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I have a batch of cider that was in fermentation for several months. I use glass demijohns and racked 3 times so the cider is very clear. It's been about 2 months since the last racking.

When I took the demijohn out for bottling I found some white film on the top. It was not there in the previous racking. I use a siphon so I wasn't too concerned of getting it into the bottles, and the cider actually tasted great.

After three days in bottles (with sugar added for carbonation) I see white film on the top of each of the bottles, and it seems more than what I had in the demijohn, and developed fast.

I'm usually very careful about sanitizing but can't rule out some contamination.

I've read a few posts about film on top of beer but I don't know if things are different with cider...

I'm thinking of giving the bottle a jolt before opening it and letting the foam drive the film out. But will it be safe to drink?

Here's how it looks... a closeup of the top of a standard 11-oz bottle.

White foam on top of cider

Edit: six days later, whatever it is does not grow any more. It seems to have captured some gas at the top at start and now it looks like film-covered bubbles.

Closeup from above, 9 days after bottling

side view, 9 days after bottling

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  • You have a lot of head space, perhaps you should rack into a carboy that matches your batch volume? – Calvin Taylor Oct 4 '17 at 7:53
  • This is a close-up of a bottle (330 cc). Editing to clarify. – laugh Oct 4 '17 at 9:25
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Looks like a very clean pellicle, biofilm from a bacteria. Taste the cider, you may have something nice there. But it's probably not what you were expecting from yeast.

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  • Thanks. It seems to continue growing... perhaps brought up with the bubbles. I will update on how it looks and how it tastes (when it comes to that, hopefully). – laugh Oct 4 '17 at 9:39

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