AHS Hoegaarden Clone - No Krausen??

[middleofnowhere]

I brewed my AHS Extract Hoegaarden Clone last Thursday, and I worried that it wasn't fermenting, because there was very little Krausen, and no airlock activity.

My OG was approximately 1.055. I took a gravity reading today and it was around 1.020 which is close to the final expected gravity and it tasted great!

Every other beer I ever brewed had lots of visible airlock activity, and lots of Krausen. Is this characteristic of the Safale S-58 Yeast? Or did it just happen so fast I missed it over the weekend?

The sample I took today tasted good enough that I wanted to drink it all. I can not buy good wheat beers here in this town and I love them so much.

Man I can't wait to get this in the Keg and drink it all on Halloween.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Before I had any temp control, I had a beer do pretty much the same thing. It didn't really seem to start and when I checked again a day or two later it was still chillin' with just a little head. I gave it a few days and the head just went away. I tested and it was done. I asked the LHBS guys about it and when I told him it was fermenting around 80-82 deg, he said it probably happened so fast I just missed it.

I don't know if you had a starter; but if you overpitched, that could also speed the process. Was there alot of trub at the bottom of the carboy? Even if you missed the process, there would still be a yeast cake at the bottom.

 

[middleofnowhere]

It is in my bucket, so I can't tell. I used a dry yeast, no starter. My temps were actually pretty low around 62-68 degrees.

It is just the first time this happened to me, and with a wheat beet I was expecting something explosive...lol

But it tasted phenomenal, If I drank it all now without carbing it, it would be my tastiest beer ever. (I hope it stays that way!)

 

[DizzyPants]

I brewed the same thing and we had similar experiences. This is for a friend coming to town and Hoegaarden is his favorite favorite beer. He rememebers making beer in his dorm room and it turning out terrible, so this is my chance to shine as a brewer.

Mine took a few days to take off, bubbled for a day and a half (nothing fierce) and when I put it in to secondary per the instructions there was very little krausen.

When I bottled I had two bottles of it uncarbed and it was terrific. Smell and taste I believe will be spot on. It will be in the bottle five weeks by the time he gets here. Should be good.

~Diz

 

[middleofnowhere]

I drank two whole hydrometers samples, when I took the sample before I kegged it...I hope it at least tastes that good coming out of the keg....mmmmm

 

[Revvy]

I brewed my AHS Extract Hoegaarden Clone last Thursday, and I worried that it wasn't fermenting, because there was very little Krausen, and no airlock activity.

My OG was approximately 1.055. I took a gravity reading today and it was around 1.020 which is close to the final expected gravity and it tasted great!

Every other beer I ever brewed had lots of visible airlock activity, and lots of Krausen. Is this characteristic of the Safale S-58 Yeast? Or did it just happen so fast I missed it over the weekend?

The sample I took today tasted good enough that I wanted to drink it all. I can not buy good wheat beers here in this town and I love them so much.

Man I can't wait to get this in the Keg and drink it all on Halloween.

Guess you may be finally realizing that every fermentation is different, AND using anything other than a hydrometer reading to gauge fermentation doesn't work 100% of the time. That krausens come and go, and sometimes airlocks just don't bubble, so whether they do or not is really irrevelant.

More than likely your krazuen came and fell over the course of a period where you weren't focussed on it, like while you were asleep or at work...and your airlock didn't bubble because there was a leak (no big deal) or there wasn't enough EXCESS co2 to vent off (which is the SOLE purpose of an airlock NOT a gauge) or your airlcok bubbling fine at the same time your krausen came an went, and the brunt of fermentation occurred or all of the above.

There's a reason why I say over and over that fermentation is not always dynamic, and you just proved it.