jimg

Recipes 

I'm not an old timer, but have brewed a few batches, maybe 6 AG. Recently brewed Mike McDoel's Janet's ale and used a double decoction. Pitched too cold, I was trying for a good cold break. Anyway, yeast from starter sat a good 24 hours with nothing, then a nice ferment began. i got a beautiful krausen after a couple more days, now its been almost 2 weeks, ferment is just about done and the krausen is sitting there as pretty as it first started. I am thinking I will rack off beer between krausen and trub to secondary. Almost like skimming. Is this typical or do I have one heck of a head retention to look forward to.

malkore

Recipes 

you never mentioned what yeast you used. some yeast strains just form a thick krausen that never 'melts' back into the beer.

Wyeast 2565 Kolsch strain is one example.

As you suspected, just avoid racking the top to secondary, and avoid the trub like you normally would. Since the krausen residue wants to float on top its pretty easy to avoid.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
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Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

Saccharomyces

Recipes 

WLP400 and WLP029 never drop all the krausen, it's not a problem as long as the gravity is as expected. Other yeasts I haven't used are likely in the same boat. The hydrometer is boss, if I think a beer isn't done I'll swirl and wait a few days and then recheck the gravity to be sure it's really done.

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EvilTOJ

Recipes 

I swirl it as well when it looks close to done. If the fermentation isn't done yet, it'll be back. If it is, well, it settles out in the bottom.

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jimg

Recipes 

Thanks guys. It was Cal. Ale Yeast. I am going to check gravity this weekend and rack between krausen and trub. I am thinking about cold crashing and adding glycerin to clarify. Have any of you ever done that.