I just transferred my brew to a second glass carboy. There is some white specs floating along the top. I was wondering if this could be yeast or other ingredients or is likely mold? I just noticed it and I was going to wait a couple days to see if it develops before I throw it out
Mold or yeast
- Thread starter jacobch
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Throw it out? Fermentation can produce all sort of floaties and goofy-looking junk that may cause you to think something is amiss. Don't assume that it's mold, bacteria or fungus.
BTW, why did you transfer to a secondary?
BTW, why did you transfer to a secondary?
Better to use a hops sack and skip the bother (and increased risk of oxidation/infection) of a secondary unless you're doing something specific in the secondary, like adding fruit or dry-hopping.
Do you have the means with which to cold crash 4-5 days before bottling? That really helps to clear the beer and compact the trub so that much less junk gets into the bottling bucket.
Sure. When I do a cold crash (which is every batch), I take the bucket out of the fermenter fridge (normally about 68*F beer temp at the finish for an ale) and move it over into the upright freezer I keep at a constant 35-36*F. I leave it in there for 4-5 days before kegging or bottling. When I just had the freezer and no fridge, I'd simply turn the STC-1000 down to about 2*C and let it get cold that way.
Cold crashing clarifies the beer by causing much (but not all) of the yeast and other particulates in suspension to settle to the bottom and form a more firm layer than you'd get at fermentation temp. After crashing, rack it to the bottling bucket, batch prime, give it a gentle stir with a sanitized plastic spoon (to evenly distribute the sugar solution) and bottle. The beer will warm up to carb as it sits at room temp.
