The never ending krausen!!!

Usually newbies post a question about stuck fermentation or think it is already over when its not. This is not one of those posts. I have a beer thats 1.5 weeks old and had krausen after 36 hours. It still has 1 inch of thick krausen, I guess the yeasties are having a lot of fun and not fully done yet.

Question to the more seasoned home brewers - Is it common to have such long krausen (10+ days)? I wait at least 3 weeks before I move it but I was hoping to do another batch but this one is still occupying my cooler. I dont want to put it to room temperature (72) with the heavy krausen. Krausen fermentation started at 63 stayed under 65 for a few days then went up to 67-68 and its been there since. i never had ot change water or add ice or anything to this batch.

let me guess...hefeweizen?

normally i'd say let it sit...it's only 1.5 weeks old, but i see you are in a hurry to brew another batch so i must help you with that.

give it a slight swirl and let it sit another couple of days. that should help it fall. if it doesn't fall, take a sample. if the sample says it's done, just rack from under the krausen. many beers will maintain a krausen long after fermentation is finished.

No its Honey Bee-yatch Ale from Midwest. Its very healthy looking krausen and smells good. I still have at least 1.5 week before I bottle it and I wanted to start a Hefe or Witbier both with liquid yeast.

Whats the longest krausen you've seen?

take a gravity reading for a couple of days and if it changes then it is not done and compare it to what it is suppose to be according to Midwest.

1. Make sure there is no change in gravity reading for 2-3 days and is at the recommended FG
2. Wait until at least 10 days for low gravity beers up to 3-4 weeks is better, not sure on high gravity beers my guess is 3-4 weeks minimum

If all above applies then bottle

kryolla said:

take a gravity reading for a couple of days and if it changes then it is not done and compare it to what it is suppose to be according to Midwest.

1. Make sure there is no change in gravity reading for 2-3 days and is at the recommended FG
2. Wait until at least 10 days for low gravity beers up to 3-4 weeks is better, not sure on high gravity beers my guess is 3-4 weeks minimum

If all above applies then bottle

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As stated earlier, I am not bottling it for at least another 1.5 weeks (3 weeks min), I was just curious about such long krausen.

I'm experiencing the same thing... 10 days with karusen using Wyeast 1007. Gave her swirl yesterday and noticed the never ending krausen has returned today!

Not sweating it. Gonna let it ride another week or so and start taking gravity readings.

Mine is with WL California Ale yeast and I swirled it again today and I do see under the krausen. Friday will be 2 weeks since I brewed it and I might have the longest krausen in HBT history

Got that beat by a ton. I've got Krausen on my Belgian Dark Strong that I brewed the beginning of November. It took a slow start, has been a slow fermentation, and I've been gently swirling every few days as my fermentation is STILL going on.

I've had krausens last three weeks on average beers, six on some of my Belgians. I've never had a krausen yet that 1) did not fall on its own and 2)!!!! needed my help to fall.

As you repeated, since you are not bottling for a week and a 1/2, no worries at all. I'll bet it falls by then. If it doesn't I would wait longer to bottle.

Messing with beer by swirling the carboy to stir things up is generally not a very good thing to do. Occasionally you might want to with a stalled fermentation but that co2 layer sitting on top of the beer is precious protection from nasties and oxygen and should only be disturbed as a very last resort.

dontman said:

Messing with beer by swirling the carboy to stir things up is generally not a very good thing to do. Occasionally you might want to with a stalled fermentation but that co2 layer sitting on top of the beer is precious protection from nasties and oxygen and should only be disturbed as a very last resort.

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I don't see how a gentle swirl twice a week would disturb a co2 layer. As I swirl I can see (and hear) co2 being released from the liquid, so if anything I would think that it would reinforce the "blanket". It at no point looses pressure in the carboy, because I would see the airlock bubble move closer to the inside.

TerapinChef said:

I don't see how a gentle swirl twice a week would disturb a co2 layer. As I swirl I can see (and hear) co2 being released from the liquid, so if anything I would think that it would reinforce the "blanket". It at no point looses pressure in the carboy, because I would see the airlock bubble move closer to the inside.

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Yea, you're right. I thought about that after I posted.

I was picturing newbs with ale pails with the lid off swirling that co2 into the atmosphere.

Pivzavod said:

No its Honey Bee-yatch Ale from Midwest. Its very healthy looking krausen and smells good. I still have at least 1.5 week before I bottle it and I wanted to start a Hefe or Witbier both with liquid yeast.

Whats the longest krausen you've seen?

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i have a krausen on a hefeweizen that has been there over three weeks. granted, it probably just finished fermenting, as it's been sitting at 53°F

but, yeah, i've had hefeweizens and a few other beers with krausen for several weeks. upsetting it will usually make it settle down if it's done fermenting.

I still have it and its been 2 weeks of active krausen. Like I posted a few days ago its starting to come down but still pretty creamy as we speak.

My reason for post was just curiosity about what makes the difference between a short krausen (~1 week) vs long one (2+ weeks). Shouldnt the active part of the fermentation be over now? My other reason for asking was because I want to brew another damn batch. Since I still have krausen my primary is still in my cooler but I think I will take it out tomorrow and just leave it at room temp.

Honey in the recipe will do that.

DD2000GT said:

Honey in the recipe will do that.

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I guess this is the answer that I've been waiting for all along. Yesterday I took this batch out of the cooler and let it sit at room temp. I kept my window cracked a little bit and somehow the temperature of the primary got cooler (I got digital thermometer) its at 63.7. I also brewed another batch last night which was a Hefe. It has been pitched ~22 hours ago and it already has 2 inches of krausen. I came home 1.5 hour ago and was amazed since when I left to work 10 hours before there was just little white formed on top of wort.

Never ending krausen continues! My older batch is still showing some krausen but its more thick, creamy type. When it was going strong it was 2 inches of thick, creamy krausen. New batch of Hefe is with Wyeast liquid and it has 2 inches of foam krausen.

Call me a newbie but Im guessing that the honey had something to do with the creamy appearance of the krausen and I guess the duration and overall performance as pointed out by DD2000GT

I dont know much about your yeast strain...maybe it's just not very flocculent?

1st White Labs California Ale

2nd Wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen

Can't we safely conclude krausen is about as accurate a measure of fermentation as airlock activity? i.e. not much at all? I always follow what the hydrometer says and ignore any krausen that refuses to fall.

I have the same thing going on. Thick creamy about an inch now. Looks like boiling condensed milk. But I used no honey in mine. Brewed Northern Brewers Phat Tyre.

fyi - krausen on this batch lasted almost 4 weeks (3.5 or so), krausen on hefe lasted less then 2.