Is it Mold?

[MBLucid]

Hi guys! I'm new to brewing. So new, that I hardly know what I am doing. I have been trying to follow an online video-tutorial, to lower the chance of screwing up....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V_YC3t7SvM

I mixed the ingredients, and got to the point of moving it over to my secondary fermentor. I ran into my first problem, when I accidentally mixed the sediment at the bottom before moving it over. Apparently, this is a no-no.

Then when syphoning it, I couldn't get a tight connection between the tube and hooked-tube-device (don't know what it's called). It was fine at first, but when I came back (it was moving pretty slow, I assumed because I was straining it through cheesecloth), I had a pool of mead on the ground and the last of it was going over with some pretty intense aeration.

After the transfer, the airlock started bubbling again (albeit slowly). A couple days have gone by, and I see a layer of something on top and a bunch of settled sediment at the bottom. I don't know if it's mold, or the result of further fermentation because I stirred in some of the sediment. Most of the film is purple, but then there are some small white spots in it...

If anyone knows what I'm looking at, I would really appreciate a heads up.
And should I rack it again since I failed so hard on the first one?

Thanks!

 

[Yooper]

No, that's not mold. It's the remnants of fermentation.

You should top up to within an inch of the bung now that fermentation has slowed, though, as you have too much headspace in there now that primary is over.

 

[fatbloke]

+1 with Yooper on the question.

Yet I've just watched the video and there are so many things that aren't wrong per se, but not really good practice, or just plain unnecessary.

I suppose some might find it helpful........

I'd guess that the video was made by someone familiar with beer making, can't say for certain, but that's the impression I get.......

 

[MeadWitch]

If they use the word "krausen" or "wort" in regards to mead making, they are more than likely beer makers.

 

[aceparadis]

First, dont panic, learn from this experiance and it will help your next brew day. It looks like a protein buildup to me, nothing to worry about. Keep going with it till the end. Taste it and dont be surprised if you dont like it, this is good, as you will learn why it turned out the way it did. My first mead was horrible, but I learned from it. My meads today are wonderful. PS: Start by getting your information from www.thebrewingnetwork.com/ or www.basicbrewing.com/radio/ and of course here. Northernbrewertv is also a great source of knowledge.

 

[MBLucid]

I just wanted to follow up, and Thank everyone that chimed in. The "activity" I was worried has stopped, and the mead is looking a a nice deep purple. In about 9 months or so, I'll bottle it and post a picture of the results!

Thanks again!