Help! Mould On Fermenters While Brewing

[user3673]

I just went to my brew freezer that has 2 APAs in it brewing away. The fermenters both have black mould spots on them.

What should I do, I am not using an airlock, just bottle caps over the hole where the airlock goes.

Should i spray the fermenters and freezer with Betadine? Or should i chuck both brews.

Also, I was hoping to use the yeast cake for starting a yeast collection, as it is WLP001.

Help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mika]

Fill the airlock with a sanitiser and leave the final decision till they're fermented out.
Most likely they'll be fine. The brew while fermenting produces CO2 which as long as it's fairly active should be enough to keep any airborne nasties out of the brew.
Though wouldn't hurt to hit the inside of your freezer with a cleaning spray like bleach or spray'n'wipe.

 

[Adamt]

Where is the mould? Inside the fermenter or outside? I dare say you'll be fine if the mould is outside the fermenters. Clean them if you can, Make sure to clean the outside of your tap as well before running your beer through it. If the beer in the fermenter is not infected the yeast should be fine.

 

[Screwtop]

Make up a bleach solution and use a chux to wipe down fermenters and inside your fridge, should be done regularly in any case.

 

[Sammus]

This happens to every one of my brews when in a temp controlled fridge and they turn out fine. I always have a sealed fermenter as well though. IS there any mould aroud the airlock hole? I say clean it and stick an airlock in to seal the unit.

 

[blackbock]

No advice on what to do with the brews, but I have had mould spots form in some of my no-chill cubes on occasion and if you get to them quickly enough, a little no-name napisan (sodium percarbonate) takes them off after soaking overnight.
I would be concerned if mould had formed DURING fermentation though...

 

[pint of lager]

Black spots often occur where there are wort splashes. There is a free feed of food and the mould grows. It is then a hop skip and a jump into your fermenter when the lid is off or when you rack. It is an easy fall job off the fermenter into the racking vessel.

The mould growing on the outside may not survive in wort, or it may be a perfect mould to grab your beer by the throat.

Try and keep your brewing gear clean to avoid laying out the breakfast table and breeding an infection that would just love to leap in.

When you clean your brew gear, wash the outside too. Clean up any splashes on brewday with some bleach or napisan.

Fridges seem to be a lovely spot for moulds to grow.

 

[user3673]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Have sprayed and wiped fermenters with Milton solution then fitted airlocks, as there was no mould in the fermenter or around the airlock hole. After that I sprayed the outside of the fermenters with StarSan Sanitizer. Just checked one of the brews which is about fermented out and it is fine at this stage.

No more brewing without airlocks for me. These are my first brews in the freezer having never had one for brewing, so I didn't anticipate the mould problem. Another brewing lesson learned!

 

[mfdes]

To prevent this in the future it might be worthwhile installing a computer fan inside to keep the air moving. This accomplishes 2 things: it keeps the air moving so that mold doesn't form (mold likes stagnant air) and it keeps the temperature even inside the freezer and prevents temperature layering. It also seems to minimise temperature swings.
Anyone?

MFS.

 

[user3673]

I do have a fan in there, would this suggest that it is not pushing enough air for the size of the freezer?

 

[mfdes]

Maybe, though supposedly all you need is to just move the air. I noticed you're in Brissy, so your ambient humidity is much higher than ours. I'm fine with the slightest bit of air movement.
Also, I assume all the CO2 coming out of the fermenters is saturated with water vapour, as it's just percolated though the beer. Might be worth while giving the outside of your fermenters a wipe with a chux moistened with sanitising solution... It should wipe off spilled malt extract and make it harder for mould spots to form?

MFS

 

[troydo]

Same thing happened to me on this dbrew burt has not happened before, i blamed it on the current rather humid days...

 

[shmick]

A spray bottle from the $2 shop filled with metho makes a handy cleaner.
Removes dried/spilled wort and kills mould at the same time.
After each ferment, I give the inside of my old chest freezer a quick spray, leave for a few minutes then wipe out.
Never had a mould problem since.

ps. is a good idea to turn off the power and lose the ciggy first - your eyebrows will thank you for it h34r: .