Stuff plating out on top of carboy

[thedeep86]

Hey, I am just wondering if anyone can help me out. I made a batch of cider, after the bubbling slowed down in the primary, I racked it to a clean sterilized glass carboy. After about two days in secondary I have some white-ish colored stuff plating out on the top of the carboy. Is this ok? There is still action in the airlock. Thanks.

 

[texwake]

Hard to see, looks like secondary fermentation.

 

[thedeep86]

Sorry I know it's hard to see I'm talking about the stuff on the top of the carboy that the cider doesn't touch.

 

[texwake]

Oh so its on the glass. No clue. But its not in the cider, so that's good. You can:
A) Rack into another carboy, but your risking more oxidation
B) Ride it out until the end and taste it to see if there is anything funky.

I would just ride it out and see what happens. I do not see anything alarming.

 

[Yooper]

You want NO headspace in the carboy! Rack to a smaller carboy immediately, or top up with something (other hard cider) right away.

You need to be topped up to within an inch or two of the bung, at the narrowest part of the carboy. You're a long way from that.

 

[ThatITGuy]

You want NO headspace in the carboy! Rack to a smaller carboy immediately, or top up with something (other hard cider) right away.

You need to be topped up to within an inch or two of the bung, at the narrowest part of the carboy. You're a long way from that.

Just curious why is headspace bad for cider? (I'm a noob, here to learn!)

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Headspace is not particularly bad for cider, but it is particularly bad after racking because there is not enough fermentation going on to purge the oxygen out of the headspace, and due to the extended aging. Top up with some extra cider and you should be set. Maybe taste a bit to make sure you're not pouring cider on top of a apple cider vinegar.

 

[thedeep86]

Thanks for the replies. Could I top it up with regular cider or apple juice?

 

[bucketnative]

Thanks for the replies. Could I top it up with regular cider or apple juice?

That's exactly what Yooper is suggesting. It will ferment a bit more and add some yeast to the pile, but it will be better than cider vinegar. Any acetobacter that may be present will require oxygen to start converting the cider to vinegar, this will mitigate that risk.