I like big Krausen, and I cannot lie

[Monmouth00]

I brewed a Brewer's Best extract Kolsch kit yesterday. As usual, I added a pound of light DME, and swapped out the crappy yeast for a Wyeast 1007 for German Ale.

I don't have a question, but rather just wanted to brag about my huge krausen!

I've seen some of the wheat beer yeasts take off like this, but was not anticipating it from this one. In less than 12 hours a huge, foamy head formed, and pushed out through my airlock.

I swapped out the airlock for a blowoff tube, and the thing continues to bubble rapidly almost 24 hours later. I'm really impressed with the Wyeast.

Hopefully this is a sign of a good sign of a healthy, boozy, wonderful Kolsch!

 

[davidabcd]

So you got all that from just the smack pack of 1007? I use the plastic bucket (6.5G, I believe it is) and I have yet to have that happen for any of mine. I use dry yeast mostly so that could be why. But I think I'll be prepared and have a blow-off apparatus on hand, in case of emergency.
Are you fermenting your Kolsch on the lower end of the temperature range?
Brewer's Best kits have always been good to me.
Well, good luck with your brew!

 

[Monmouth00]

So you got all that from just the smack pack of 1007? I use the plastic bucket (6.5G, I believe it is) and I have yet to have that happen for any of mine. I use dry yeast mostly so that could be why. But I think I'll be prepared and have a blow-off apparatus on hand, in case of emergency.
Are you fermenting your Kolsch on the lower end of the temperature range?
Brewer's Best kits have always been good to me.
Well, good luck with your brew!

Thanks! It's sub-70 degrees where I'm fermenting. I don't think the temps are ramping it up.
I did a really good job of shaking the hell out of the primary to aerate. Wondering if the combination of good year and lots of O2 gave it a good kick start!

 

[Bilsch]

Just curious why you didn’t use a Kölsch yeast in your Kölsch?

 

[Monmouth00]

Just curious why you didn’t use a Kölsch yeast in your Kölsch?

Wyeast 1007 has Kolsch listed as a style acceptable to the yeast:

https://wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/german-ale

What would you have used specifically?

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

2565 is their Kolsch strain but what you used will work. You can use the 2565 next time and compare to see which you prefer.

Just be aware that if your ambient temps are around 70 that doesn't necessarily mean that that's the temp of your fermentation. Its not unheard of for it to jump 10+ degrees inside your fermenter. Just something to keep in mind

 

[kh54s10]

Also the size of the krausen has no bearing on the quality of the beer. Each brew will be different. Even with the same yeast. There are too many variables to account for. A beer with almost no krausen may turn out better than one that blows dramatically.

And unless you always have a lot of headspace in your fermenter, start every batch with a blow off tube....

 

[Smellyglove]

A big Krausen is always nice to see, and interesting how it evolves and just lives its own life. There's a tonne lot of gunk in that Krausen so it doesn't look to appetizing to harvest, but I find it interesting that one can harvest, wait two hours, harvest again, and next day it's all gone, just as fast as it appeared.

 

[Monmouth00]

Also the size of the krausen has no bearing on the quality of the beer. Each brew will be different. Even with the same yeast. There are too many variables to account for. A beer with almost no krausen may turn out better than one that blows dramatically.

And unless you always have a lot of headspace in your fermenter, start every batch with a blow off tube....

I'm fully aware that the size of the krausen has no bearing on the quality of the beer. I just thought it was interesting the way this one took off so quickly.

As you can see, I use the Big Mouth Bubbler, which has always had enough head space for the other batches I've brewed. Like I said, the only other time I've seen something take off like this was with the wheat beers I've done, and I was prepared for those with a blowoff tube.

 

[Monmouth00]

2565 is their Kolsch strain but what you used will work. You can use the 2565 next time and compare to see which you prefer.

Just be aware that if your ambient temps are around 70 that doesn't necessarily mean that that's the temp of your fermentation. Its not unheard of for it to jump 10+ degrees inside your fermenter. Just something to keep in mind

Kolsch is one of my favorite summertime recipes, so I'll definitely try and compare the 2565 next time. Thanks!

 

[Monmouth00]

A big Krausen is always nice to see, and interesting how it evolves and just lives its own life. There's a tonne lot of gunk in that Krausen so it doesn't look to appetizing to harvest, but I find it interesting that one can harvest, wait two hours, harvest again, and next day it's all gone, just as fast as it appeared.

I've never thought about harvesting the krausen - that's interesting. How do you do that?

With regard to the gunk, I used whirfloc at the end of the boil, and always find it results in a really fluffy trub. It's cool to see it churning so quickly in the fermentor, but it does leave some funk at the top and the bottom at the end of the cycle. I use the spigot at the bottom of the Big Mouth, and generally run the beer through two in-line "bouncer" filters as I fill the corny. Some still gets in, but i don't care too much about cloudy beer, and anyone who complains gets marked off my list for the next batch.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

I just did the 2565 and its great. Unfortunately its almost gone

 

[Smellyglove]

I've never thought about harvesting the krausen - that's interesting. How do you do that?

With regard to the gunk, I used whirfloc at the end of the boil, and always find it results in a really fluffy trub. It's cool to see it churning so quickly in the fermentor, but it does leave some funk at the top and the bottom at the end of the cycle. I use the spigot at the bottom of the Big Mouth, and generally run the beer through two in-line "bouncer" filters as I fill the corny. Some still gets in, but i don't care too much about cloudy beer, and anyone who complains gets marked off my list for the next batch.

Just google "top cropping". You just skim of the "correct" portion of the yeast which is headed for the lid.

 

[Monmouth00]

Quick update, as expected, the krausen went as quickly as it came. Seemed to fall overnight.

I gave it a handful of extra days in the primary just to be sure the yeast petered out, before putting it in the corny. Exactly 2 weeks after I pitched.

As with most of my brews, it looked darker than I wanted in the primary, despite late-boil DME additions. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the straw-colored liquid passing through the tube when racking into the keg.

I'll keep you updated. Hoping I didn't screw it up with a briefly elevated steeping temperature and the 1007 Wyeast. Fingers crossed it still tastes like a Kolsch!