Making vinegar

[sr106]

The bottle of red wine vinegar (Colavita brand) could not have been more than 6-8 months old, and I know I've kept vinegar longer than that. I was going to use it in some salad dressing and I noticed funky looking white swirls in it as well as thin dark red strands. When I tried pouring some, part of the white swirl came out like as a nasty mucousy substance.
What the hell is that?
I’ve bought red wine vinegar before and this never happened. Maybe I should try and post a picture since the bottle is still sitting on my kitchen counter.

[Moonshiner]

I remember a jar of stuff a bit like you describe on a shelf in my Grandparents cellar. It was simi-transparent like a jellyfish and seemed to be in layers. I was told it was "vinegar mothers." The mothers were put in apple cider to turn it to vinegar. They were farmers and made everything themselves. It was a looong time ago. If I would of been older I probably would of questioned a little more about it but back then if you ask Grandpap a question and got an answer that was the end of it. You might try to let it sit without disturbing it and see what happens. Maybe you can start a vinegar making business........

[Pkerchef]

That's what i used to be told also as a child by my granny vinegar is the only thing that makes it's mother i think is what she used to say. She would still use the vinegar though. Pkerchef

[afreetrapper]

You are right the stuff floating in your vinegar is called mother. Mother feeds on alcohol. You can put that mother in wine or anything with alcohol in it the mother will feed on the alcohol and in time you will have vinegar.

[Hugh_Jass]

[mike333h]

If you want to get rid of it, just filter the vinegar though a couple of coffee filters. A lot of restaurants do this that store large amounts of vinegar.