A watched Kraeusen never falls

[Reverend JC]

My Cheese Carmel Cream Clone fermented out in about 6 days, now day 12, and the kraeusen has not fallen. Damn it all!!!!

I want to transfer it to the secondary and get my vanilla on, and i am being forced to wait.............

 

[Evan!]

Beer is nobody's bitch (save for the yeast), and like Treebeard, it laughs at your petty impatience.

I feel your pain, though...personally, I sometimes rock the carboy gently, and it makes a lot of junk fall.

 

[Kaiser]

I don't think that it is necessary to actually let the Kraeusen fall. I base my racking on how much the beer is done and how active the fermentation still is.

A German brewing textbook, that I have been reading for a while, even states that the Krauesen should not fall through since it contains bitter hop resins and trub which can lead to a more harsh bitterness of the feer if this stuff gets back into the beer. I haven't done any eperiments to confirm that this is something the homebrewer should care about.

Kai

 

[david_42]

Personally, I'd just check the gravity if the fermentation stopped six days ago. Nothing magic about the krausen falling, it's just one of the signs along the road.

 

[Reverend JC]

Damn you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was about to engage some mindless killing of online foes in Gears of War, now I feel the Carmel cream calling........

Gotta go transfer!

 

[Drunk Munk]

There is really no reason that you have to let the kraeusen fall before you bottle your beer. If the kraeusen is allowed to fall back into the wort it will probably just give your beer a little more of a bitter bite. Another advantage of removing the kraeusen or siphoning it off before it drops is that it contains "fusel" oils. These oils contribute to that pounding feeling in your head when you've drank a bit too much the night before. In the end the difference is probably negiligble. I would just relax and do whatever feels right. Your beer will be just fine either way.

 

[Beowolf]

So do you guys just skim the Kraeusen off the top as the beer is fermenting then?