Waited 6 Days after boil to pitch yeast, Wort had what looked like mold, what can be done?

Question

Waited 6 Days after boil to pitch yeast, Wort had what looked like mold, what can be done?

user6269

2016年4月6日 09:13

Like the title says, after I chilled my wort I realized the kit I ordered did not come with yeast, an error on the packers fault. Because of my work schedule I wasn't able to pitch the yeast for about 6 days. When I did finally go to pitch the yeast there was what looked like mold growing on top in the shape of bubbles over the wort. I scraped it all off with a spoon, but I'm not sure if the beer is still good. I went ahead and added the yeast anyways, but I'm wondering if I should even bother continuing the process?

EDIT: Checked the wort today, looks like its beginning to ferment. This is three days after adding yeast, 9 days after the boil. It did not appear to be Lactobacillus but I obviously can't say for sure. It seemed a bit more blue in color.

Topic pitch contamination cooling yeast homebrew

Category Mac

Mr_road · Accepted Answer · 2016年4月6日 09:13

After adding the yest and waiting 3-4 days ask these questions... Does it:

A) Look like beer?

B) Smell Like Beer?

C) Taste like beer?

If the answer to A and B is NO, then don't taste it, if the answer to all if Yes then you are good to go.

jsled · Accepted Answer · 2014年1月11日 00:09

If it's a style suited to souring, maybe it'll end up interesting… :S

But you left un-sterilized sugar-water alone for 6 days. Bacteria reproduce really fast, much faster than yeast actually, but the side-effects of a healthy pitch of yeast usually crowd them out.

I don't have high hopes.

If you're limited on fermenter space, dump it and get the next batch going. If you're not, let it ride and see if you get lucky.

FishesCycle · Accepted Answer · 2014年1月11日 00:08

Sorry, but your beer is probably not going to be drinkable. If you're lucky, the wort was infected by a wild yeast. In this case, it may taste a little funky but will still be beer. The more likely scenario is that your beer was infected by bacteria or mold, and will be unpleasant or undrinkable.

Since you've already pitched the yeast, you might as well wait until fermentation is complete and judge the results then. Give the finished beer a sniff, and unless the smell indicates that it's obviously ruined, have a taste. Maybe you'll get lucky.

In the future, if you have to wait days between cooling and pitching, try to keep the wort as cold as possible. Since it's winter, keeping it outside is a good option. The cold temperature will suppress the metabolism of yeasts, molds and bacteria.

Dave Baghdanov · Accepted Answer · 2014年1月11日 00:05

I would add the yeast and see what happens. Hopefully the fermenter was sanitized before you added the wort. In any case the wort would have been in contact with the air since it's been in there. Once you add the yeast and it starts fermenting (and creating c02), that will push the air (and whatever's in it) out of the fermenter.

Waited 6 Days after boil to pitch yeast, Wort had what looked like mold, what can be done?

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