How to identify MOLD & other WEIRD stuff in your mead, beer, wine, or cider

Something weird is growing on your brew. It's bubbly, snotty, and disgusting. But is it mold? And more importantly, is it SAFE? We're gonna take a look at molds, pellicles, and other floaties in your homebrew.
The mold ID flow chart: dointhemost.org/mold
0:00 Intro
2:24 Types of infection
7:00 Avoiding infection
10:29 Conclusion
How do you dump your moldy homebrew? Let us know in the comments! 👇
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#mold #homebrewing #mead

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

This video contains invaluable information for any beginner home brewer and for any home brewer who hasn’t seen the wide variety of weird and wonderful (or not-so-wonderful) stuff that can grow on an alcoholic fermentation. Thank you for going through the trouble of making it!

[@sullsosoto256]

Super useful information, thank you so much

[@isabelmugaas15]

That chart was SUPER helpful, my first mead I made 5 months ago had some blob stuff floating around in it and I thought it was an odd reaction because I didn’t stabilize properly before back sweetening. I finished it and bottled it but I’ve been scared to drink it. Good to know at the very worst it might just taste weird. You rock man!!

[@Corieorieorie]

Seen little bubbles form and thought they were mould clusters, this video settled the nerves definitely. Appreciate it 🙌

[@TheInfiniteMag]

I was making a tea wine and noticed some fuzz at the top no wired colors I think itll be fine ill see how it tase when finished I already have done this recepie before so i have refrence so if it tastes funny ill throw it out Thanks for the info realy appreciate it

[@thegoose1324]

Super helpful

[@shell-e1720]

Great Video! Happy Halloween! 🎃

[@DointheMost]

Thanks for helping!

[@JeffTheHokie]

I have a pellicle growing on some porter right now that is ready for bottling. I got it from recycling trub rather than buying new yeast each batch. I will continue to recycle yeast, but 2+ months in a loosely sealed jar in a fridge was too much. Now comes the dilemma. Do I really want to run pellicle-containing beer through my good plastic siphon hose, my clean bottling bucket and my bottling wand and risk getting spores stuck to them, do I dump it, or do I improvise?

[@MrWeezy312]

can the yeast draft for tendrils like structures?

[@einar285]

i have white foam on top on my strawberrywine brew. is it mold? looks kinda soapy. it on the 3 day. my first brew btw:)

[@TigerPat_9180]

Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! I Watched the first half 3 times , then got Called away to do things like , Archery ♐🏹 Season opened last weekend , had to Clean a 9 Point and a Nice 10 Point Buck Deer 🦌 for a couple of Fellows . Then was asked to help Eat 5 Large Bags of King Crab Legs and 5 Large Bags of Crawfish . Finally got a few minutes to myself to watch your Video . I've never had an Infection Either . I can see how Bad Fruit 🍓🍑 or Bugs 🪲🐛 or Rodents getting in or on a Fermenter could do it . Just being Careful and Clean Works Wonder's . Cheers 🥂 . 🐯🤠

[@DointheMost]

Cheers friend! 🍻

[@pfuss]

Most entertaining post ever.

[@pixelpulse883]

I reread this post when I have had a bad day

[@reneaclark7689]

Great video!

[@DointheMost]

Thank you, friend!

[@FuzzyBunnyofInle]

I love how this is both informative AND made me want to make lime kool-aid.

[@Funpants94]

Thanks for another informative video! Every Facebook group should pin this. Where's tiger pat at tho?? Sleeping in again?

[@TigerPat_9180]

Naw , I'z Out in the Yard , Piddling with the Chickens🐔. I have 9 Hen's that Lay Green 💚 Eggs 🥚, the Shells are anyway, Plus some other Ones . But there's 2 Rooster's 🐓 that are Comical , and Fun to Watch . They're Little Small Things , look like a Regular Rooster 🐓 but their tail feathers are taller than their head and their Wing Tips bout drag the Ground . They just Funny to Watch and they Don't Run from a BIG ROOSTER 🐓 . BIG ROOSTER will back up stand , shake his head and say , WHAT THE HECK ! 🐯🤠

[@TigerPat_9180]

P.S. them 2 small Roosters are Black & White in Color . One is a lot of White 🤍 and a Little Black 🖤 , the other is a lot of Black 🖤 and a little White 🤍 .

[@kyle-hb3pz]

@@TigerPat_9180, thanks for the update!

[@keithmcauslan943]

Thank you for this clear description and photos. I have only ever had one and it was from a pumpkin wine the I did not wash the pumpkin first while cutting it up.

[@DointheMost]

I’ve been seeing a lot of pumpkin wines this year! Seems like a tricky ferment.

[@Galacticwolf_115]

​@@DointheMost can mold grow completely under the surface in small stringy structures with occasional nodes?

[@DointheMost]

@@Galacticwolf_115 no, that sounds like some kind of pellicle that has started sending shoots down. Shouldn’t be toxic, but might taste bad. Might also taste good!

[@Galacticwolf_115]

@@DointheMost thank you I was supper concerned because it is my first ever batch and we are going to bottle this weekend. I saw black strands in it and started panicking.

[@DointheMost]

@@Galacticwolf_115 If it's under the liquid surface, not fuzzy, and doesn't smell bad, usually that's a benign infection.

[@fatbruhskit6085]

I love this video. Not only was it entertaining, but very informative. This link will be shared extensively, as well as the flow chart. !direneed

[@DointheMost]

😂

[@michamichall9050]

More examples, please.

[@elirobertson2324]

Damn, I got blue furry filaments. I'm thinking it's mold

[@Yugiohplayer5]

Great info BC! I feel like this video should be mandatory in fermentation help questions haha

[@kashim73]

Awesome and very informative video.

[@DointheMost]

Thanks friend!

[@bobu5213]

I think telling people anything visible under the liquid isn't an infection is really risky. Imagine they aerated enough to have cloudy fungal growth in the liquid. Look up liquid fungal culture if you want to see what that looks like.

[@glennlowder9654]

I had something in the wine and it looked like the wine was getting thicker than the wine. I will call it pone slim.

[@PlastiForge]

9:17 shots fired

[@TheBruSho]

This needs to be shared to every beginner facebook group right now haha! Awesome vid!

[@DointheMost]

Thanks man! Proud of the community for sending in such great pics.

[@Dogstickfetch]

This is INCREDIBLE information, massively important for everyone to understand - Thank you for putting this together!!!!

[@DointheMost]

Thanks man!

[@hanginwithhodge]

I actually shared your graph on my public FB page (giving you props for it). 🙂

[@DointheMost]

Thanks man! I hope all is well. 🍻

[@kingmaybus8409]

Ive been told by a candy chef that i should try invertase enzyme...is anyone familiar with using it in brewing?? He says its amazing at breaking down most starches and complex carbs to fructose.also being he's in the food business its fine for consumption he knows his shit i just dont want to ruin a mash over food versus alcohol production techniques. According to Him, I could get another up to fifteen percent of sugar after the analyze 😅 id love to get some feed back from other experienced brewers/distillers

[@zoidberg945]

When table sugar is added to water, it slowly breaks into fructose and glucose. It occurs very slowly. And yeast also has invertase enzyme, that means it will break more sucrose to it's individual monomer. These two things are enough to break every last sucrose in the water. Assuming all variables were optimal, there won't be any sucrose left in the water. Adding invertase will only accelerate the alcohol production.

[@kingmaybus8409]

@zoidberg945 ahhh thanks for clearing that up for me. After 7 years brewing experiments and distilling, I'm still learning haha. 😅

[@zoidberg945]

@@kingmaybus8409 I adore your humbleness. I have to admit that i am a beginner 🙂. You are so much more experienced than me. 😅 I was providing this answer from scientific point of view. Candy making and Wine brewing is so different. He must be having a greater yield since he may be using glucose or fructose more. Good luck and take care. 😊

[@bryam54]

Esto es muy buen contenido.

[@DointheMost]

Gracias!

[@aresjunior]

This video was hard to watch 😅 Those pictures were disgusting, but it was VERY informative

[@capn2981]

4:52 what kinda bugs are those in the airlock? caught 9 in mine once

[@DointheMost]

Fruit flies I think? Not positive.

[@cm_carlito]

10:18 I've encountered this situation a few times. Out of precaution, I've thrown away those brews. I've tried to be more careful by having a damp rid bucket inside my "fermentation station" (a mini fridge with a temperature probe) and disinfecting it on a regular basis. Thanks for the video. Very informative, as always.

[@Biedrik4]

I think it's useful to remember that fermentation is technically a form of spoilage/decay. To some extent, looking a little gross is normal. It's also good for beginners to keep in mind that not all infection is visible to the eye. Sometimes it's just a weird off flavor in a mead/wine/beer that looks completely normal. Your eyes can identify many forms of infection, but not all.

[@larryreaux1970]

I’ve gotten mold at least once on a sourdough mead that didn’t start.

[@riukrobu]

Fundamental information!

[@ninetyone9191]

Da Tiamond Minecart

[@Funpants94]

!flip pauljoat

[@TigerPat_9180]

What happened , your first comment got deleted . Maybe the Reply was Off Topic 😜.

[@Funpants94]

@@TigerPat_9180 I don't know!?!?! It's gone!!!!