yeast falling out in 'bands'

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tunoffun

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2010
Messages
239
Reaction score
8
Location
AZ
Ok... this is the first time I've used glass carboys for my primary fermenters. At 10 days past pitching, fermentation appears to pretty much be winding down (visually). Looking through the side of the fermenter, I've noticed two distinct bands of mildly-flocullated yeast (aside from the layer at the bottom). Starting from the surface of the liquid, the top 1/2" is (relatively) clear. Then a band of suspended yeast extends down about 4-5". Then the next 8-10" are relatively clear again, then there's another 4-5" band of suspended yeast. Another 'clear' spot, and then the mass of sediment at the bottom.

My question is... what's the mechanism at work here that causes the banding? I'm going out on a limb here assuming at least a few of you have noticed the same thing.

FYI - The carboy is clear, smooth glass from bottom to top with no ledges or design elements which might explain this phenomenon.
 
It all good. I let mine sit in primary for about a month - glass carboy and I see the same thing. It is simply yeast falling and clinging to the sides. A gentle shake will drop it all, but I leave it along and see how much collects. When I move it to bottle it settles out.
Really there is no 'mechanism' just a collection.
 
Back
Top