white film on thin mash wash

[hiltonhead]

Have a thin mash whiskey wash fermenting and have gotten a white film on top when almost done. Anyone know what that is or if I should just not worry about it/

[bellybuster]

May just be yeast, can you post a pic?

[Dan P.]

Don't worry about it. It's probably a lacto infection.

[MDH]

That's a surface yeast. Ferment in an airtight container next time or stop opening your carboy after fermentation slows.

[bellybuster]

Could be lacto, it tends to show itself as a very specific film with large bubbles. If lacto is not desirable to you it can be very hard to get rid of.
Can't tell anything without pics

[Dan P.]

That's a surface yeast. Ferment in an airtight container next time or stop opening your carboy after fermentation slows.

MDH, so surface yeast is just the yeast you used to ferment expressing itself in a different form? Why does airtight or not make a difference?
I'm interested because there is an obscure moonshine reference to "cobwebs" meaning that the ferment is finished in the book "In Praise of Poteen". I always wondered if that meant lacto or was the yeast "fruiting", as I believe other fungi will do when their food resource or space is used up. I almost always get the cobwebs on my ferments. Never bothered me one bit.

[pounsfos]

I would be leaning towards a lacto infection myself but without picture we cannot tell you

don't be frightened, if it's still fermenting then don't worry

lacto infections are good, they add flavour

be more hygenic next time and make sure your barrel is air tight if you do not want this next time

[hiltonhead]

Can't seem to be able to get a picture on however it looks like white bubbles or popcorn. Started off looking like white spider webbing. By the sounds of things it is probably lacto so I am going to go ahead and run it. Thanks for all the comments.