Brown residue on top of foam

[George7]

Hello! I'm new here, and new to brewing; I started my first brew yesterday. I just have a quick question about a brown residue I've had develop on top of my foam. From my preliminary research, it appears to be 'brown kraeusen', but I just wanted to make sure this is normal, seeing that it's only been fermenting for roughly 24 hours at the time of this post. It looks to me like the foam rose a fair bit during the day and then dropped down (I'd estimate that there's about an inch of foam at the moment, maybe a little more). The current temperature of the brew is 23C and its current location is an airing cupboard which never really drops below 20, and the hottest I saw it go was 25. My main worry is that I've killed the yeast!

Thanks

George

 

[neosapien]

normal

just dried up crud from fermentation.

 

[stratslinger]

Those temps are probably a bit on the high side - not enough to kill the yeast, cetainly, but you might get some slightly fruity esters in the beer.

One question though - why is your spoon / mash paddle still in your fermenter?

 

[Mojzis]

Hello! I'm new here, and new to brewing; I started my first brew yesterday. I just have a quick question about a brown residue I've had develop on top of my foam. From my preliminary research, it appears to be 'brown kraeusen', but I just wanted to make sure this is normal, seeing that it's only been fermenting for roughly 24 hours at the time of this post. It looks to me like the foam rose a fair bit during the day and then dropped down (I'd estimate that there's about an inch of foam at the moment, maybe a little more). The current temperature of the brew is 23C and its current location is an airing cupboard which never really drops below 20, and the hottest I saw it go was 25. My main worry is that I've killed the yeast!

Thanks

George

Normal.

Those temps are probably a bit on the high side - not enough to kill the yeast, cetainly, but you might get some slightly fruity esters in the beer.

One question though - why is your spoon / mash paddle still in your fermenter?

^+1

 

[George7]

Thanks - I'll not worry about the residue now I know it's normal, although I am now slightly concerned that the cupboard is a bit too warm. The instructions on my kit said ferment at 22-25C, so I'm at the upper end of that really.

I left the spoon in, as the thermometer (also still in there) often slides and gets fully submerged in the liquid. Should I be keeping it utensil free during brewing? I wasn't sure, but as they were sterilised, I couldn't see the harm in it.

 

[Mojzis]

You can, but I hope you're not opening it up a lot and checking temps, moving the wort around etc.....that would be asking for an infection. After your first you will know why to fear it

 

[George7]

I've checked it twice today, once in the morning before I left for work, and once when I got home, which is when I took the picture Would I be best off dialing that down to once a day, or perhaps even less? As it's my first batch, it's hard to resist the temptation to sneak a peak. I'll try not to move the wort around too much, although I had to move it a bit earlier to retrieve the thermometer, but was careful not to disturb the surface.

 

[Mojzis]

Honestly I wouldn't check it. Keep it in a cool room and let it do its thing for ~2 weeks. You could order a fermometer (stick on thermometer) next time. They cost about 2$. They go on the outside of the fermenter and give you a temp reading of the wort.

This is important because even though the rooms temp could be 20, it could very well be fermenting at 24. Fermentation is exothermic. Most people use a temp controlled fridge or make a swamp cooler (sit fermenter in a bucket of water and occasionally add ice to get ideal temps).

 

[stratslinger]

I only asked about the spoon because there's simply no reason to have a spoon in a fermenter, ever. I understand that it was sanitized when it went in there, and that's well and good. But seeing it there made me (and probably a few others) suspect that you had plans to stir your fermenter at some point along the way. If you have such plans, or someone has advised you to do this, please take that spoon out now and forget you ever had those plans or ever heard that suggestion! There's no reason to ever stir a fermenter once fermentation has begun, and lots of very good reasons not to do so!

Now, especially if your thermometer is also in there, if you have to handle it to get a reading, you're right there creating a possible vector for infection. Close up that fermenter for a couple more weeks, try to forget it's there (we know - we all had our first couple brews too, it's tough to do!!), and let the yeast do their thing in peace and safety!

 

[George7]

My instructions say 10 days so I'll try not to check it until next week. Although I am a bit worried the cupboard is a little too warm, I think I'll leave it where it is for now and see how it turns out as it's one of the few places in the house which will have a steady temperature (heating is generally off during the day). One other small thing, should the lid on my fermentation tub be completely sealed, or left ajar? I don't have an airlock or anything, so I'm concerned it'll pop off if sealed.

I will try to forget the utensils are there, and not touch them

 

[Mojzis]

An airlock would be key.....

I guess leave the lid on loose. Not ajar and not closed. Or rig up an airlock with a pen, a small hose and a jug of water.

 

[George7]

Thanks again for your help, everyone. The beer came out very nicely and is now nearly all gone