Started my stir plate this morning bar is having issues stirring but what is this white stuff? Seed? Thai pepper material? Mixed a Thai pepper 2% salt mix with vinegar, black cherries, and spices but noticed the white stuff that went away with mixing. Ph of mixture was around 3.6. Debating letting it sit on the stir plate or just jarring for a week before filtering and bottling. Ideas?
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White stuff?
- Thread starter Alcoholicbadger
- Start date
If you just started this morning, I doubt it's kahm yeast, but that's usually what "stringy" white stuff like that is. Hard to tell. How long have you had this mix?
My first ferment I did was 2% salt by weight of material, but not water, and it definitely got kahm yeast, and bad. If you did 2% salt by material-and-water it might not be kahm yeast. I go for 4-5% now, no kahm yeast problems.
Kahm yeast doesn't smell bad, but it does have an aroma that overpowers the material and gives it an unfavorable flavor. It won't hurt.
Google kahm yeast and see if it looks like it.
Best advice I've gotten about this type of thing is the "sniff test." Does it smell like something you'd eat? If so, you should be fine, so long as you haven't had an actual fuzzies are dark nasties.
My first ferment I did was 2% salt by weight of material, but not water, and it definitely got kahm yeast, and bad. If you did 2% salt by material-and-water it might not be kahm yeast. I go for 4-5% now, no kahm yeast problems.
Kahm yeast doesn't smell bad, but it does have an aroma that overpowers the material and gives it an unfavorable flavor. It won't hurt.
Google kahm yeast and see if it looks like it.
Best advice I've gotten about this type of thing is the "sniff test." Does it smell like something you'd eat? If so, you should be fine, so long as you haven't had an actual fuzzies are dark nasties.
So I did a 2% by weight mash with no water, that mash lasted about two weeks. I did not notice the white stuff prior to adding to my beaker. Ive never used straight Thai chilies before but as I moved the mash it had a light plastically smell? Maybe? My gf said that wasnt her smell thought but it wasnt bad persay. Recently Ive been trying to add beers and cider to my mixes, as I did with this one I mixed some beer, all spice, cacao, cinnamon, clove, and black cherries along with apple cider vinegar. To extract and incorporate flavors more I use a stir plate to mix everything together, this mix seemed a little too thick for my plate to handle so as you can see it started stirring the bottom but not the top, the white stuff was noticed probably an hour after placement but the mixed smells overpower anything else.
CaneDog
eXtreme
Hey AB. I'm not sure I understand the idea behind using the stir plate. I assume you're a brewer given the stir plate and Erlenmeyer flask - awesome I love home brewing! - but in the lacto fermentation you're wanting to cultivate anaerobic lacto bacteria, so unlike the early stages of a yeast fermentation, oxygen is your enemy. The stir plate/bar acts over time to oxygenate the liquid and keep non-soluble particles in suspension. If you add unpasteurized/unfiltered home brew, you're introducing additional yeast to what's naturally present to a liquid with sugars (including fresh sugars in the cherries) and then oxygenating it over time while suspending the yeast to maximize its effectiveness. Sure salt can slow yeast down, but at only 2% solution and creating such favorable environment, I wouldn't count on it. Also the bacteria won't take the mash down to a low enough pH to deter the yeast. The white stuff doesn't look like the floculant yeast particles I'm used to in mature starters - they look more like snow - but I can't help but think using a stir plate is counter productive. Why not just blend it quickly?
1) after dumping into a plain jar no white stuff has yet come back, I wish I used Thai chilies more to know what smell Im looking for cause its kinda earthy and plastics smelling.
2) the stir plate helps with color and helps deter separations of liquid. The ph was low and the beer I used is sweeter so residual yeast is unlikely.
Smell isnt great tbh not like a something is wrong smell but a odd mixture smell, but but as stated if thats not how mashed Thais should then maybe something was off with those, I had no sign of mold or infection with the mash
2) the stir plate helps with color and helps deter separations of liquid. The ph was low and the beer I used is sweeter so residual yeast is unlikely.
Smell isnt great tbh not like a something is wrong smell but a odd mixture smell, but but as stated if thats not how mashed Thais should then maybe something was off with those, I had no sign of mold or infection with the mash
Pic after being overnight in the jar with no white stuff, so cause?
That first main pic in post # 3 reminds me of cooked quinoa when the kernels separate.
Once my own ferments (4-5% salt) are ground up and put under the airlock I do not open them or stir for any reason until they're done.
Once my own ferments (4-5% salt) are ground up and put under the airlock I do not open them or stir for any reason until they're done.