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I think this is just yeast but could use verification

Winemaking
#1

A few weeks ago I harvested my grapes, cherriesc and plums, crushed them and put them in a couple of fermenters for a couple of weeks. Last weekend I pressed the remaining juice out of the fruit and put it all in a carboy to continue its job. Everything looked good for a couple of days and then last night I found what I am hoping is just yeast, but would like some confirmation. I haven’t seen yeast look like this before, but I am not familiar with this particular yeast. Floating on top looks like large chunks of sponge or upholstery foam. Airlock smells normal, this doesn’t look anything like any molds I have seen or flowers of wine or anything.
I don’t recall which yeast I have in there, just asked for a yeast for a red. I can check when I get home if that helps.

Here is a picture of the stuff in question.
http://imgur.com/xlnAcAU

Thanks for any insight you may have.

#2

probably mycoderma - hit is with K-meta - 3/4 tsp per 6 gals should do it.

#3

I have encountered that stuff before, and that is pretty much the one thing I am confident it is not. This sprung up much faster and is a lot more spongey and thick than mycoderma.

#4

Ok just trying to help - could be some pectin stuff then???

#5

I have a 90 vine vineyard so I know a bit… :smiley:

#6

Every time I have encountered flowers of wine in the past, it was more a white film on the top with small white islands of slightly thicker clumps. This stuff looks straight up like darkish yellow sponge foam from an old couch. Couple inches thick. As I look closely and zoom in on the picture I see what looks like the rehydrated yeast I added at the beginning.

I know it is no where near the end of the fermentation, so I really want to avoid halting it with anything like the K-meta so early. I have done a fair bit of wine, but this is my first time using this particular strain of yeast and only my second red so I just want to make sure this is the yeast rafts I am hoping it is.

#7

So, just got home from work and rechecked it. Basically took over about half the carboy while I was at work. Not yeast for sure. Looks like this batch is going in the bin.

#8

Did you take any more pics before you tossed it? I don’t know what it is, but it sounds pretty cool. Not cool losing the batch though.

#9

I only had the one picture. When I moved the carboy, the slight jostling caused it all to drop to the bottom. Based on advice from the winemaking sub on reddit due to everything smelling and tasting normal I am just going to ride this out, filter the best I can at rack and see how it turns out.

Before whatever it was dropped it almost looked as if it was large chunks of cake or bread soaked in wine floating there. It was kind of neat other than the dread of “my wine is ruined”.

It has been sitting happily in my basement since the crud dropped out. Slowly bubbling away with no recurrence of soggy bread cruds.

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