Dude - great job! My wife (who is a professor of cellular and molecular biology) says you nailed it, although we both cringed at the pulling back of mold with both hands. You get an A+.
Really appreciate this video, because a lot of channels, directions, online posts, etc are saying that it’s fine and can just be scooped away. And when you have that many sources saying it’s fine you do start to question the common sense of not drinking mold. Thanks for making this video
Good example of how survivor bias ("I've been doing it for years and I'm fine!!!") makes for horrible information to base decisions on. Great info, thanks for being so helpful.
Thank you for tackling this important topic. A well researched video for us. What I got from you is that the danger of mold in a brew is MUCH more of what you can’t see than the clumps on top. You can take out a green blanket but not the ppm of mycotoxins swirling through out below it.
I hope a lot of people get to see this video because it amazes me how some people won't use nutrients or stabilizers because they don't trust chemicals but will keep a brew with mold.
I haven't had "bad mold" in a batch before, although I think I did get a pellicle infection once from some dry herbs I added in secondary, I assume. I dumped it out anyway. I didn't put it there on purpose, it had to go. Then every part of the cabinet it was in, got bleached and starsan'ed, along with every empty carboy, bucket, surface and tool. I have had brew bags grow mold after (insufficient) cleaning and storing, along with the old bucket it was stored in. This prompted me to switch to washing/ drying twice with oxiclean, spraying with starsan, and storing individually in ziplock bags between uses. Visually inspect the bags before use... If it looks spotty, straight into the trash. BTW, I go through a lot of brew bags ;) Mostly for nitro coffee in the kegerator
Flush it with pride!! I'm glad you took a sort of hard edge on this. With a lot of homebrewing, I'm super happy to take a descriptivist approach (IE this is how I do things), but food safety really always should be prescriptivist (IE science says this will get you sick, kill you, or make you develop cancer). This topic really needs the stronger side to pop through. Being loose with molds and other fungi that you can "maybe" identify is like loading food on a plate that you "maybe" cleaned after having raw meat on it: why are you bothering to risk yourself or (God save us) other people!?
That was one of the most educational videos I have ever seen on home brewing. Thank you for all the information. I've never had a mold issue, but I sometimes worry about it. The only advice I have ever heard was to dump it though. I've watch a few of your videos before, but after this I decided to subscribe. Thanks again for the great content.
I’m glad I caught this video today. I have an infected beer in my fermentation chamber right now. I described the infection to my local home brew guy and he told me to it was ok. Perfectly fine. Not toxic. He said to check the gravity and make sure it actually fermented and then to taste it and if it tastes like beer and isn’t offensive it’s ok to bottle. I didn’t trust that advice. I was very skeptical and was going to dump it today. Your video actually confirmed he was correct. The infection I described to him is white and uniform and didn’t cause a foul odor. That seems to fall into your “safe” category. So, I plan on tasting it and going from there. Hopefully it’s not foul. Glad to know it’s not going to kill me. Btw, if it’s even just a little off, I’m dumping it anyway
That definitely sounds like bacteria or brett. Hard to know without seeing it, but I'm sure folks on our Discord server at discord.dointhemost.org would be happy to look at a photo for you!
for a non-microbiologist, you gave a great microbiology primer! I've seen so much bad advice online (like the red site) regarding this. This issue also commonly happens in homes as well, where maybe a small roof leak goes unnoticed/ignored and the home occupants inhale small amounts of spores over time. Oftentimes if mold can find its way in there, the mold likely has a secondary infection of bacterium, like clostridium or staph, as well. Both of these can produce toxins, and the spores can live for over 20 months (how good are your sanitization practices? star san is great but it wont kill everything, mold battles need idophor or other cold sterilant). Mold is no joke, and causes lots of illness and death, mostly from human ignorance not recognizing the tiny blob as a significant danger.
Thank you for this! It needs to be said and I can't wait to share this video with people that make these horrible suggestions. As a former chef, seeing people encourage others to drink mold makes me CRAZY. Food safety is seriously not something to be toyed with. -- FULL STOP -- END OF STORY -- DON'T DRINK MOLD.
@@DointheMost judging by some of the comments I've seen in homebrewing Facebook groups and other forums... I honestly think that some of these people might. "Sure. Just scoop it on out of there. A little poop never hurt some soup. This is actually what the Vikings did to make their soup, but they used horse droppings instead because that's what they had available at the time. This is the most historically authentic way to make this type of soup. You're telling me that you've never had Viking's Poop Soup?! Let me link you to a blog post about it!" 🤦🤦🤦
I bought a mead kit one month ago on a whim and had the good fortune of finding a video of you presenting how to use the product. I loved the entire process. Shortly after I stumbled across this channel and proceeded to consume a bunch of this "crushable" content. A few weeks later I now find myself with a ridiculous amount of equipment and ingredients. Most notably I have 13 gallons of young mead brewing (and fermenting agressively) in my home. I've got a traditional, an acerglyn, a pyment, a bilbemel, and a cyser all showing signs of healthy infancy. I attribute a not-insignificant portion of my interest and willingness to dive into this new hobby to this channel and the advice/instruction on it. I appreciate the focus on sanitation and when precision is needed. Also as noted in this video... when to cut your losses. Thanks and take care!
Thank you so much! This feedback means a lot. It’s funny how quickly this hobby can become a passion (and take over all the storage space in your home)! Happy brewing. 🍻
I’m a neurologist who has treated mycotoxin pathology (mold based diseases) for years. I hope brewers take your advise seriously because I’ve seen people’s lives go downhill from mold infections. Years of chronic fatigue, headaches, chronic diarrhea, depression etc.. It ain’t worth it. The subtle negatives are accumulative. Patients have gotten so sick for so long that they lost their employment, their relationships with friends and marriages. Dump it or pay the price for ignoring Good Advice.
I wish I could like this more than once.... I was lucky enough to start my working career in the restaurant industry. From everything I learned there of safe food handling I have a couple of HARD rules. 1. If I wouldn't eat it myself, I won't serve it to someone else. I make mead as much for my friends and family as I do myself. If I ever see anything questionable that would make me not want to drink it... I sure as heck won't be serving it. So I may as well dump it. 2. When in doubt, throw it out. This is my mantra and my law when it comes to anything consumable. No amount of money lost from dumping something that smells or looks off is worth the potential cost that would be incurred through medical bills or worse. I will happily, and with no regrets, dump out an entire batch of moldy mead before cavalierly serving it to someone I love and hoping for the best. I'm with you, I can't believe this is even a question.
Late to the party (can’t believe I missed this!!!) but THANK YOU! My father holds a doctorate in biochemistry and spent his entire career in industrial food production. He knows a thing or two about mold. Mold goes deeper than you’d think. When you can see mold, chances are you’ve also got spores and those will most likely have pervaded your brew. Toss it. The chances of ingesting mycotoxins are just too big. Only someone who is an expert on molds will be able to tell the difference between a dangerous mold and an innocuous one. For certain types, only a microscope can make the difference. It’s not worth the risk. Scrub, scald, disinfect. Double up on methods. Then start over.
People go crazy about mold in their houses and their food. In their homebrews?? Nah, its fine. Come on!! Buddy of mine was once brewing a raspberry stout. He dumped some frozen raspberries straight from the bag into the fermenter. Few weeks later, there were mold floaties on top of the beer. I told him to dump it, but he went to our local homebrew shop and asked the employee. His response: skim it with a spoon and you should be fine. My buddy did that, and more floaties developed a few days later. Thankfully, he ended up throwing it away. Thanks for the video. Very serious topic.
The blue-green algea or blue green slime mold (same thing) one was crazy, I just started brewing almost a month ago now, but I've been an aquarist for over a decade. Blue green slime mold is in fact not even a mold, but a bacterial colony that carries serious mycotoxins, neurotoxins, and hepato toxins. Last two being nerve and liver toxins
I just also have to add that the misconception of it being a mold and being in the penicillium family is because it's been found to have amounts of (penicillinase) an enzyme that allows the bacteria to overcome the inhibitory effects of penicillin so actually just makes it more dangerous
I started watching this and happened to glance over at my newest batch of melomel, which has been going for a couple of weeks now. It had a patch of white on one side, on top of the fruit. Uh-oh. I looked closer, and it was just foam. I shook it up, and that's definitely what it was. Whew!
Lol...it was really satisfying that the thought I'd had all throughout this video, you then literally expressed at the end; why in the actual f would ANYBODY see disgusting, hairy mold growing in their brew and think to themselves: yeah, this is totally fine???? LOL!!
Some folks on the discord server were encouraging me to make a video that was just that, but I wanted to ensure that there was plenty of dissuading information included 😁
The ten seconds option works for people who are rather sensible or cautious. The additional material seems to be a good idea for the types who would say, "I do it all the time and I never got sick, usually."
Thanks for this. Espeically for us newer folks who may not know better yet. Best to keep your sources (like this channel) to a select few and ignore comments sections altogether :) Thanks!!!
I always planned to error on safe side and dump it out, seems prudent, but I never really understood why. Now I understand and I won't eventually read some "experienced" brewer on internet giving bad advice. Cause admittedly, I clicked on this, believing there maybe an viable solution. I have also read a lot of comments, like take a sip, if it tastes fine it is fine...and not personally having dealt with a mold infection yet, If I had a huge batch... I wonder if I would have talk myself out of dumping. Anyway, definitely not anymore!
Very informative, learnt a lot. Still I would like to jnow specifically, how to prevent mold in cider/mead/wine? What specific procedures, products (chemical compunds) etc should be used?
You might have called it a boring video. However it was an inciteful and educational one. Which can go a lot further in advancing peoples understanding and skill. More so, than an recipe video. Thanks for making that. Every time I see the question pop up in chats. I can link that into a comment.
I view it a lot like wild mushrooms. Are there safe mushrooms to eat? Well, of course there are. Can I tell by sight what they are? Absolutely not. So why would I take any random mushroom I find in the wild and pop it in my mouth? It's the same with anything I don't recognize on top of my brew. But, alas, sometimes common sense isn't all that common.
I only know a couple of safe mushrooms. I learned from a friend of mine. But I also know of an expert on mushrooms that died about 40 years ago from mushroom poisoning. I also know a magic mushroom that has a look alike (miss spent youth), one gits you high, the other kills you in short order - no thanks.
Very helpful. Thank you. I think I may have my first infected batch of wort out of about 100 beers brewed over my lifetime. Never saw anything like what's in my latest batch of Lambic. Not pedio, lacto or brett. And there hasn't been fermentation, so I guess it's down the drain. Wish I could attach a photo, but I think you provided enough information for me to be cautious.
I saw this and was pretty sure I knew the answer. Didn't realize how much bad info was out there! O_o Thank you for putting this out there along with solid supporting info.
Well, it's a discussion cause a lot of people are super bummed out that their brew is infected and they don't really wanna dump it. They are looking for confirmation that they don't have to dump it. And that's where the arm chair experts come in. Nevertheless I agree with you. Don't drink something that you don't 100% know is safe.
I have no concerns regarding those checking to see if they have mold. That's a good conversation! But the dangerous folks coming in arguing to drink it are the people who need to check themselves IMO.
Great Video, i am so worried about this after my second batch of double oat stout frothed through the airlock, i plut a sanitized airlock on 7 times before it stopped. Lack of head space but now worried about infection. My first batch of dark ale looks ok but only 2 weeks in
I've been homebrewing mead for years and only got mold after I moved up north. Tried keeping it sealed, using a water lock, rinsing all the berries beforehand and it still molded. I'm 3 for 3 at this point... considering the first time it turned into a berry vinaigrette (which was not bad on a salad mind you). I could use any advice I can get at this point. It's all wild fermentation and I've used berries and apples. When I was further south, I brewed a big 4 gallon thing of spiced apple and it was awesome, but since I've moved... nada.
I'm making a fig wine in a glass 1-gallon wide-mouthed fermenter. The fruit is in a brew bag that's too big for this container, so there's a significant portion of it sticking up out of the water. There's about an inch of headspace in there. It's been fermenting for about a week, seems to be doing fine. My question is: is there a high risk of it getting moldy? Should I siphon out some brew and weigh down the bag so it's fully submerged? The fruit that's in the bag is fully submerged, just part of the bag is sticking out. Thanks!
Never had an infection of my few years of homebrewing (I thought I may have had one with a 5 gallon tepache I once made, but later found out the white head was totally normal). I'm a bit anal on this topic which is why everything I own is plastic-free.
Just tried my hand at my first mash, and got a little spot of mold. I thought you were going to help me solve it, not save my life lol. Thank you brother 🤘
As someone who is really interested in starting homebrewing my own mess, is a mold infection something that is always blatantly obvious or is it something that can be overlooked if you aren’t aware what you’re looking for? I mean obviously if there’s green spots floating on top of your home brew then that’s self explanatory. But are there any molds that are difficult to see with the eye or require a fine tuned eye to notice?
Should be blatantly obvious and always float at the surface. With homebrew the good news is, mold is rare. As said in the video, his infection started because normal fermentation never got going. This is because when the yeast you pitch start doing their thing, they generate a ton of CO2 and other gasses and force the oxygen out. That's why you can have plenty of headroom in primary. Mold needs oxygen to reproduce. So does yeast, but if you pitch any standard wine, beer yeast etc, it should start up long before mold can start growing. The caveat is when there are fruit solids and things floating at the top they come with some risk. Just keep that stuff wet by swirling it once or twice a day or use a weighted brew bag to keep it under the surface... Don't let the fear of mold stop you from trying out homebrew! Just make sure to buy some starsan as well and be meticulous about sanitization and you shouldn't have an issue.
Well, I had white mold on my Mangosteen Wine, months ago.. So I scraped off the mold, then bottled it.. To this day, every time I open the bottle, it smells good, and it's always fizzy.. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to open the bottle, and allowed it to be vinegar.. Considering your explanation, I guess it's still Ok, right?
That one clip of the guy scooping out the mold cap is so cringy! Mold is seriously bad! Don't do it! I hate that you had to make this video, but thank you for doing it.
Our Discord server is really helpful - as is The Mead Hall Discord server (the server linked in the sidebar on Reddit’s r/mead subreddit). The HomeBrewTalk and WineMakingTalk forums are usually pretty helpful, though some of the screenshots featured here came from those message boards. Reddit’s r/homebrewing is also super helpful, but you have to jump through a couple of hoops to share images on that subreddit.
Not surprised that people think it's safe to drink... But how do people deal with their fermenters after an infection? Soak in Alkaline cleaner? pasteurise? Burn it with fire? Luckily i haven't had mold yet, but I've had some bacterial infections earlier on when i started brewing
It definitely makes me feel like I am a real belt and suspenders type of person. I keep my different kinds of fermentations in completely different parts of the house to try and avoid cross-contamination!
What if you’re doing a 3 day ferment on berries before straining and adding everything to start the brew and there is mold on top of the berries. It’s only been a couple days. Could you scrape off all the berries and use the juice below for the brew?
Bro I have a elderberry red wine which tastes fine but is upsetting stomachs (mine and my Mrs's) it's only my second batch, the 1st batch was awesome 😎. Any ideas on what I can do before I turn it into red wine vinegar? 😜 Thanks in advance from Tuatapere New Zealand
Sad to hear I should chuck my 2 1/2 gallons on Elderberry wine. It smells like wine, and the surface is clear, but on the inside of the demi jon there are white star like growths. Small and individual. It seems like it'd be a known and easy to identify mold. Should I risk it? I think not after watching this video, but I'd like to identify it if anyone knows what it might be? or a good site to identify these molds? Thank you in advance. Thank you presenter guy, sorry I do not know your name.
I'm making a wild blackberry wine cold rinsing the berries and not using yeast. It has been about two weeks and it has a skin on top after one straining. It was the color of the berries. I strained through a cloth and poured in a carboy. Was that skin mold?
I love the channel but I gotta say I hate that I ended up having to watch this episode 😅 Started some mixed berry "country wine" and just checked it to add some yeast since the natural yeasts bwerent kicking off, darn berries have mold on top 😭 really sucks but it happens I guess
سلام.روی شراب انگور من بعد از صاف کردن کپک سفید اومده ولی کاملا بوی الکل میده ووقتی آنرا جدا کردم و شرابو سیفون کردم دیگه کپک نزد میشه منو راهنمایی کنی وبگی شرابم قابل نوشیدن هست یا نه ؟خیلی خیلی ممنون
Ever since i first saw you mentioned this ive been pretty worried about it, and stopped making kombucha because its too hard to see the pelicle, and i got fast and loose with sanitation. Right now I picked some grapes from my grapevine, crushed in a sanitized vessel (no campden) and is now fermenting, but i once again worry about not seeing the mold. When i rack will any possible mold reappear? Does mold need sugars to 'bloom' again?
I wouldn’t worry about mold unless you SEE it! Otherwise, let it ride. Mold does need food to thrive and a ferment that is mostly alcohol doesn’t provide a hospitable environment. Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew!
So my cranberry honey mead has some white mold on the top of it They come in small uniform groups that are all white and can even be mistaken for foam floating at the top of it They haven't off put the smell or taste whatsoever Think its safe?
A really broad question: is there any chance for an infection to occur on its own, outside of user control, like something in the environment getting picked up and trapped in the fermentation chamber in miniscule amounts, despite vigorously sanitizing every equipment and surfaces the equipments and ingredients come into contach with? In other words, can sterilisation and sanitisation absolutely guarantee the safety of your brew/must except for that which you put into the mixture (like fruits, flowers and such)? I'm a beginner at this hobby; currently making an elderberry flower and marigold mead. My first brew was ginger beer that spectacularly failed on me. Evidently, I'd added a little too much sugar but it was a small batch anyways and it didn't have any infection. The one that I'm currently making is on its 2nd week of primary. I live in a very humid and hot climate, similar to east coast Florida. I've been controling for the temperature via cool packs in a thermal bag to keep it at 19-21 celcius and, so far, there are no signs of mold infection. I take sterilisation and sanitisation seriously, but after seeing all these photos, I'm getting worried about what I'd do should an infection occur. This hobby can get pretty expensive and the equipment count can creep up without you realising. I find it hard to imagine that I, or anyone else for that matter, would be willing to continue with this hobby after having to dump everything down the drain.
Is the "good" (or safe) infection really, good (or safe)? From the pictures you included in the video it looks incredibly gross! Can't imagine drinking any brew that shared the same vessel with something like that..
I never thought you had to make this video either. dear god!!! sir I still want the t-shirt with your tongue hanging out as your shacking the 2 Gallon Jugs in the Apricot Jam video. Ill buy 5 of them. and thank you for your Videos, sincerely a wonderful collection.
All was good with my mead until I tried to back sweeten with a recipe I found using pineapple juice. Just checked on it tonight and airlock was bubbling but I found white chunks on top. I siphoned out and put in a clean glass carboy. Now not sure what to do. Your thoughts?
I listed some signs in the video, but it is visually apparent. Usually they are green, red, or black furry blobs. Sometimes they will be white, and it can be a little harder to tell if they are mold or another type of infection. Mold infections usually smell bad, too.
Lots of marinades and vinaigrettes! But seriously, VERY deep sanitizing of all your gear after you decide what to do with it. And if any plastic gear is exposed, it may need to be replaced.
@@DointheMost yeppers that was the smell. Thought i was going to have to shoot my carboy and put it out of its misery 😪. I was a housekeeper in a hospital for 22 years. So smells usually don't affect me. Until that time.
I should add, ive made sloe wine for years... it always begins by letting the iberries get stupidly mouldy before continuiing on. THe wine is delicious, and something to behold?
about 10 years ago i had a 5 gallon mead that fruit flies got into. it had a huge mother swimming in it, scared me when i shined a flight on it and it sank. i have2 carboys of cyser that have a beautiful white lace on top of them. so sad
Get the shirt: bit.ly/mcfungus
It says discontinued. Did it sell out??
@@cm_carlito That’s the women’s style. It defaults to that style but you can change it in the drop down box. :)
Dude - great job! My wife (who is a professor of cellular and molecular biology) says you nailed it, although we both cringed at the pulling back of mold with both hands. You get an A+.
Fortunately that mold scooping wasn’t me! Haha
Thanks for the affirmation, my friend!
You cringed at exactly what i imagined trying after checking in on what other people are doing. Instead my worms will be enjoying my failure. Whew
Really appreciate this video, because a lot of channels, directions, online posts, etc are saying that it’s fine and can just be scooped away. And when you have that many sources saying it’s fine you do start to question the common sense of not drinking mold. Thanks for making this video
Good example of how survivor bias ("I've been doing it for years and I'm fine!!!") makes for horrible information to base decisions on. Great info, thanks for being so helpful.
GET SOME CLOUT, DUMP IT OUT!!!! Love this video! you nailed it, 100%. this was absolutely hilarious. thank you for the deep dive on mold!!
Hopefully it’s the last deep dive on mold!
Thank you for tackling this important topic. A well researched video for us.
What I got from you is that the danger of mold in a brew is MUCH more of what you can’t see than the clumps on top. You can take out a green blanket but not the ppm of mycotoxins swirling through out below it.
Absolutely. Not worth the risk!
I hope a lot of people get to see this video because it amazes me how some people won't use nutrients or stabilizers because they don't trust chemicals but will keep a brew with mold.
I haven't had "bad mold" in a batch before, although I think I did get a pellicle infection once from some dry herbs I added in secondary, I assume. I dumped it out anyway. I didn't put it there on purpose, it had to go. Then every part of the cabinet it was in, got bleached and starsan'ed, along with every empty carboy, bucket, surface and tool.
I have had brew bags grow mold after (insufficient) cleaning and storing, along with the old bucket it was stored in. This prompted me to switch to washing/ drying twice with oxiclean, spraying with starsan, and storing individually in ziplock bags between uses. Visually inspect the bags before use... If it looks spotty, straight into the trash. BTW, I go through a lot of brew bags ;) Mostly for nitro coffee in the kegerator
Read this whole comment just for me to be like NITRO COFFEE! Why hadn't I thought of that?
Flush it with pride!!
I'm glad you took a sort of hard edge on this. With a lot of homebrewing, I'm super happy to take a descriptivist approach (IE this is how I do things), but food safety really always should be prescriptivist (IE science says this will get you sick, kill you, or make you develop cancer). This topic really needs the stronger side to pop through. Being loose with molds and other fungi that you can "maybe" identify is like loading food on a plate that you "maybe" cleaned after having raw meat on it: why are you bothering to risk yourself or (God save us) other people!?
This metaphor is perfect. Dump that mold with confidence!
That was one of the most educational videos I have ever seen on home brewing. Thank you for all the information. I've never had a mold issue, but I sometimes worry about it. The only advice I have ever heard was to dump it though.
I've watch a few of your videos before, but after this I decided to subscribe.
Thanks again for the great content.
Thank you!
I’m glad I caught this video today. I have an infected beer in my fermentation chamber right now. I described the infection to my local home brew guy and he told me to it was ok. Perfectly fine. Not toxic. He said to check the gravity and make sure it actually fermented and then to taste it and if it tastes like beer and isn’t offensive it’s ok to bottle. I didn’t trust that advice. I was very skeptical and was going to dump it today.
Your video actually confirmed he was correct. The infection I described to him is white and uniform and didn’t cause a foul odor. That seems to fall into your “safe” category.
So, I plan on tasting it and going from there. Hopefully it’s not foul. Glad to know it’s not going to kill me.
Btw, if it’s even just a little off, I’m dumping it anyway
That definitely sounds like bacteria or brett. Hard to know without seeing it, but I'm sure folks on our Discord server at discord.dointhemost.org would be happy to look at a photo for you!
for a non-microbiologist, you gave a great microbiology primer! I've seen so much bad advice online (like the red site) regarding this. This issue also commonly happens in homes as well, where maybe a small roof leak goes unnoticed/ignored and the home occupants inhale small amounts of spores over time. Oftentimes if mold can find its way in there, the mold likely has a secondary infection of bacterium, like clostridium or staph, as well. Both of these can produce toxins, and the spores can live for over 20 months (how good are your sanitization practices? star san is great but it wont kill everything, mold battles need idophor or other cold sterilant). Mold is no joke, and causes lots of illness and death, mostly from human ignorance not recognizing the tiny blob as a significant danger.
Thank you for this! It needs to be said and I can't wait to share this video with people that make these horrible suggestions.
As a former chef, seeing people encourage others to drink mold makes me CRAZY. Food safety is seriously not something to be toyed with. -- FULL STOP -- END OF STORY -- DON'T DRINK MOLD.
The food safety lens is so important. And the scooping it out method always baffles me. Like, would you scoop a dog poop out of your soup?
@@DointheMost judging by some of the comments I've seen in homebrewing Facebook groups and other forums... I honestly think that some of these people might.
"Sure. Just scoop it on out of there. A little poop never hurt some soup. This is actually what the Vikings did to make their soup, but they used horse droppings instead because that's what they had available at the time. This is the most historically authentic way to make this type of soup. You're telling me that you've never had Viking's Poop Soup?! Let me link you to a blog post about it!"
🤦🤦🤦
@@DointheMost Lmao! 😂
I bought a mead kit one month ago on a whim and had the good fortune of finding a video of you presenting how to use the product. I loved the entire process. Shortly after I stumbled across this channel and proceeded to consume a bunch of this "crushable" content. A few weeks later I now find myself with a ridiculous amount of equipment and ingredients. Most notably I have 13 gallons of young mead brewing (and fermenting agressively) in my home. I've got a traditional, an acerglyn, a pyment, a bilbemel, and a cyser all showing signs of healthy infancy. I attribute a not-insignificant portion of my interest and willingness to dive into this new hobby to this channel and the advice/instruction on it. I appreciate the focus on sanitation and when precision is needed. Also as noted in this video... when to cut your losses.
Thanks and take care!
Thank you so much! This feedback means a lot. It’s funny how quickly this hobby can become a passion (and take over all the storage space in your home)! Happy brewing. 🍻
I’m a neurologist who has treated mycotoxin pathology (mold based diseases) for years. I hope brewers take your advise seriously because I’ve seen people’s lives go downhill from mold infections. Years of chronic fatigue, headaches, chronic diarrhea, depression etc.. It ain’t worth it. The subtle negatives are accumulative. Patients have gotten so sick for so long that they lost their employment, their relationships with friends and marriages. Dump it or pay the price for ignoring Good Advice.
I wish I could like this more than once.... I was lucky enough to start my working career in the restaurant industry. From everything I learned there of safe food handling I have a couple of HARD rules. 1. If I wouldn't eat it myself, I won't serve it to someone else. I make mead as much for my friends and family as I do myself. If I ever see anything questionable that would make me not want to drink it... I sure as heck won't be serving it. So I may as well dump it. 2. When in doubt, throw it out. This is my mantra and my law when it comes to anything consumable. No amount of money lost from dumping something that smells or looks off is worth the potential cost that would be incurred through medical bills or worse. I will happily, and with no regrets, dump out an entire batch of moldy mead before cavalierly serving it to someone I love and hoping for the best. I'm with you, I can't believe this is even a question.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING THIS!!! I have seen this in a few places and even in some videos on CZcams and I’m like NO!!!
Just say no 🙅♂️ to mycotoxins
Late to the party (can’t believe I missed this!!!) but THANK YOU! My father holds a doctorate in biochemistry and spent his entire career in industrial food production. He knows a thing or two about mold. Mold goes deeper than you’d think. When you can see mold, chances are you’ve also got spores and those will most likely have pervaded your brew. Toss it. The chances of ingesting mycotoxins are just too big. Only someone who is an expert on molds will be able to tell the difference between a dangerous mold and an innocuous one. For certain types, only a microscope can make the difference.
It’s not worth the risk. Scrub, scald, disinfect. Double up on methods. Then start over.
People go crazy about mold in their houses and their food. In their homebrews?? Nah, its fine. Come on!!
Buddy of mine was once brewing a raspberry stout. He dumped some frozen raspberries straight from the bag into the fermenter. Few weeks later, there were mold floaties on top of the beer.
I told him to dump it, but he went to our local homebrew shop and asked the employee. His response: skim it with a spoon and you should be fine.
My buddy did that, and more floaties developed a few days later. Thankfully, he ended up throwing it away.
Thanks for the video. Very serious topic.
Yikes! Unfortunately bad advice from LHBS staff is not uncommon. I’m fortunate to have some brilliant folks at our shop here in OKC!
The blue-green algea or blue green slime mold (same thing) one was crazy, I just started brewing almost a month ago now, but I've been an aquarist for over a decade. Blue green slime mold is in fact not even a mold, but a bacterial colony that carries serious mycotoxins, neurotoxins, and hepato toxins. Last two being nerve and liver toxins
I just also have to add that the misconception of it being a mold and being in the penicillium family is because it's been found to have amounts of (penicillinase) an enzyme that allows the bacteria to overcome the inhibitory effects of penicillin so actually just makes it more dangerous
I'm glad you said to dump the batch. I was truly interested in what your life hack to fix a bad batch was! Cheers brother!
I started watching this and happened to glance over at my newest batch of melomel, which has been going for a couple of weeks now. It had a patch of white on one side, on top of the fruit. Uh-oh. I looked closer, and it was just foam. I shook it up, and that's definitely what it was. Whew!
Lol...it was really satisfying that the thought I'd had all throughout this video, you then literally expressed at the end; why in the actual f would ANYBODY see disgusting, hairy mold growing in their brew and think to themselves: yeah, this is totally fine???? LOL!!
Great video! I was curious why the video was longer than 10 seconds and not just “dump it out....the end”. Great information
Some folks on the discord server were encouraging me to make a video that was just that, but I wanted to ensure that there was plenty of dissuading information included 😁
The ten seconds option works for people who are rather sensible or cautious. The additional material seems to be a good idea for the types who would say, "I do it all the time and I never got sick, usually."
Thanks for this. Espeically for us newer folks who may not know better yet. Best to keep your sources (like this channel) to a select few and ignore comments sections altogether :) Thanks!!!
No kidding - there were SO many bad comments to choose from haha
Super helpful for newbie me without a brewing community, thank you!
I always planned to error on safe side and dump it out, seems prudent, but I never really understood why. Now I understand and I won't eventually read some "experienced" brewer on internet giving bad advice. Cause admittedly, I clicked on this, believing there maybe an viable solution.
I have also read a lot of comments, like take a sip, if it tastes fine it is fine...and not personally having dealt with a mold infection yet, If I had a huge batch... I wonder if I would have talk myself out of dumping. Anyway, definitely not anymore!
Very informative, learnt a lot. Still I would like to jnow specifically, how to prevent mold in cider/mead/wine? What specific procedures, products (chemical compunds) etc should be used?
You might have called it a boring video. However it was an inciteful and educational one. Which can go a lot further in advancing peoples understanding and skill. More so, than an recipe video. Thanks for making that. Every time I see the question pop up in chats. I can link that into a comment.
I love the sun maid raisns censor
Only the finest details here on doin’ the most!
I view it a lot like wild mushrooms. Are there safe mushrooms to eat? Well, of course there are. Can I tell by sight what they are? Absolutely not. So why would I take any random mushroom I find in the wild and pop it in my mouth? It's the same with anything I don't recognize on top of my brew. But, alas, sometimes common sense isn't all that common.
Word. I can recognize 1 edible mushroom and that's only because it's common here and ugly as sin. The others? Not risking it myself!
I only know a couple of safe mushrooms. I learned from a friend of mine. But I also know of an expert on mushrooms that died about 40 years ago from mushroom poisoning. I also know a magic mushroom that has a look alike (miss spent youth), one gits you high, the other kills you in short order - no thanks.
Very helpful. Thank you. I think I may have my first infected batch of wort out of about 100 beers brewed over my lifetime. Never saw anything like what's in my latest batch of Lambic. Not pedio, lacto or brett. And there hasn't been fermentation, so I guess it's down the drain. Wish I could attach a photo, but I think you provided enough information for me to be cautious.
I saw this and was pretty sure I knew the answer. Didn't realize how much bad info was out there! O_o
Thank you for putting this out there along with solid supporting info.
Thanks for the info! I was being very skeptical on the posts online, and now I am going with the better safe than sorry.
So basically I lost a 5 gallon experimental wet hop beer… Its just white film, but i almost never see it in near 45 brews. So great..
Well, it's a discussion cause a lot of people are super bummed out that their brew is infected and they don't really wanna dump it. They are looking for confirmation that they don't have to dump it. And that's where the arm chair experts come in. Nevertheless I agree with you. Don't drink something that you don't 100% know is safe.
I have no concerns regarding those checking to see if they have mold. That's a good conversation! But the dangerous folks coming in arguing to drink it are the people who need to check themselves IMO.
Great Video, i am so worried about this after my second batch of double oat stout frothed through the airlock, i plut a sanitized airlock on 7 times before it stopped.
Lack of head space but now worried about infection. My first batch of dark ale looks ok but only 2 weeks in
in my year and a half of homebrewing, i've had only one infection. My policy is: if it looks bad, smells bad or tastes bad, toss it out.
Sound advice!
The good thing about these videos is that I can usually link it to people who are giving bad advice.
“You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into.” But hopefully you can.
It's not so much for them, but more for the people they're trying to convince that mould is totally acceptable to skim off or keep.
I've been homebrewing mead for years and only got mold after I moved up north. Tried keeping it sealed, using a water lock, rinsing all the berries beforehand and it still molded. I'm 3 for 3 at this point... considering the first time it turned into a berry vinaigrette (which was not bad on a salad mind you). I could use any advice I can get at this point.
It's all wild fermentation and I've used berries and apples. When I was further south, I brewed a big 4 gallon thing of spiced apple and it was awesome, but since I've moved... nada.
nice to see someone suggesting good safe standards -thumbs up
Just doin’ my part!
I'm glad I've never had this problem, the star-san seems to be doing its job!
Sanitizing is most of the battle! Happy brewing!
I'm making a fig wine in a glass 1-gallon wide-mouthed fermenter. The fruit is in a brew bag that's too big for this container, so there's a significant portion of it sticking up out of the water. There's about an inch of headspace in there. It's been fermenting for about a week, seems to be doing fine. My question is: is there a high risk of it getting moldy? Should I siphon out some brew and weigh down the bag so it's fully submerged? The fruit that's in the bag is fully submerged, just part of the bag is sticking out. Thanks!
Never had an infection of my few years of homebrewing (I thought I may have had one with a 5 gallon tepache I once made, but later found out the white head was totally normal). I'm a bit anal on this topic which is why everything I own is plastic-free.
One of a lot of reasons to avoid plastic, definitely. Happy brewing!
Would adding a piece of Dry Ice kill the mold and make it potable for consumption? Or adding a part of a teaspoon of Hyper Yeast?
Just tried my hand at my first mash, and got a little spot of mold. I thought you were going to help me solve it, not save my life lol. Thank you brother 🤘
As someone who is really interested in starting homebrewing my own mess, is a mold infection something that is always blatantly obvious or is it something that can be overlooked if you aren’t aware what you’re looking for? I mean obviously if there’s green spots floating on top of your home brew then that’s self explanatory. But are there any molds that are difficult to see with the eye or require a fine tuned eye to notice?
Should be blatantly obvious and always float at the surface. With homebrew the good news is, mold is rare. As said in the video, his infection started because normal fermentation never got going. This is because when the yeast you pitch start doing their thing, they generate a ton of CO2 and other gasses and force the oxygen out. That's why you can have plenty of headroom in primary. Mold needs oxygen to reproduce. So does yeast, but if you pitch any standard wine, beer yeast etc, it should start up long before mold can start growing. The caveat is when there are fruit solids and things floating at the top they come with some risk. Just keep that stuff wet by swirling it once or twice a day or use a weighted brew bag to keep it under the surface... Don't let the fear of mold stop you from trying out homebrew! Just make sure to buy some starsan as well and be meticulous about sanitization and you shouldn't have an issue.
So how do i go about finishing my bleu cheese mead then?
Fortunately bleu cheese cultures should be safe for you, right? 😉
Well, I had white mold on my Mangosteen Wine, months ago.. So I scraped off the mold, then bottled it.. To this day, every time I open the bottle, it smells good, and it's always fizzy..
I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to open the bottle, and allowed it to be vinegar.. Considering your explanation, I guess it's still Ok, right?
Yeah my Grandma my mom and my great Aunt died not beer mold but other molds they're nothing to joke about
You may be mistaken from what I can remember there is one and only one way to break the mold. Shooting stars.
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.
That one clip of the guy scooping out the mold cap is so cringy! Mold is seriously bad! Don't do it! I hate that you had to make this video, but thank you for doing it.
I still don’t understand why you can’t just distill it. NIH has a published article about how distillation is an effective way to remove mycotoxins.
Thank you. Great video. I’d like to learn more about what you consider to be an aggressive yeast.
Thank you for this GREAT knowledge.
I get nervous thinking about kombucha never mind a moldy drink.
Happy brewing!
Bro loved the video
Hey! Another okie! I'm out here in the mustang/yukon area. Cool stuff bud
solid video braj!
BC, thanks for the informative video. Do you have links to any of the aforementioned communities that can help identify if there is an issue?
Our Discord server is really helpful - as is The Mead Hall Discord server (the server linked in the sidebar on Reddit’s r/mead subreddit). The HomeBrewTalk and WineMakingTalk forums are usually pretty helpful, though some of the screenshots featured here came from those message boards. Reddit’s r/homebrewing is also super helpful, but you have to jump through a couple of hoops to share images on that subreddit.
Very helpful, very interesting, very important. Thanks man!
Happy brewing!
What about the mycotoxin Psilocybin that is touted as a gateway to enlightenment?
Thank you for doing this video! Some of those testimonials where hellish 😱🤮 Also if anyone was wondering moldy soups are also bad 😎👌
Yes they are!
Not surprised that people think it's safe to drink... But how do people deal with their fermenters after an infection? Soak in Alkaline cleaner? pasteurise? Burn it with fire? Luckily i haven't had mold yet, but I've had some bacterial infections earlier on when i started brewing
It definitely makes me feel like I am a real belt and suspenders type of person. I keep my different kinds of fermentations in completely different parts of the house to try and avoid cross-contamination!
very helpful
What if you’re doing a 3 day ferment on berries before straining and adding everything to start the brew and there is mold on top of the berries. It’s only been a couple days. Could you scrape off all the berries and use the juice below for the brew?
I had mold in my wine once, I discarded it along with the fermenter and everything that came in contact with it at some point. A small price to pay.
Absolutely worth it if you have any reason to be unsure about continued infection risk. May the rest of your brews be mold-free!
How do I prevent that little bit of black mold that forms on my liquor bottle cap
That's disappointing. FIL is a home brewer, and I'm trying to do my first mead, but it got an infection 😢
6:30 I appreciate what you did here to make this video.
I think Anna appreciated the opportunity, too!
@@DointheMost :-)
Is pellicle the same as mold? Still a good idea to dump it or is that okay to filter?
Bro I have a elderberry red wine which tastes fine but is upsetting stomachs (mine and my Mrs's) it's only my second batch, the 1st batch was awesome 😎. Any ideas on what I can do before I turn it into red wine vinegar? 😜 Thanks in advance from Tuatapere New Zealand
So it wasn't in my brew at all, the brew was clean but it was in the oxygen side of my air lock
Hello! Please tell me what should I do if my cider, after first transfer, has a white top layer?
Great PSA! Thank you for the video!
Happy brewing!
Great video very informative. I agree 110%
Sad to hear I should chuck my 2 1/2 gallons on Elderberry wine. It smells like wine, and the surface is clear, but on the inside of the demi jon there are white star like growths. Small and individual. It seems like it'd be a known and easy to identify mold. Should I risk it? I think not after watching this video, but I'd like to identify it if anyone knows what it might be? or a good site to identify these molds? Thank you in advance. Thank you presenter guy, sorry I do not know your name.
I'm making a wild blackberry wine cold rinsing the berries and not using yeast. It has been about two weeks and it has a skin on top after one straining. It was the color of the berries. I strained through a cloth and poured in a carboy. Was that skin mold?
If any alcohol isinfected with any of these with mycotoxin causing molds is it safe to put it down the drain where it will enter the water supply?
Air lock water splashed back into the brew 2 weeks in, is my wine ruined?
I love the channel but I gotta say I hate that I ended up having to watch this episode 😅
Started some mixed berry "country wine" and just checked it to add some yeast since the natural yeasts bwerent kicking off, darn berries have mold on top 😭 really sucks but it happens I guess
سلام.روی شراب انگور من بعد از صاف کردن کپک سفید اومده ولی کاملا بوی الکل میده ووقتی آنرا جدا کردم و شرابو سیفون کردم دیگه کپک نزد میشه منو راهنمایی کنی وبگی شرابم قابل نوشیدن هست یا نه ؟خیلی خیلی ممنون
I saw thin white film on the surface of my brew just now, I wonder if it's okay?
Ever since i first saw you mentioned this ive been pretty worried about it, and stopped making kombucha because its too hard to see the pelicle, and i got fast and loose with sanitation.
Right now I picked some grapes from my grapevine, crushed in a sanitized vessel (no campden) and is now fermenting, but i once again worry about not seeing the mold. When i rack will any possible mold reappear? Does mold need sugars to 'bloom' again?
I wouldn’t worry about mold unless you SEE it! Otherwise, let it ride. Mold does need food to thrive and a ferment that is mostly alcohol doesn’t provide a hospitable environment. Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew!
So my cranberry honey mead has some white mold on the top of it
They come in small uniform groups that are all white and can even be mistaken for foam floating at the top of it
They haven't off put the smell or taste whatsoever
Think its safe?
I had 4 quart jars of beautiful hot peppers and they all got black mold
I drank every time he said to not drink mold. I think that also was bad for my health.
A really broad question: is there any chance for an infection to occur on its own, outside of user control, like something in the environment getting picked up and trapped in the fermentation chamber in miniscule amounts, despite vigorously sanitizing every equipment and surfaces the equipments and ingredients come into contach with? In other words, can sterilisation and sanitisation absolutely guarantee the safety of your brew/must except for that which you put into the mixture (like fruits, flowers and such)?
I'm a beginner at this hobby; currently making an elderberry flower and marigold mead. My first brew was ginger beer that spectacularly failed on me. Evidently, I'd added a little too much sugar but it was a small batch anyways and it didn't have any infection. The one that I'm currently making is on its 2nd week of primary. I live in a very humid and hot climate, similar to east coast Florida. I've been controling for the temperature via cool packs in a thermal bag to keep it at 19-21 celcius and, so far, there are no signs of mold infection.
I take sterilisation and sanitisation seriously, but after seeing all these photos, I'm getting worried about what I'd do should an infection occur. This hobby can get pretty expensive and the equipment count can creep up without you realising. I find it hard to imagine that I, or anyone else for that matter, would be willing to continue with this hobby after having to dump everything down the drain.
Is the "good" (or safe) infection really, good (or safe)? From the pictures you included in the video it looks incredibly gross! Can't imagine drinking any brew that shared the same vessel with something like that..
Debatable. Some beer styles rely on them. But for a lot of meads, wines, and ciders, they may be rather unpleasant!
I never thought you had to make this video either. dear god!!! sir I still want the t-shirt with your tongue hanging out as your shacking the 2 Gallon Jugs in the Apricot Jam video. Ill buy 5 of them. and thank you for your Videos, sincerely a wonderful collection.
Haha. I’ll see what I can do 🤣
All was good with my mead until I tried to back sweeten with a recipe I found using pineapple juice. Just checked on it tonight and airlock was bubbling but I found white chunks on top. I siphoned out and put in a clean glass carboy. Now not sure what to do.
Your thoughts?
How can you tell if you have mold in your Homebrew
I listed some signs in the video, but it is visually apparent. Usually they are green, red, or black furry blobs. Sometimes they will be white, and it can be a little harder to tell if they are mold or another type of infection. Mold infections usually smell bad, too.
@@DointheMost thank you because I wanted to make sure if I have mold or not because I am brewing my first homemade Mead
Good info bro
When in doubt, dump it out.
Mold is bad, never question it; but how do you deal with acetobacter infections??
Lots of marinades and vinaigrettes! But seriously, VERY deep sanitizing of all your gear after you decide what to do with it. And if any plastic gear is exposed, it may need to be replaced.
Why not distill it?
Dump!!!!!!. Had a brew that went bad and tried to save it. Bad idea. Wound up dumping the whole thing. Lord the way smell.
Parmesan? Sometimes it smells briny like Parmesan cheese. Yuck!
@@DointheMost yeppers that was the smell. Thought i was going to have to shoot my carboy and put it out of its misery 😪. I was a housekeeper in a hospital for 22 years. So smells usually don't affect me. Until that time.
Hi,
Curious; how do you make sloe wine?
Oh and mould is spelt with a U :)
I should add, ive made sloe wine for years... it always begins by letting the iberries get stupidly mouldy before continuiing on. THe wine is delicious, and something to behold?
Do you have a referral link or something to those waterless air locks? I am looking to get a bunch and thought I could support the channel
Thank you! Here ya go friend: amzn.to/3D0tSnE
Im just including some....cheese for my wine
about 10 years ago i had a 5 gallon mead that fruit flies got into. it had a huge mother swimming in it, scared me when i shined a flight on it and it sank. i have2 carboys of cyser that have a beautiful white lace on top of them. so sad
I'll pour a pint in your honor!