is it contaminated?

beers been in primary for 6 days. i used liquid yeast for first time, was in a hurry, didnt boil the starter wort... wondering if its contaiminated. not sure what it looks/smells like if so.

anyways, it looks like a very thick brown foam, not a very pleasant aroma (doesnt smell like beer

is it contaminated? is this how liquid yeast works? should i pour it out?

Honestly it looks good at first glance. If you could get a close-up on the holes on the surface then it would be easier to tell you.

But for the most part.... you did bad ...

Never leave beer to chance.

What type of beer is it? What type of yeast did you use? If its a wheat beer, it may smell different than what you are used to.

A. Put the lid back on and leave it on. Most contamination occurs when the lid is off.
B. Wait for the krausen to fall. You can see it well enough through the side.
C. Without knowing what you are making or what yeast you are using, hard to say about the smell. But fermenting beer does not necessarily smell like beer.

it's a honey blonde ale with OG 1.050

pitched wyeast 1318 after two days in starter. had a similar "thick and dense" brown foam to what is on it now (that's where i suspect it may have gotten contaminated if it is)

"1318 London Ale Yeast III.

From traditional London brewery with great malt and hop profile. True top cropping strain, fruity, very light, soft balanced palate, finishes slightly sweet. Apparent attenuation: 71-75%. Flocculation: high. Optimum temp: 64°-74° F"

it's been in the primary for almost 7 days, the thick foam has not changed after day 3. there is quite a bit of sediment at the bottom

Looks fine. Top cropping yeasts produce darker krausens because there is a large amount of yeast in it. The krausen tends to last longer as well. If you were going to harvest yeast, you'd scrap off the krausen and use it in the next batch.

Ummm, looks delicious!!!

It looks good. Now put that lid back on!!!