Really thick krausen (?) on top after weeks of primary

[bubbas45]

Howdy, folks. I’ve brewed off and on for years, first with extract kits and the last couple of years all-grain with a Spike Solo 10 gal. Still a beginner.

I recently brewed a Founders Breakfast Stout clone using a recipe from Jasper’s Homebrew here in NH. Brew day was 6/4. I’ve had the beer in primary fermentation since then. I used Safale US-05. Temps have been 66-68 deg most of that time, the last week at 69-70.

I checked the SG on 6/12 and saw a really thick, sludgy cake on top of the beer. I searched posts on HBT and found some that seemed to indicate this something that happens sometimes, don’t worry.

I just checked the beer again and man, that is a thick cake. I sanitized a steel spatula and lifted most of it out. I sanitized a long spoon and probed the bucket and noted about 1.5" of stuff on the bottom of the bucket.

The SG is now 1.022, which is fine.

Questions:
1. What the actual heck? I've never seen this in my own brewing experience. Any ideas what could have led to this?
2. What now? Is this okay/salvageable? Should I rack the remaining beer to another bucket and let it sit a while (it's pretty murky), then bottle as usual?

Thanks for any help, bws

BTW, I have struggled with the Spike Solo 10 gal. I know lots of brewers just love all kinds of beer. They'd brew with grasshopper knees if they could collect enough. Not me. I am only interested in porters and stouts, and really prefer RIS. These have big grain bills. The 10 gallon brewer is not meant for 5 or 6 gallons of a heavy brew, which I did not understand before I bought it. To brew the stouts, I have to break the recipe up into two batches, then combine the wort for fermentation.

 

[hottpeper13]

Do you use whirlflok,and how long do you let the wort settle before racking to fermenter? I use a CFC and whirlpool to cold break (70*) or colder,let sit long time,sometimes overnite, then rack clear wort . When I use certain yeasts that happens and i give the FV a gentle swirl and it'll sink

 

[bubbas45]

Thanks. I did not use whirlfloc. I cooled the wort with a CFC directly into the fermenter. Temp was a bit high, so I packed some ice bottles around the bucket, surrounded with R15 insulation, until it hit 70 deg, then pitched the yeast because the “ideal” temps for that yeast are 59-71. Wort was 65 deg by the next morning.

Would cold-crashing be useful at this point? I’ve never needed to do so in the past, but I tend to leave beer in the fermenter quite a long time. I do have an empty kegerator I could put the bucket in. I’m not going to keg the beer; prefer bottling.

I tasted the beer last night and I think it will be good after bottle conditioning for a few months.

 

[hottpeper13]

I leave my RIS's in primary for 4-6 weeks with very good results. After I take it to the finishing temp(I do step fermentations) for 3 days i let it go to ambient (around 60-64) for 2 or so weeks. I can't cold crash in FV only keg.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

I get almost all all my supplies from Jeff at Jaspers, I've brewed most of his stouts, does the recipe you used have bakers chocolate, the reason I ask is because if so, the chocolate leaves a thick layer of butter fat behind, easily mistaken for Krausen.

 

[bubbas45]

Yes, 24 oz of Baker’s chocolate. That’s interesting, I never would have thought about that. Thx, bws.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

It's a messy recipe, you will have some in your secondary as well, but worth it in the end, I've made a half dozen of various chocolate stouts, the Founders clone is my favorite, I used Jonny Walker Red for my burbon infusion... the brew hits its stride about 6 months after brewing..