Film yeast pre-fermentation

[William Church]

hello cider makers. This is my first posting, having watched and learned for a few years!

this years batch pressed at quite a high acid (c.3.1 according to the strips) and about 1050 gravity. I sulphited with half a campden per gallon and then loosely closed the lid. this was 10 days ago. Temeratures have been mild probably 16-18c in the garage. 

I expect a wild fermentation to crack on, and I think it may have been starting but when I expected it all I observed was a start of a film yeast.

So I quickly grabbed some manufactured yeast (4 packs crossmyloof general white wine yeast and 2 Galvin red wine yeast) in the hope that it would out compete the film yeast. the less-fermented picture shows the remnants of film yeast (white) and the start of the fermentation. The next picture the next day shows it fermenting well with still evidence of the film yeast.

My alternative was to sulphite again at 100ppm and then pitch. I decided against this assuming the acid meant nothing too terrible had started.

I will be putting an airlock on once the vigorous fermentations has slowed, at present there is a loosely screwed on cap to the barrel.

Did I make the right decision? or should I still sulphite and re-innoculate? Is the white stuff a nasty or nothing to worry about if now fermenting and then airlocked?

I actually have a wild ferment going nicely on a demijohn of juice that didn't fit in which would mean I would be wild fermenting again. the current yeast has had 24/36 hours.

thanks for reading if you have got to the end of this...

[William Church]

i got the pictures the wrong way round when uploading - the very frothy picture was of course taken second.

[Andrew Lea]

I don’t see a film yeast. I just see a few specks of white mould, with incident fermentation underneath. This is quite common when a wild fermentation is slow to take off and is kept closely covered (so that drips of condensation dilute the surface environment). You can’t really get a film yeast unless there is alcohol already present.

In your case there is nothing to worry about. You have inoculated with a cultured yeast and now you need to let it run its course.  Certainly no point in adding extra sulphite. The pH is already very low (3.1) and the SO2 will be ineffective now that fermentation has started. 

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

[William Church]

Thank you Andrew (for this and all the other pearls of wisdom I have seen you post on here).

That is super helpful. I over reacted by the sound of it! Hopefully the yeast I used is ok, and doesn't strip out all the flavour I would have had with wild.