Help What is this growth, should I be concerned?

[buckhorn]

I am a newbie - made a couple kits and now am striking out to try and learn more. Hopefully one of the experts on here will recognize what I am seeing and be able to tell me it's ok, help me fix it, or explain what is wrong so I can learn and start over.

I am trying a 1 Gal batch of Cranberry-Cutie Wine (Cranberry-Clementine). Things went pretty well through the primary, I racked to secondary and now I have a "growth" in the wine that I am not sure if I should be concerned with. I will try and answer all the basics up front, but if I miss something please ask me for what you need.....

All equipment was washed with PBW and sanitized with Star-San everytime I worked with the wine.

12/20/13 - boiled the sugar, cranberries and clementine peels, added wine chemicals per recipe
12/21/13 - added raisins, and 1/2 pkt of rehydrated Red Star Montrechet yeast. Starting SG was 1.094 Set lid loosly on top of primary, but did not snap shut
12/22/13 - SG: 1.091 stirred must, squeezed fruit bag
12/23/13 - SG: 1.091 stirred must, squeezed fruit bag
<<missed checking my SG for a couple days due to illness/holidays>>
12/27/13 - SG: 1.013 stirred must, squeezed fruit bag
12/29/13 - SG: 1.001 - discarded fruit bag. racked into 1 Gal jar. Added air lock.
12/30/13 - observed small spots of "oil slicks" on top of must in jug - could this be from orange peels/cranberries/??
1/1/13 - SG: .993 -- seeing a "growth" in top 1/3 of jug. I can see small bubbles rising to the surface from the edges of the mass like it may be fermenting.
1/4/13 - The growth is still in place - got a picture to post and ask for help...

 

[kryptonitewine]

Unfortunately I have no idea but had to make a comment.

Excellent note taking. I wish I was that diligent with my notes.

 

[jamesngalveston]

did you add a clearing agent to this, and or sorbate.

 

[salcoco]

my first thought is a wild bacteria growth. I would suggest racking the wine by getting below the growth with a racking cane. then check for odors. if bad throw away. if no bad orders add so22and keep fingers cross that it does not return

 

[jamesngalveston]

If you had that same wine in a bucket, it would like it was just a fermentation cap...i think its not done fermenting.....
pretty weird looking in a jug ...

 

[buckhorn]

Krypton - my notes actually have a little more info that his (ie. room temp, must temp, my impressions on color and/or smells ....) I am what some have labeled anal - served my well in the 20+ years I worked in the IT industry.

James - no clearing agents or sorbate. This was just moved from primary to secondary and hasn't reached the point of wanting to clear or stabilize yet.

All - I did some further looking on the Internet the other night and came up with Jack Keller's site and descriptions -- what he describes as Lactic Acid Bacterium seems to go somewhat along the lines of what I think I see (though he has no pictures to confirm). I take this from the presence of "oil" spots on the surface of the must around racking. And also the growth looks to be like a cross between egg whites and bread dough floating there. My other thought was that the yeast is still working/growing (bread dough hint again).

I have not noticed any smells.... Thanks all for your feedback - will let you know and see what I can get....

 

[JohnT]

It could just be froth caused by the fruit proteins.