Huge yeast cake (pics)

I recently made a breakfast stout from a NB kit with Notty dry yeast (also steeped some coffee after the boil) and ended up with a massive yeast cake. Really it was more of a pudding. Maybe it wasn't actually yeast? I was only able to siphon about 2.5 - 3 gal out when racking to secondary. This thing was 4.5 inches thick! Any thoughts on what happened?

How long was it in primary? That just looks like it hasn't all settled yet. Also looks like a lot of break material in there too, but that usually compacts right down with the yeast.

I would have let it settle at a cooler temperature for a while. How long was it in primary? More importantly, how did it taste?

Good questions - I should have included more info in the original post. It was in primary for 4 weeks, so I don't think settling should have been the issue. I use bags for my pellet hops which keeps most of that junk out of the primary. Break material is, perhaps, a possibility, but I've never seen so much in reading online or in my admittedly short tenure as a brewer. I tasted it a couple of weeks ago, so my memory isn't fresh, but it certainly didn't taste infected.

MW66 - Unfortunately I don't have a fermentation cabinet. I used a swamp cooler for primary and kept it around 63 F.

Ah another detail that I just remembered: The entire fermentation was rather slow, the pudding-like layer on the bottom began early in the fermentation, and bubbles were rising occasionally from that layer.

Also, I meant to type that I siphoned 3-3.5 gallons to secondary rather than 2.5-3...just for the record.

Thanks for the input, gents.

How do you chill your wort coming off the boil?

I recently used the same kit with the same results. When I racked the beer to secondary it was thicker than the 3 stouts I had done previously(not NB). I am aging mine with vanilla, bourbon and oak so I hope it tastes good with all I have involved. I'll post a taste test in a month or two. I plan on letting it sit in the secondary a while.

I personally am done with kits. Moving to all-grain soon.

that's mostly trub - not yeast. It should compact down quite a bit more if you leave it a while longer before racking

HokieBrewer said:

How do you chill your wort coming off the boil?

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50' wort chiller.

I recently used the same kit with the same results.

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Good to know - Thanks Sigfried

that's mostly trub - not yeast. It should compact down quite a bit more if you leave it a while longer before racking

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Isn't 4 weeks about the longest most people recommend leaving beer on the yeast in primary?

senorswiss said:

50' wort chiller.


Good to know - Thanks Sigfried



Isn't 4 weeks about the longest most people recommend leaving beer on the yeast in primary?

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How did this turn out for you? I moved mine to a secondary then into a keg to condition. I plan on letting it set for a few months hoping the beer will thin out at least a little.

sigfried said:

How did this turn out for you? I moved mine to a secondary then into a keg to condition. I plan on letting it set for a few months hoping the beer will thin out at least a little.

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I actually haven't kegged it yet - keezer was full - so it's still sitting in secondary.

senorswiss said:

I actually haven't kegged it yet - keezer was full - so it's still sitting in secondary.

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I kegged this a couple of weeks back, and it turned out rather well.