Do you always wait for krausen to drop before ending primary?

I am making this Orval clone, and Brew Like a Monk says 4-day primary, then 4-5 week secondary for cleaning up and Bretting up. Okay, fine, no problem. 3 days in and I went from 1.050 to 1.022, and I just warmed from 64 to 68 ambient, so I figure I'd be at my FG of 1.013 tomorrow.

However, this is the densest krausen I have ever encountered. Zero chance that thing is falling anytime soon. I'd like to wash the yeast, and doing so with krausens is a PITA.

Couple questions:

#1 Why after only 4 days,yeah,yeah the books says ..are you using the exact same yeast @ the exact pitching rate, with exact same O2 levels..?

#2 Why do you have to rinsh the yeast? your not washing unless your adding acid and theres really no good reason to rinse to begin with, so why?

All belgians require patience. They can ferment furiously for a short time and look like there is no activity for weeks but the yeast are still working and yes the krausen can last for weeks before clearing the surface. Not to say yours will.

Do not take a published FG as gospel. Your particular system, processes ,yeast health, etc will determine your FG. Until you have used the yeast enough so you know its ferment profile I suggest you wait for at least 7days, take a gravity reading, and another 3 days later. If it has not moved much (1-2 points) then it is probally done. Then let it sit for 3 days more so the yeast can clean it self up. Patience is key.

You can do your yeast washing when you rack the beer.

-Cheers

-Cheers

As above, just because the monks follow a particular schedule doesn't mean you should. Exact yeast, pitch rates, fermentor size and geometry, temperature control, mash schedule, etc., all could be (or definitely are) different, and this will affect fermentation. The monks have a business to run, and need to be on a tight schedule. Do you? It's generally agreed upon that leaving your beer sit on the yeast after fermentation is complete will improve the quality of the finished product.

If you have such a great krausen why not top crop it? And yes washing yeast off of trub is very benificial to their health and storage time. Also if you are adding Brett I WOULD want to get the beer into a secondary earlier at a higher gravity to give the Brett something to munch on before all the saccharomyces eat it all!

breez7 said:

Also if you are adding Brett I WOULD want to get the beer into a secondary earlier at a higher gravity to give the Brett something to munch on before all the saccharomyces eat it all!

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Brett won't have a problem finishing off what's left over by the sacch yeast. There's always plenty left.

ya the brett will have no prob bringing it down to 1.000 sometimes but the more sugars left the more funk and the quicker it will build and pellicle and become established in the beer.

Brett can take it down lower than that. You're right, though; if it's a big funk you're after, you can give them lots to chew on. Still, as slow as they work, the best way to do that seems to be to mash high or use the right grains (unmalted grains, flour, etc.) rather than try to use timing. Even if you transfer early, the sacc yeast will still generally finish the job before the brett gets around to doing so.