No Krausen or Yeast Rafts - Enlighten Me.

Help me understand this.

I brewed my 3rd batch of Mr. Beer last Wed.
1st Batch - Mr. Beer Irish Stout with 1lbs of Pale LME instead of their booster.
2nd Batch - Mr. Beer Octoberfest - Vienna Lager - with 1lbs of Pale LMS plus 1 packet of their booster.
3rd Batch - Mr. Beer High Country - Canadian Draft - with 1lbs of Golden Light DME plus 1.5 packets of their booster.

The Irish Stout looked like what people have described and like pictures I've seen online. The Octoberfest bubbled like crazy within hours and I thought I had an infection because of the large foamy bubbles after a couple of days, but it turned out to be okay.

I brewed the Canadian Draft 7 days ago and it bubble within an hour or two, then I didn't see anything - no krausen or yeast rafts. I checked it this afternoon and it's bubbling like soda that was just poured into a glass. However, there is still no krausen nor yeast rafts.

Fermentation temps have been between 65* - 70*.

So technically... Why the different characteristics?

Please enlighten me.. :cross:

Thanks,
E

kraeusen defies physical definition. it can take many forms, or not really form too well at all. I can't explain your exact situation, but lots of things can affect the way it looks.

For example: Earlier this year I lowered the temp of my fermentation fridge from 67*F to 63*F. That 4*F drop has caused most of my kraeusens to go from a 2" tall light and foamy looking head to a 4" tall thick and gooey looking head.

different levels of protiens, different grains used to make the wort, different yeasts, different temperatures, etc, etc, etc.... these things can all change the way it looks.

Walker's right.

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...

With living micro-organisms there is always a wildcard factor in play...and yet the yeast rarely lets us down. So it is best just to rdwhahb and trust that they know to what they are doing. It sounds like you are brewing by a calendar, or instructions and not by what your beer is really doing, the problem is that yeast don't know how to read so they seldom follow their scripts. They dance to their own tune and its seldom 4 x 4 Time.

Don't assume the worst with the yeast, realize that they've been making beer since long before our great great great grandfather copped his first buzz from a 40 of mickey's out back of the highschool, so they are the experts.

Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.

And worrying because it's not happening how fast or slow you think it should be is really not worth the energy.

It may not be what you expected it to be but that doesn't mean anything's wrong.

I find that brewing is a lot more stress free if I don't compare one batch to another. I subscribe to the I trust the yeast club. They've never let me down. But I don't try to understand them...

Thanks for the info.

It's definitely fascinating.

Symbiosis has always sparked my brain in some way, shape, or form. It's just like genetic twins, they can live in the same environment and behave very differently or the similar. Or, they could have grown up a million miles away from each other and behave exactly the same.

If I could, I would ask the yeast, individually and collectively, what they were/are thinking...
(Please keep in mind that tonight, I cracked open a few of my home brews, then went to the wine.... )

E