small kraussen

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edb23

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So I've done about 12 or 13 batches at this point, and every time I do, I get a very small kraussen (maybe one to two inches or less), no matter what yeast I use. My beer has always turned out great but with everyone else talking about blowoff tubes my tiny little kraussen makes me feel somehow like less of a man :drunk:

has anyone else had this problem? does something in my technique need to be changed?
 
If the beer is turning great what's the problem?

Krausen size/shape/color is one of those things like airlock bubbling that is really irrelevant.

All krausens look different, even using the same yeast on different batches.

The amount of krausen can vary for whatever reason, it can come quick and depart quickly or it can linger long after fermentation is complete, and it all be normal.

There is nothing "typical" in brewing...every fermentation is different, and should not be used to compare one with another...you can't do that.

No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.

When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.

You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...

Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...


Why do you want to fix something that ain't broken?? Why is it that new brewers aren't happy with success, why do you all need to obsess over something being wrong, even when everything is going right???
 
ha i'm not really worried too much about it, just something that seems cool i'd like to see happen in some of my batches
 
If you get a good answer let me know too! My blow-off tube its pretty much for show and I've gone back to just pitching and putting the airlock on. and recently for beers above ~1.060 I've double pitched Whyeast packs.

I think the carboy size matters alot more when it comes to blow off, i use 6.5 gal carboys for 5~ish batches. If i used a 5 or 5.5 gal it would probably be a different story.

People will ask for a homebrew over the other beers I keep around so I must be doing something right. But the small kraussen keeps me wondering if maybe I'm doing it wrong too.
 
edb23 - good questions. My first all grain batch had an uneventful fermentation. I thought Pacman was going to fill the room with foam. Krausen was about 1 inch if that. 6.5 gallon carboy with a 5 gallon batch.

The slurry was twisting and churning but nothing else.

I did keep it at 60 degrees, that may have impacted the krausen.
 
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