Primary (5 days) has brown stuff on surface

[efreem01]

Primary: AHS English Ale (Brewed Sunday)

Hey Everyone,

It's been 5 days since i brewed my first beer and put it into the fermenter. The instructions say within 5-7 days the sediment falls to the bottom and the beer can be siphoned into the secondary.

Well, the sediment has indeed fallen to the bottom (mostly), but there is a thin layer of gunk on the top of the beer. It's brown and looks almost like graham cracker pie crust. It formed a ring around the top, and there's some floating on the surface.

What is it? Is this normal sediment which will fall to the bottom by the 7th day?

Info about the brew:
I sanitized and cleansed the fermenter and all brewtools with Clorox, am using a 6.5 gallon glass carboy with about 5 1/4 gallons of beer fermenting, and the temperature is a fairly constant 70 degrees.

 

[Brewpilot]

I brewed an ale using only #7 of Maris Otter and some Fuggles, and for the first time, I had that gunk too. It is nothing to be concerned about, let me guess, you used pellet hops? Id call it hop residue from the boil, no worries, mine settled out when I racked to my secondary.

Brewpilot

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

its called krausen, try not to get it in the secondary.

 

[redpale]

Well, the sediment has indeed fallen to the bottom (mostly), but there is a thin layer of gunk on the top of the beer. It's brown and looks almost like graham cracker pie crust. It formed a ring around the top, and there's some floating on the surface.

I'm fairly new at this, but this sounds a lot like what is supposed to happen - I wouldn't worry. The stuff at the top is probably yeast (I'm assuming you're using an ale yeast - which top ferments) and leftover dried foam from the kreusen (that intial foaming you get when the fermentation really kicks in).

It will settle in time. Not sure whether it would be better to rack to the secondary until after that happens though - I'm sure some else may have more to offer.

It all sounds good so far though.

 

[Brewpilot]

Krausen is the foam, not the thin gooey layer that you are speaking of. The ring around your fermentor is hop residue and coagulated protiens that were left there when the krausen receeded. All of it can go into your secondary, it will clear, trust me on that.

Brewpilot

 

[Markusface]

I have it on pretty much every brew, it just seems to be the residual krausen that is just that little bit more stubborn that the bulk of the krausen. Nothing to worry about at all

 

[boo boo]

Seeing as you are going to secondary that sucker, just do it. Try to keep any of the krausen from going in the secondary if possible along with keeping out the yeast on the bottom of the fermenter. Sounds like you had a healthy ferment.
Congrats.

This clorox, is it a sanatizer or cleaner and is it chlorine based?

 

[Ize]

This clorox, is it a sanatizer or cleaner and is it chlorine based?

It's a standard US brand chlorine bleach.

Ize

 

[boo boo]

It's a standard US brand chlorine bleach.

Ize

I would rinse the clorox really well with very hot water a few times. I use bleach to clean with and a no rinse sanatizer to sanatize with. Bleach based cleaners can leave a taste in the finished brew if not rinsed well with hot water.

 

[Ize]

I would rinse the clorox really well with very hot water a few times. I use bleach to clean with and a no rinse sanatizer to sanatize with. Bleach based cleaners can leave a taste in the finished brew if not rinsed well with hot water.

Can you get Oxyclean up there? It's a great cleaner, but you have to rinse and rinse and keep rinsing to make sure you have it all off. Great for caked on stuff. You still have to sanitize after using it tho. Best bet I've found is to rinse your stuff as soon as you're done with it to cut down on the cleaning part. Bottles included.

Ize

 

[boo boo]

I use oxyclean to clean my kegs with but find bleach to be cheap and effective. Like I say it must be rinsed well with hot water. I use star-san to sanatize with.

 

[efreem01]

Seeing as you are going to secondary that sucker, just do it. Try to keep any of the krausen from going in the secondary if possible along with keeping out the yeast on the bottom of the fermenter. Sounds like you had a healthy ferment.
Congrats.

This clorox, is it a sanatizer or cleaner and is it chlorine based?

Clorox is chlorine based. It kills all the bacteria fairly nicely. Since it's my first batch i haven't really had to clean anything. For that, i bought powdered oxy-clean. Using them both, i hope it'll do the trick.