# what looks like mold in carboy.



## cknfrmr (Jul 12, 2012)

I am new to the winemaking process and put my wine into 5 gallon carboy but it did not fill it to top. after about 2 weeks of fermenting i have notice what appers to be mold growing in the neck. DiD not know carboy had to be full with as little air space on it. so there was about 8 inches of air in it with airloc on top. is there anything i can do other than throw it out. Never came across anything that said to fill it up.


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## btom2004 (Jul 13, 2012)

I've read a few posts like this. You should always top off the carboy to about 4 inches below the bung. What was mentioned about the mold, is to carefully rack wine into a clean carboy without transfering any of the mold. Filtering it would help as well and top it up this time. I forget it you would need to add any more K-meta or sorbate. But don't throw out wine it should still be good.


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## Julie (Jul 13, 2012)

I very seriously doubt you have mold, two weeks is not that long of a time. Can you post up a pic?


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## Turock (Jul 13, 2012)

Always be sure the wine is up in the neck of the carboy. If you can't fill it completely and don't want to dilute it by topping up, you can add marbles or glass spheres to take up the space.


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## DirtyDawg10 (Jul 13, 2012)

I've had sediment/residue show up in the neck of a carboy that could be mistaken for mold but isn't. Not sure exactly what yours is but I agree with Julie that it's probably not mold.


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## DomR (Jul 13, 2012)

i am doing a strawberry wine with brown sugar and it foamed up to the airlock. When the foam went back down it left a brown residue from the dead yeast in the foam all around the neck. My wife thought the wine was moldy. You probably have a simular situation. While wine is fermenting you don't need to keep the space (ullage is the term) small as possible since the c02 is protecting the wine. I would just rack to a clean carboy and top up.


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## ibglowin (Jul 13, 2012)

Could be a protein ring that will form along the top. It is usually whitish in color.


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## cknfrmr (Jul 13, 2012)

Thanks for all info. Will transfer and fill up this time. Cant post pic. wife accidently left camera in rain so not workin. Glad not mold. Did not read anywhere about filling up til other day when seen a few pics of others that had some troubles and thats when i noticed all their carboys were full. Always learning something new.


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## cknfrmr (Jul 13, 2012)

This is pure blackberry juice. I started with 23 lbs. of blackberries. Wound up with about 4.5 gallons of blackberry juice. So when I add water to fill it up should not dilute to bad. Should I use regular tap water boiled then cooled, or distilled or something of that matter. Have run wine through 1 gallon paint filter the mesh plastic kind and when put back into carboy from 5 gallon bucket will filter through sterilized coffee filter. Have made sure everyting has been sterlized well. Thanks again for all the help.


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## Turock (Jul 14, 2012)

Don't use water to top up---divide it off to gallon jugs and smaller glassware. You have a great wine going, being done with all fruit. Don't ruin it with water. This is why it's important to have lots of sizes of different glassware. And always have marbles or glass spheres around to finish topping up the last jug.


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## Duster (Jul 14, 2012)

If it were mine, I'd top up with spring water. I am sure that will get a buzz going on this thread .
It's really up to you, turock is right in the fact that you have the makings of a great full bodied wine, water will only dilute this down. Placing marbles, and / or some oak cubes in the carboy to take up the space may not be a bad idea as well, but be careful, to my understanding, 1/2 gallon worth of oak cubes is a lot!
Lastly some people prefer to buy a nice white wine to top up there carboy with.


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## Julie (Jul 14, 2012)

I would have to agree with putting the wine into different sizes and I would oak it. Oaked blackberry is pure heaven


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## Turock (Jul 15, 2012)

Using oak to top up is not a good option. You have to be careful not to over-oak wine.


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## hmoss (Sep 25, 2013)

Hey everyone,

Having a slight problem and thought it better to post in a similar thread rather than start a new one. I have a batch of apple at about 7 months, stabilized it a couple months back and sweetened a couple weeks later. Was going to bottle tonight, then caught a look at the airlock. Ew. It had brown goo in it with some darker browns specks. I should have taken a picture but I immediately went and rinsed out the airlock. It also had white goo in it. The wine itself looks fine and I'm about to have a taste but I would bet that it tastes fine. Any ideas what this could be from? No idea what it smells like as I don't have a sense of smell. Weird I know. I was going to pass out some bottles of this stuff before I leave for a new job, don't know if that's the best idea now..


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## hmoss (Sep 25, 2013)

Quick update: wine tastes delicious. And I forgot to mention that the bottom of the airlock was barely touching the surface of the wine. Had no idea I'd filled it that full but maybe that contributed?


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## jamesngalveston (Sep 25, 2013)

what is in the air lock is not in the wine...throw the air lock away. and bottle the wine.


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## the_rayway (Sep 26, 2013)

My water has a lot of minerals in it and if you don't change the water in the airlock often enough - it sort of evaporates into a whitish/yellowish/brownish sediment. Could have been that!


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