Contamination? Should be dumped? (See Pics)

Yeah, that doesn't look normal (or good). I say dump it.

 

Is it fuzzy? I get a mold vibe. Like a peice of bread might get. It likely only grew on top where the environment was a little more ideal for it (some o2 and no alchohol to contend with). Many people would recommend not messing around with mold though.

 

The only time I had what I thought might be a beer contamination, it looked just like that. I dumped it. Does anyone know what type of contamination this might be?

 

Yeah, that looks like some kind of mold to me. BTW @Dan_N when you post a pic, it's better to get a direct url for just the pic (with ".jpg" or whatever at the end of the filename/url) and put it in an "image" tag (the button with the little house (or mountains?) and the sun in it), instead of embedding a page as "media" item. That way more people will be able to see it.

 

The "gunk" looks like a highly flocculent yeast, but the blue stuff looks like mold. Doesn't really matter what the contamination is and pretty much impossible to tell more specifics without plating it. Either way, I wouldn't mess with mold and I'd dump it.

 

Why dump it if it tastes good? One time I had a solid crust on top of a Pilsner. I racked from underneath into a keg and all was good. Good luck!

 

Because mold can make you really sick.... the other stuff is undropped krausen but ya I see mold on top of that( the bluish stuff). Definitely dump. How much head space was in your fermenter?

 

So, if I'm understanding the observations correctly, the chunky, white, popcorn-like stuff is OK as it's only 'highly flocculent yeast" (krausen), but it's only the bluish tinge that identifies it as mold? This is important, because I tossed a similar-looking batch, that didn't have any bluish tinge.

I think the whole topic of what is and what isn't contaminated beer, based on observation, and as distinguished from "flocculent yeast" krausen, is very important, both to new and more experienced homebrewers, and deserves a separate thread. I might have tossed a beer that was fine.

 

When I worked in cheese, we went by if it isn't black, its ok. If it tastes good, I'd go ahead and bottle, clean the bejeezus out of all equipment, refrigerate bottles once carbed, and drink quickly. Don't forget to clean the bejeezus out of the bottles, too.

 

Is that really mold, though? In the one picture it does look pretty fuzzy / filamentous but it's hard to be sure. Can you take a sample with a sterilized probe? Carefully smell some, and then rub it between your fingers. What does it smell and feel like? There's a lot of mold that isn't dangerous, especially if it's not in the beer itself. How much did you drink?

 

What would that accomplish? Are you suggesting he identify an unkown microorganism by smelling it, and declare it dangerous or safe on that basis?

Do you know that there are about 100K species of mold, and several million species of fungi in general?

 

I had my first suspect beer ever yesterday when I went to keg it..I dumped it. Now I’m wondering if the carboy should be quarantined and not used.

 

Let sit with warmer pbw for a few hours. I’d really concerned bleach and rinse.

 

I wouldn’t drink this beer unless I had a gun to my head. Why people would be willing to mess with mold is beyond me. This isn’t cheese or bread where the mold can be cut off. This beer is inoculated with what looks to be mold and drinking it would be a high risk/minimal reward. If people want to win a Darwin Award than have at it.

 

Is that glass or plastic? Glass is generally pretty easy to sanitize regardless of what got on it. I've never heard a persistent infection in a glass fermenter. Plastic, OTOH, I would be wary.

 

I ferment in buckets and normally have about 4-5 inches of space. This has only happened to me once and it was fine for a long time till it was gone. Seems funny to get mold that fast unless the op kept allowing air into his fermenter. Take care.

 

How about start by differentiating between krausen / non-krausen. Seems best to ask questions and make observations for the sake of discovery, rather than jump to conclusions or spread fear. Hey, if it's mold, then dump it. End of story. For all we know something else like laundry lint got in when the bucket was opened, could be a lot of things.

I'm suggesting that with only pictures, and little else, you or I don't have enough evidence to tell him to dump it without a doubt.

 

Ok. The blue stuff is not Sacch yeast, and is most likely a mold or other unknown species of fungus. I would dump.

Do you think another picture would make it go away?

Bad lighting? Are you serious?

ETA: BTW, there are 4 pics.

 

You are asking if I am serious, yet you allude to additional possibilities as well? It's the internet. And all sorts of things get posted. If it were me, I would gather more data to further rule out other possibilities. It would only take a few extra minutes.

add: Ok, I only saw one photo at first. And it really looks fungal. I don't deny that.