Brewed my first batch, a standard English ale (Munton's LME) and it's pretty tasty. Most bottles, anyway. Tonight I found my second bottle that has what appears to be mold floating at the top of it. I also notice that the two bottles with the mold seem to be way more carbonated than the ones without, and there is definitely a foul taste to the ones with mold (as you would imagine). Most of the beer tastes fine though. Anyone have any ideas as to what might've caused this?
Mold floating in a few bottles of first batch? (with pics)
- Thread starter zachb11
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AT-JeffT
Well-Known Member
Not seeing any pics
chumpsteak
Well-Known Member
Guessing you didn't get some of your bottles washed good. Soak in hot PBW overnight and then rinse really well. Sanitize before bottling.
Desvio
Well-Known Member
Plus one on funk in the bottles and soak/rinse/sanitize.
I did cleanse and sanitize all bottles with the no rinse sanitizer. But I didn't soak overnight, just soaked long enough to get labels off. I'll be more intense about it this next go round and hopefully won't have an issue. Thanks for the responses.
freisste
Well-Known Member
I'm not saying it isn't mold (hard to tell from the pics). The second is a little blurry and the first looks a little like a different fungus: yeast. I have noticed it on beers that I sucked up a little extra trub and they had lots of yeast in the bottle. If you don't pour carefully, you get it in the glass and it causes a strange flavor. Also a strange GI reaction...
Again, it could be mold, I just can't tell.
Again, it could be mold, I just can't tell.
It looks like your bottles were not 100% clean.
1. Soak the bottles in PBW or washing soda (lots cheaper) overnight.
2. Use a bottle brush to clean the inside well and a stiff brush to remove glue residue from the outside.
3a. Rinse out with very hot water, inspect for cleanliness.
Use one of those faucet jet cleaners. They work wonders to rinse the inside.
If you need to store them, do so in a way to keep them clean.
3b. I prefer to give them another PBW or washing soda wash with the bottle brush or jet spray if they've been sitting around for a while. You want to be sure they are 100% clean.
4. Once clean, right before bottling, sanitize inside and out by immersing in a plastic tote with Starsan (my preference) or Iodophor.
5. Drain the remaining Starsan by placing the sanitized bottles upside down on a sanitized countertop, or sanitized bottle tree and fill with beer using a bottle filler. Keep everything well sanitized.
6. Cap with clean and sanitized caps.
1. Soak the bottles in PBW or washing soda (lots cheaper) overnight.
2. Use a bottle brush to clean the inside well and a stiff brush to remove glue residue from the outside.
3a. Rinse out with very hot water, inspect for cleanliness.
Use one of those faucet jet cleaners. They work wonders to rinse the inside.
If you need to store them, do so in a way to keep them clean.
3b. I prefer to give them another PBW or washing soda wash with the bottle brush or jet spray if they've been sitting around for a while. You want to be sure they are 100% clean.
4. Once clean, right before bottling, sanitize inside and out by immersing in a plastic tote with Starsan (my preference) or Iodophor.
5. Drain the remaining Starsan by placing the sanitized bottles upside down on a sanitized countertop, or sanitized bottle tree and fill with beer using a bottle filler. Keep everything well sanitized.
6. Cap with clean and sanitized caps.
