moldy krausen

[Ibasterd]

Hey all. I just bottled a Belgian Wit (see recipe below). On the ferment of this one, the krausen never fell. When I cold crashed I snuck a peek and the left over krausen looked different than usual. Really light fluffy and pillowy. I suspected mold. When I went to bottle this morning I had a good look , and it was clearly mold. Since this is a belgian, I went a head and bottled from underneath it the best I could. The hydrometer sample tasted fine. Maybe slightly sour, but not what I wouldn't expect from this yeast anyway. Anyway, I'm nervous about this one, and hope it turns out ok. Anyone have any similar experiences, and how did it turn out for you? Here is a pic of the leftover trub and krausen after bottling.


HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Witty Belgian

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Witbier
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 2 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3.8 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.027
Efficiency: 65% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 5.17%
IBU (tinseth): 18.63
SRM (morey): 4.31

FERMENTABLES:
1.5 lb - Flaked Wheat (33.3%)
2.5 lb - Belgian - Pilsner (55.6%)
7 oz - Flaked Oats (9.7%)
1 oz - Belgian - Biscuit (1.4%)

HOPS:
0.4 oz - Hallertau Hersbrucker, Type: Pellet, AA: 4, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 18.63

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temp: 122 F, Time: 15 min
2) Temp: 154 F, Time: 60 min
3) Temp: 168 F

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.08 oz - mulling spice, Time: 0 min, Type: Spice, Use: Boil

YEAST:
White Labs - Belgian Wit Ale Yeast WLP400
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 76%
Flocculation: Low-Med
Optimum Temp: 67 - 74 F

NOTES:
Brewed: 4-11-15
O.G: 1.052
F.G: 1.015
ABV: 4.86%

This recipe has been published online at:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/r ... ty-belgian

Generated by Brewer's Friend - http://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2015-05-09 15:06 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2015-05-09 14:47 UTC

[John Sand]

I don't know if that is mold. I had a ferment once which got mold and fruitflies. No doubt, it was mountains of green mold. That batch was infected. But I bottled it, I always do. Because sometimes it will heal, or be good. And plenty of my feared infections were not.

[Inkleg]

Yeah, I wouldn't call that mold, just odd krausen.

[mashani]

I don't think that's mold either. I'd just bottle from under it and be happy.

Even if there was mold, it will only grow on top of something floating on top of your beer. Mold does not like fermented wort at all. Even if it was there, bottling from under it is safe, no worries about infections in the bottle. It can only grow on something else in your beer.

Some Belgian yeasts often leave lingering krausen - WLP400 is one, 3787 too. I often have krausen even 3 weeks in even though the batch has been "done" for many days. The stuff I brewed with Abbaye has 1/4" of krausen still and it's been in there 2 weeks and is done fermenting according to the hydrometer. I don't have any idea when it will actually fall, and I'm not planning on waiting to find out.

Some yeasts like T-58 for example, and French Saison sometimes, and WLP400 I think happened to me too, the krausen will fall, and fermentation will complete, but if you don't get the beer out of there then later yeast islands that look like that will form, and can eventually cover the entire surface, but it doesn't look like a lacto/brett pellicle, it's just flat, maybe a random bubble, but not structured/stringy like a real pellicle... it's a weird kind of flocculation where the remaining yeast in suspension gang up and then float instead of sink or stick to the sides of your fermenter/bottles and leave a film - I've read that it has something to do with some of them taking on a + or - charge where the rest are the opposite. It is not truly infected, beer bottled from under that is fine, and stays fine for a year + in the bottle.

[jimjohson]

Wait, ok color me blind and crazy, but look at the LBK wall top right corner of the pic...sure looks like mold to me

[Ibasterd]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm honestly not sure whether it was or wasn't mold. It was not green and it wasn't "structured/stringy like a real pellicle like". It was definitely "different" than any krausen I've had before. So we shall see in about three weeks.

[mashani]

Wait, ok color me blind and crazy, but look at the LBK wall top right corner of the pic...sure looks like mold to me

Doesn't look any different then a big hunks of yeast islands left on the side of the fermenter as the beer is siphoned out (stuff floating on top of the remaining beer is likely islands of yeast too IMHO). I get that sort of stuff when using T-58 and some other yeasts (I'm fairly sure I've had it happen using WLP400 too). So in my best guess, it's not mold. Just weird blobs of floating yeast.

Most of the time what everyone who thinks is mold in their beer is not. It can theoretically grow on top of something else that's floating on top of your beer (hop particles, yeast islands), but it really doesn't like to do that either - it requires oxygen, so the CO2 blanket and it are not friends, nor is the beer itself.