So I just put down a brew about 5 days ago (Pilsner) and when I checked on it today it had already stopped bubbling. I went to check the SG and when I lifted the lid, noticed this browny orange stuff floating on the beer... the SG reading shows that it’s about where it should be, post fermentation. Just unsure about substance on the surface. Any help appreciated.
Bacterial infection??
- Thread starter AItchpea
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Looks like normal (foamy) krausen to me. It's still fermenting!
The orangey patches are probably from drips from the lid, causing some discoloration. Everything looks fine!
Next time leave the lid in place, and peek through the airlock hole.
The orangey patches are probably from drips from the lid, causing some discoloration. Everything looks fine!
Next time leave the lid in place, and peek through the airlock hole.
i thought that krausen sediment on the sides looked kinda low......only an ich of rise? if that....but yeah that's what a ferment looks like when it's almost done....(just normally there'd be that brown stuff up the entire sides, and on the bottom of the lid!
)edit: sorry didn't see it was a pilsner!
Yeah, only reason I opened it was to take a sample for gravity reading. confused by the lack of bubbling too though...Looks like normal (foamy) krausen to me. It's still fermenting!
The orangey patches are probably from drips from the lid, causing some discoloration. Everything looks fine!
Next time leave the lid in place, and peek through the airlock hole.
I thought so too! Last brew I used an extra bunch of malt extract and had heaps! All over the walls and lid, this time, I swapped the malt for dextrose hoping to lighten things up a bit and it seems to have reacted super differently...i thought that krausen sediment on the sides looked kinda low......only an ich of rise? if that....but yeah that's what a ferment looks like when it's almost done....(just normally there'd be that brown stuff up the entire sides, and on the bottom of the lid!
edit: sorry didn't see it was a pilsner!
There are two things to consider here. First off is that the volume of CO2 produced at this point in the ferment is low and it only takes a little leak for the CO2 to escape without making bubbles in the airlock. The second is that the yeast only produce CO2 in the early stages of fermentation and your beer may be past that stage.
Every fermentation is different. In this case you swapped dextrose for the malt. The malt extract has compounds that form a krausen and you added more than the recipe called for which then creates more krausen. Dextrose does not make krausen if used alone.
Fermentation temperature also plays a role in krausen production as cooler ferments are slower. You may have had cooler temps for this last beer.
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