Suspended sludge/krausen?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

damos12

New Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I'm a recent homebrewer and am brewing my first gallon of an IPA. After the first 24 hours of being placed in the carboy, there was a lot of activity and a green sludge formed at the top. So much in fact that it pushed its way down much of the blow-off tube. While it could simply be krausen, the greenish color threw me for a bit of a loop.

The major issue is that it's now suspended in the neck of the carboy. When I insert the racking cane in 12 days time, it's inadvertently going to push some of the sludge back into the wort. Is this anything I should be concerned about? Should I push it down now so it has time to settle?

I've attached a not-so-great photo taken from my phone.

Thanks for your help.

IMAG0499.jpg
 
It is krausen mixed with hop debris and its no big deal. After fermentation slows the krausen will begin to drop and the beer will begin to clear. Ideally you keep the beer in primary for at least 2 weeks. This will allow the drop and clearing as well as the yeast cleaning up after themselves
 
What duboman said. And to address your other concern: Yes it seems likely that when it comes time to rack, that sludge-plug may still be there. And again my advice is, don't worry about it. You may get a few floaties in your bottles (which won't affect your enjoyment of the beer); more likely is that as your beer spends three weeks carbonating (conditioning) in bottles, those floaties will settle to the bottom of the bottle and you can gently pour off the top.

No worries!
 
Back
Top