Looks very similar. There are other images on the net with similar explanations, I should add. After rereading the thread, Uncle Jesse suggested something along these lines. I find the same thing in my buckets when I buy green olives, which also have lactic acid as an ingredient.

Could the mystery finally be solved? He shudders at the thought!
I do all my own stunts
Dnderhead
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by Dnderhead »

not what iv had,,mine looked like stars attached to each other.
what ever it is flies carry it.
blind drunk
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by blind drunk »

Certainly looks like what I used to get. There could be more than one bugger!!
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ro palinca
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Re: What kind of Mold?

Post by ro palinca »

Maybe the slime mold Physarum polycephalum? It have even some strange application: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-F ... wsNum=2756
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