Fermenting art (w/pics)

We all know how ugly fermentation gets: the gunk, the krausen, strange rings of goo, crusted bits, all sorts of congealed and coagulated... stuff...

Sometimes it can be pretty though. Just pitched a vial of WPL300 into a 1.064 gravity wort last night at about 5:00pm. Seventeen hours later here's what's forming:

(Sorry, can't seem to be able to embed the images right in the post... they show up in the preview but not the final post)





I have a 1" blowoff tube jammed into the top of this one since I expect a pretty violent fermentation...

dude, that looks like a bacterial contamination

I don't think so... it's not even been 24 hours and those are tiny bubbles, not fuzz or anything.

Anyone else think it's infection?

Looks infected, I'll pm you my address so you can send it to me for for proper disposal.

I think that was sarcasm...(it's supposed to be funny...)...

That's cool...I've only actually gotten to see one "pre-krausen" form...On my belgian strong....it started with an off white "glop" in the center.....looked almost like a dessicated ear, or piece of cauliflower.....couple hours later and wham...blowoff city.

Have you seen the fermentaion videos on youtube?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3D4qYnhMzQ&feature=related]YouTube - Homebrew clip of active yeast.[/ame]

The timelaspse ones are a hoot.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNl7B7yQtHM&feature=related]YouTube - Timelapse movie of 2 beers fermenting[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO3JI2NPT1o&NR=1]YouTube - Time-Lapsed Fermenting Beer[/ame]

Great thread idea

Those videos are cool... I was thinking about trying to do a time-lapse but I don't have a power adapter for my camera (no way batteries are going to last for 2-3 days).

This batch is a dunkelweizen, and maybe it's something about wheat beers but sweet fancy Moses it was incredibly violent. The last time I did a hefe the 5/16" blowoff I used off my carboy cap wasn't cutting it. I had a cork of green protien build up under the cap. Good thing I checked it before it critical mass.

This is definitely not an infection. The "paths" in the pictures are changing and expanding into pools of bubbles, there are already visible streams of CO2 coming up the side from little colonies of yeast on the side. This one will be active.

The one with the clock is interesting because the krausen built up higher and faster in the shadow.

For those that hate to click links (including myself):

Thanks, Kilt! I haven't figured out how to enter HTTP editing mode. Appreciate it.

WilliamstonBrew said:

We all know how ugly fermentation gets: the gunk, the krausen, strange rings of goo, crusted bits, all sorts of congealed and coagulated... stuff...

Sometimes it can be pretty though. Just pitched a vial of WPL300 into a 1.064 gravity wort last night at about 5:00pm. Seventeen hours later here's what's forming:

(Sorry, can't seem to be able to embed the images right in the post... they show up in the preview but not the final post)

I have a 1" blowoff tube jammed into the top of this one since I expect a pretty violent fermentation...

Click to expand...

your stuff doesn't show up because you need to have a minimum number of posts (25 I think) and be a member for a minimum number of time (not sure on this one though)

Once you reach this criteria...the pics will show up, you formatted them properly.