Krausen removal - or not?

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BOBTHEukBREWER

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When I look at the krausen after 24 hours and see all the dark brown sludge on the virginal white yeast, I think to myself that I don't want it in my beer, so I whip off the bucket lid and remove it with a soup ladle. Two hours later there is more sludge on the white foam so I remove it again. Am I removing yeast that should be left in position. Summarising, I remove this sludge 3 or 4 times a day for 3 days or so until I have just white foam, then I leave it till no white foam on top, then bottle. ( I am in the UK).
 
The sludge will stick to the outside of the fermenter when the krausen drops. It's not going to be in the beer. What's you're doing is a little OCD, and you're providing more chances to introduce possible infections.

However, you're not removing enough yeast by doing this to cause any attenuation issues.
 
I dont remove it. It will all settle out, then you'll siphon off of it.
 
Heres a little advice... once you pitch your yeast and close the fermenting bucket, do not touch it for at least 2 weeks. The "sludge you are seeing will stick to the sides as the krausen settles and anything else will precipitate to the bottkm with the rest of the trub.
 
I'm a firm believer in handling the beer as little as possible. Charlie Papazian warned against "mucking about in your beer" when it's not necessary.
 
"Some of the sludge is in the centre so that will drop into the beer IMHO."

Well, a couple thousand years of brewing has led to the conclusion that you should just leave it alone. :) It is your beer, so you can do whatever you want with it, but what you are doing has no benefit and just increases your risk of infection.

Honestly though, do you think the big breweries are dangling some guy from a rope over a giant fermenter so he can skim off the floaties?
 
I just got my first infected batch a week or so ago. It was my Oktoberfest Iand I had invested a good amount of time and love into the brew and it was quite a loss. I took it emotionally, it was devastating and extremely disruptive to my pipeline. I am pretty sure the infection occurred because I was screwing around with the beer too much. Popping the lid off and tasting and sniffing and inspecting because I was so excited about my first Oktoberfest.

Seriously, leave your beer alone. It will suck when one goes sour/bad because you couldn't leave it alone. All that gunk with settle out or stick to the side and is the least of your worries. Focus that energy on Temperature and sanitization control, creating yeast starters for future brews and brewing in general.
 
I agree...leave the yeastie beasties to do their thing in peace! All that yeast, protein, and trub will settle out. I found a vast improvement in my beer once I listened to all the brewers who leave their brews alone for at least 3-4 weeks before sampling and bottling. And when you siphon you can almost vacuum the beer off the cake because it is so compact...more beer!
 
um you didn't hear? That is where the flavor comes from.

I think the phrase "simply unfooled around with" should apply here. i.e. stop fooling with it!
 
Everyone is saying to leave it alone. That is certainly the safest for the homebrewer from an infection standpoint, and the dark trub will settle out and not affect the beer. But it a real open ale fermentation, the vessel is usually sized to allow the high kraesen to slough off or overflow and remove that trub. OP is correct in thinking that the dark colored stuff is undesirable trub. Yeast is nice and white to tan in color. You can skim the trub with a sanitized ladle or spoon, the CO2 outgasing will (should) protect the beer during high fermentation.
 
I only ferment in glass carboys. Two weeks in primary then a rack to secondary. Final step is bottling. I touch my beer as little as possible until I drink it.
 
Leave it the F alone. 4 weeks in primary, that is it. Its not like you're going to rack the trub anyway. I'm a firm believer of not touching the beer after pitching.
 
idigg said:
Leave it the F alone. 4 weeks in primary, that is it. Its not like you're going to rack the trub anyway. I'm a firm believer of not touching the beer after pitching.

This. Except I touch and caress and sing to my fermenters plenty. But always with the lid on ;)
 
http://***********/stories/wizard/article/section/121-mr-wizard/2095-is-it-better-to-blow-off-during-primary-fermentation-or-use-a-closed-system-so-the-debris-from-high-kraeusen-settles-back-into-the-carboy
 
I always look at the Kraeusen as part of the beer. The more complex the beer the funkier the kraeusen--it is a good sign. It settles out. I usually leave mine in primary for a week then a couple weeks in secondary. The more you mess with it the more you risk ruining it. Before yeast was known as the agent of fermentation brewers would scoop Kraeusen off of one batch to kick start another batch. It's cause was not known so it was seen as a gift from God to give them beer.
 
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