Fermentation question

I'm starting AG soon so I brewed a couple of small test batches to play with my technique/equipment and I put them in clear 2 gallon water containers to ferment. Easy question - I have never fermented in a clear vessel before!... is it supposed to be a cloudy mess of trub and particles floating everywhere? Like a small hurricane going on in my fermenter? I thought I did a pretty good job keeping the grain out of the wort, and one of the reasons I'm going to AG is because I can't stand the dark colors I get from extract and I want clearer beer but this thing looks nasty! I'm hoping this is just how early fermentation looks (>24 hrs) but I'm planning on doing a larger AG batch tonight and I'm worried I'm doing something wrong.

If the recipe helps it was a modified one from the recipe forum. I used some leftover ingredients and found an irish ale that used lots of vienna (which i have lots of)

2lbsvienna
.5lbs 2 row
.25lbs carapils
.25lbs 20L
.25 fuggles@40
.25 EKG@8

It was like a 1.5 gallon boil for a 1.5 gallon batch and I topped off what evaporated with filtered water..

I don't have a wort chiller yet (free shipping at AHS this wkd!) so maybe that will help?

So, long story short. Is it supposed to look like that? I've brewed 20 batches but never actually seen something ferment!

It is hard to filter all the trub out of the kettle and you will have some cold break material that forms as the wort is cooled.

I guess you have not seen a carboy during fermentation and what you are seeing is quite common.

Yes!!! Fermentation is butt ugly, but buckets hide a thousand messes.

Isn't it amazing how clear your beer ultimately becomes!!!

Thanks guys! I can't believe I missed the awesome process of fermentation by using buckets for so long. I also checked youtube and I guess vigorous fermentation is common! I can't wait for my wife to get home so she can check this out but I doubt she'll care. I really had no idea just how gnarly the process was!

i always show swmbo the fermentation and she is not as amazed as i am!

I've been known to stand and stare at fermenting carboys for minutes at a time. It's amazing.

check this out. the yeast does what your referring to pretty regularly for me atleast. i sit and watch it occasionally and it gets crazy.

http://www.youtube.com/v/EEvM0yAJg7o&hl=en&fs=1

It's kinda hypnotizing... like a lava lamp.