Lots of Krausen but NO drop in OG

[mjc279]

Hi All,

I brewed up a batch of pale ale 9 days ago. I live in Delhi so its ridiculously hot and I just got a chest freezer hooked up with a temperature controller to control the fermentation temp. This was the first time that I used it and the temperature ended up around 60 F for the first few days. After 3 days of no activity, I realized that my thermometer was off and I bumped it up to 70 F. Since then, it has been fermenting like crazy, but I've checked the gravity a few times and it hasn't dropped at all from the 1.044 I pitched it at. The top of the beer is covered in krausen and I'm not sure why the gravity readings aren't dropping. I pitched US-5 yeast dry with no starter.

Any thoughts? Should I pitch another yeast?

Thanks!

 

[Shooter]

How are you measuring your gravity?

 

[Homercidal]

You have Krausen. Therefore you have fermentation. Therefore you have alcohol being made. Therefore your gravity IS going to go down.

You might not have enough loss in gravity to be able to measure, or something (such as bubbles) is affecting the hydrometer. Or you are not taking current temperature into account. Or your OG reading didn't take temperature into account.

Or something.

But you are making beer.

Shake up the sample and get all of the bubbles out. Take a known good temperature reading. Measure sample and adjust for temperature.

 

[JRems]

Fermentation can be funny sometimes. I had a saison with krausen and crazy activity inside swirling around, but took weeks just to drop a couple gravity points on the hydrometer. Don't worry just give it more time

 

[duboman]

The beer has really only been fermenting for 6 days now since the first three were lag time, just leave the beer alone for another 10 days and quit sticking things in it or you will then be posting "help I have an infection" thread. In ten days take a gravity reading and then in two more days take another, if the two readings are the same the beer is done fermenting. Relax, the yeast know how to make beer and do not need your help

 

[mjc279]

Thanks all for the tips. It has never happened before so I was a bit concerned but will just sit tight and be patient.

 

[tre9er]

I just had a beer that had krausen still after 10 days, so finally I said screw it and moved it down to the basement. When I moved it, the krausen fell off. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.010, pretty low. I plan to take one the next few days and if stable, it's done.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

You might not have enough loss in gravity to be able to measure, or something (such as bubbles) is affecting the hydrometer. Or you are not taking current temperature into account. Or your OG reading didn't take temperature into account.

I have to say that that could very well be the case. When I take a reading from a visibly active beer, I let the sample sit and degas for some time before taking the reading. Those bubbles will float the hydro and give you an erroneous reading if you don't degas the sample.