Clumpy Krausen

[mike_bkk]

Hello all,
Being in Bangkok extract is not really available but malt, hops and yeast are, so I tried my first all grain SMaSH. I have a very clumpy krausen 24 hours after pitching the yeast. The yeast took off and I have lots of airlock activity but the krausen looks like the photo. I didn't get any hot break when I boiled the wort and I also added whirlfloc at the end of the boil. Anyone please shed some light on what this may be or why this is happening. Is it ruined?

Thanks for your help,
M

 

[MaxStout]

There are a few yeasts that produce krausen that resembles cheese curds. WLP002 comes to mind.

Your fermentation looks ok.

 

[mike_bkk]

Thanks for rhe feedback. I used Mangrove Jack's M41 yeast for this, and pale 2 row, with Nelson Sauvin hops. Just a simple SMaSH I found online.

 

[MaxStout]

SMASH beers are great. Nice and simple. Let us know how the beer turns out.

 

[mike_bkk]

I will let you all know. I brewed 2 kits from Mr. Beer that I brought back from US. All Grain was so much more fun to brew. I am sure I need practice to improve my mash process and my boil but for the first one, I think I did pretty well OG is at the estimate from the recipe.
M

 

[camonick]

but the krausen looks like the photo. I didn'

and pale 2 row, with Nelson Sauvin hops. Just a simple SMaSH I found online.

Is the above photo the actual photo of your fermenter, or just a stock picture similar to your problem?
I know pictures of beer in fermenters can be considerably darker than what they’ll eventually look like in the glass, but the above image looks much darker/ brownish than one would expect from a 2-row SMASH.

 

[mike_bkk]

It is an actual photo. I am wondering why it is so dark as well. I am using a bucket fermenter and so it is not truly clear. I have no idea why it would be this dark. I poured the wort from my boil through a strainer into the bucket to get lots of oxygen could I have ruined it somehow?

 

[camonick]

could I have ruined it somehow?

Not likely. I’m not familiar with the yeast you’re using, but some strains definitely behave differently than others. As @MaxStout said, it’s probably ok. Let it finish and smell/ taste a sample before packaging.

 

[mike_bkk]

It is actually much lighter than the photo. When I shine a light through it. Since this is in a fridge with a temp controller the lighting is not that bright and using a light or flash for a photo didn't work. I think it is just the photo. At least I hope so. Lots of clumps have started to drop out and it is looking much better already. The yeast says 18 to 28 degrees C I am fermenting at 22 and it still seems to be going really fast.