can tell an infection from krausen color?

Hey everyone.

I am fermenting my first wheat beer, and from what I read it is suppose have a good white krausen, but i notice mine is white, with another layer of, considerably darker krausen. The fermentation is also going crazier than I have ever witnessed, then again it was my first time using a smack pak (wyeast 3638).

I know, I know, RDWHAHB, but it is the OCD in me that must know what is happening...

here is a pic. I am sure its fine, but better to just ask. it does not smell sour.

That looks completely normal! Sorta surprised you never saw anything like that before.

The brown crap is just what climbed up the neck when fermentation was most vigorous. Now it's down to the white foam.

But it looks like it splattered all over your wall...

I can't see the pic because I am at work and the stupid internot blocked it. However from what you describe it sounds completely normal. Did you add all of the hops and break material from the kettle into the fermentor, if so a lot of that will usually end up on top of the krausen.

RDWHAHB

ksbrain, this is the first time I am doing primary in a carboy, normally it is in a fermentation bucket. therefore i dont see the krausen beforehand unless I get blow-off. when I say most active I mean the rate of bubbling (6-10 bubbles/sec). swear, my blow off jug looked like a yeast bank lol.

well, as long as it looks normal, I can have another homebrew. Thanks

so my krausen is completely brown, no white in it at all. I am brewing a brown ale with amber malt extract, roasted barley, and light brown sugar. I had a stuck ferm because I racked it to the secondary too soon. I added some yeast in the secondary when all activity stopped. The SG was 1.031. The original yeast was Wyeast slap pack and then i added some Mr. Beer yeast to take care of the stuck ferm. It formed Krausen overnight. The krausen is big and I have plenty of activity in the airlock again, but it is completely brown. No funny smell. What do you think?