Corn Mold

[Ajax99]

So, I was getting set up to make an all grain bourbon mash earlier this week. I washed and drained about 20 lbs of cracked corn and then ran it through my Victoria hand mill for a little bit better grind on Monday and then stored the corn a 5 gallon lidded bucket. My little shop/brew house is always a little on the warm side (mid to high 70’s in the summer) so I wanted to try out some Fermentis USW-6 for this one (optimum fermentation temp of 68F to 89F, anyone tried this one recently?) and had placed an on-line order that was supposed to arrive mid-week but was then delayed (now due to arrive next Monday).

So, long story short, it occurred to me when falling asleep last night that warm moist corn in a closed bucket had likely encouraged some unwanted flora. I popped the lid this morning and, sure enough, the top surface of the corn was covered with a light covering of white fuzzy mold.

The smell is slightly sweet and a bit sour. Anyone with any experience with this? Should I toss the corn out and regrind another 20 lbs or boil away when my yeast shows up in a few days?

Thanks

[shadylane]

I can't say whether to toss it out or use it. My first thought would be to start over.
Having said that some of the best bourbon begins with sour corn.

[Ajax99]

Thanks Shady. I considered the same coin toss and decided to contribute this batch to the feed the squirrels fund. Corn is cheap, the wasted time for a failed mash, not so much.

[shadylane]

Save some of the spent mash for the squirrels also, there few things in life funnier than drunken squirrels.