Changes

Most Many brewers will advise that if it all possible, try not to disturb the pellicle too much when taking a sample, racking, or moving the fermentation vessel. However, if the pellicle is disturbed, this should be fine as long as the beer is not exposed to too much oxygen. If taking a sample or racking, gently pierce the top of the pellicle with the racking cane or wine thief. If the pellicle does break up, don't worry too much. It will usually reform if oxygen is still present in the headspace. Purging with CO2 might be a good idea if you think that a lot of oxygen got introduced during handling. While packaging the beer, try not to disturb the pellicle too much because clumps of the pellicle on the surface of the beer can fall back into solution when disturbed, and can then get transferred into the bottles or kegs. If the beer is being transferred, if fruits are being added, or if it is being used as a starter for another batch, do not worry about disturbing the pellicle. Disturbing the pellicle isn't really a problem; letting in too much oxygen is the problem.