Lots of Foam

So I brewed the Janet's Brown extract recipe from Brewing Classic Styles on xmas eve as I didn't have time for an all grain. Everything went well. I cooled with my IC and after 20 minutes I was draining to the carboy. Well, there was a lot of foam, a LOT of foam. So much foam I only got about 5 gallons into the carboy instead of the anticipated 5.5 as it was all spilling out... I pitched the yeast from a starter then left to my parents for the holiday. When I got home about 30 hours later I had steady bubbles, but nothing crazy. I had set the carboy heater to 67 and have since ramped 3 degrees the last 3 days and it is at 70. The bubbles are about 20 - 30 seconds apart at this point and the foam still sits heavy on top. I have swirled the carboy the foam isn't going away. I guess I am not worried yet, and am hoping in another week it will all drop out. But my question is what is causing this. Of all my batches, extract and all grain, I've never had this... Any explanations?

JSomps6 said:

Of all my batches, extract and all grain, I've never had this... Any explanations?

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It sounds like it's fermenting. I'd quit moving it and swirling it and let it settle down. The krausen will drop and the beer will clear when it's ready.

The beer sat at 70 for a week then I slowly brought it back down to basement temps... about 60* and it's sat there since. So it's been over 3 weeks and the beer still hasn't seemed to drop clear. I never check gravity until I keg, so I haven't done that either. I may check it and rack to secondary with dry hops and hope for the best. But this is the first beer with all that foam and the first beer that hasn't dropped out by now... Seems like it must be related...

I don't suppose you left the Star-San in the fermenter. . .

Don't fear the foam! Just give it time.

I used star san, and there was a little residual foam in the carboy.... I don't fear the foam... I have given it time... I'm not worried about it, I'm just wondering what causes this. From all my batches, never had foam like this. It was annoying, and I couldn't get all 5.5 gallons into my carboy due to all the foam. Just looking for an explanation is all.