What the crap!?! Jelly like yeast cake

[BA_from_GA]

A few brews recently I've gotten an odd off taste, can't quite place it. And the yeast cakes are lumpy and congealled. Thought it was bad washed S04, but uli just got the same thing with US05 that I know was good. Cause I used it for 2 brews and one was fine.

I've been very particular in my sanitizing. Can't figure this out. Will try to post a pic of the cake tomorrow. Has an overly alcoholic aroma And is a little dryer than I'd expected.

 

[Germelli1]

That sounds like many yeast cakes I have experienced...random! Do you have good fermentation temperature control?

 

[passedpawn]

Yeast cakes always look crazy.

Sounds like you might be fermenting too warm.

 

[rico567]

I just racked a batch of Founders Breakfast Stout (see Recipes section) on Wednesday, and the yeast cake fits that description. This was pitched with two packets of S-04. It was thicker than any trub I've ever had in a batch, no matter how big the beer, and it was kinda.....jelly-like. Of course, there was chocolate, coffee, and whatever made it through as solids from the fermentables (which include 22 oz. of flaked oats)......they don't call it "breakfast" stout for nothing. I usually run some hot water in the bucket to loosen the cake up before dumping it on the compost heap, but this time that wasn't enough. Even after dumping, I had to take the hose and rinse the bucket out.

 

[Revvy]

How a yeast cake looks is really have no bearing on the taste of the beer. Look for other issues. Like someone else said, how a yeast cake looks is pretty much a random factor. Most of the time it looks like diarrhea to me.