Hey all,
Two of my last three ferments have ended up molding on the top and I've had to throw them out. I'm getting ready to do a gallon ferment to finish out the season, but am terrified that it will end up molding and I'll have jack-all to show for this season. What advice do you all have for avoiding molding?
For reference, I've more or less been using the fermentation guide that's sticky'd here. I make sure to have a brine and sufficient whey to get things started. I've used star-san on my fermentation vessels and tried to make sure everything is as sterile as possible going into the process. One thing I haven't tried is weighing down the mash - which usually floats to the top of the brine in a day or two. Does anybody have any ideas on how to go about that if I'm using a gallon jug for this ferment?
Two of my last three ferments have ended up molding on the top and I've had to throw them out. I'm getting ready to do a gallon ferment to finish out the season, but am terrified that it will end up molding and I'll have jack-all to show for this season. What advice do you all have for avoiding molding?
For reference, I've more or less been using the fermentation guide that's sticky'd here. I make sure to have a brine and sufficient whey to get things started. I've used star-san on my fermentation vessels and tried to make sure everything is as sterile as possible going into the process. One thing I haven't tried is weighing down the mash - which usually floats to the top of the brine in a day or two. Does anybody have any ideas on how to go about that if I'm using a gallon jug for this ferment?