Fun pictures of an alien growth

[brewmcq]

It was suggested this might be an acetobacter infection and after popping the airlock cap off to give it a sniff, I got a face full of vinegar-y smell... not being super happy about the prospect of losing a batch, I ran some errands, came home and sniffed it again... zero vinegar-y smell. In fact, it smells pretty darn good.

This floating, almost pulsating, mass started out looking like a big ol' dumpling sitting in my carboy. Slowly, it has been breaking apart and sinking.

This is my first time brewing in a carboy. I normally brew, bucket, then test gravity after a couple weeks. I've never actually watched a "live" fermentation process before. None of my google searching has provided me with pictures that look even remotely like this, except for "kombucha".

This is a "light ale" recipe kit from MoreBeer.com. 8lbs 2-row, 8oz of Crystal 15L. Cascade hops and California Ale yeast. Brewed this yesterday.

This massive dumpling alien thing formed almost immediately, sitting at the top. Since this morning (especially tonight, since I've been moving the carboy around), the alien mass has started breaking up and sinking.

Like I said.. this is my first time brewing in a carboy. If this is even remotely normal-ish, a little reassurance would be nice.

But since it smells normal-ish, I'm going to let it ride and see what happens. I thought it would be nice to share some pictures in case other newbies run into the same thing.

Cheers!

 

[Brewham]

Yeast

 

[GuldTuborg]

Yeast

Alien yeast.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

100%, absolutely, unequivocally yeast.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

^^ what he said.

 

[Revvy]

I think you're fear got the best of you. I've seen krausens like that in Belgian beers. I don't think you have acetobactor, or any infection and I suspect that the "vinegar" smell is not vinegar, but the smell of co2, which many noobs don't realize smells sour, and they start panicky threads.

I've seen all manner of ugly assed krausens in my day, and they all were normal. Some look like ears, some like brains.

Aecetobactor and lactobasillius don't grow krausens, they develop pellicules- skins on the surface.

What you posted is yeast like others have said.

You've admitted it yourself, you haven't seen many krausens since you rarely brew in a clear vessel.

I'd relax if I were you, and taste it AFTER fermentation is complete....

 

[Revvy]

I think whay you captured is a krausen falling to the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[Boleslaus]

I can't help with the question. Others seem to have a pretty good idea that it is just yeast. I would listen to Revvy. But it does look pretty cool.

 

[cgondoli1]

All i have to say is HAHAHA.. sorry, actually seeing a ferm is cool and crazy to watch.. I started in a glass carboy and now i ferm in buckets in a fridge so i really miss this sort of pic.

Sorry after i realized that i didnt contribute anything i decided to add that its ok and the beer will b awesome!

 

[BrewForMe]

I am glad i saw this as I will be fermenting in a glass carboy for the first time this weekend. I definitely would freak if I saw this happening but now I know it is normal.

 

[Snowhere]

No its ruined! Just bottle or keg and ship to me to mointor how bad it actually is..............................................................................

 

[Clayton]

i have brewed 100s of batches all in glass carboys and thats the crazyest thing i have ever seen, i dont care what these guys say, you beer may be "ok" but it this happons to you on a regular basics , you really need to find out why. it looks like some huge cheese curd.

are you a swerler? i shake and swerle my carboys nearly every day during fermentation, i think it helps , gets the krausen off the sides before it becomes concreat , and gets the trubs off then sides, gets "extra" co2 and other unwanted gas out of the beer makeing for a healthyer fermentation and helps to form the bottom layers with the yeast on top and the trub on bottom , for easy collection.

and aparently it breakes up crazy mother brain curds

 

[Steve973]

Which yeast did you use? That isn't krausen since krausen is the nasty foam that sits on top of your fermenting beer, but it might be a yeast cake from a flocculant strain.

 

[Clayton]

by the way most all lacto infection will show no signs at all.
in the last week december i brewed up 10 gal of kolsch and 10 gal of dry stout for "st pattys day"
i when on vaction all of febuary to mexico and just before i left, a racked all that beer and moved it to cool room in the back of the house.
my sister did the house sitting. my sweet little niece found the cool looking carboys and pulled all the airlocks off.

when i got home the beer looked so nice, the kolsh was crystal clear and the stout was black as night but not cloudy. i was horrifided at the site.

the beer was totaly F-ed. it was super sour sour sour! and under the lactic acid you could tell the beers would have been so good.

i saved them for 2 more months and then dumped most of it. they both were 3+ times as sour as a lindermans.
so i saved 2 gallons of the dry stout (froze it) and i am going to add it to the mash on the next dry stout i make ( rather than doing a sour mash like normal)

and i still have a carboy of the kolsh that i will try to turn in to a phlambic with some wild cheerys i picked mabe brew a new kolch and then do some blending and then add the fruit

 

[brewmcq]

I greatly appreciate everyone's input... and glad to help out a fellow New Englander taking the foray into clear ferment tanks.

Clayton... I give the fermenter a good swirl for oxidation, but that's it.. I let nature take its course after that... sorry to hear about that 20 gallons.

Steve... the yeast is Californa Ale WLP001.

Cheers and thanks again!

 

[brewmcq]

Update... as of this morning, it's almost completely broken up and settled on the bottom...

In fact, when I popped the top off the Nut Brown Ale we bottled last night, there were a few little globules (maybe marble-sized) floating in the brown that looked like tiny versions of the alien in the light ale.... and the brown tasted awesome.


Cheers!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Update... as of this morning, it's almost completely broken up and settled on the bottom...

In fact, when I popped the top off the Nut Brown Ale we bottled last night, there were a few little globules (maybe marble-sized) floating in the brown that looked like tiny versions of the alien in the light ale.... and the brown tasted awesome.


Cheers!

Gratz, sir! Glad all is well.

 

[jtakacs]

lol... i have a berliner that did that. my son said it looked like icebergs. fermentation is fugly (well, i think its beautiful) and causes all sorts of nasty looking stuff.

 

[jtejedor]

I am sure its probably fine but from the pictures it looks almost like cottage cheese. I have seen this behavior in many English strains but not really from Chico yeast. As was stated infections take a long time to show up so I doubt its infected.

 

[PhelanKA7]

are you a swerler? i shake and swerle my carboys nearly every day during fermentation, i think it helps , gets the krausen off the sides before it becomes concreat , and gets the trubs off then sides, gets "extra" co2 and other unwanted gas out of the beer makeing for a healthyer fermentation and helps to form the bottom layers with the yeast on top and the trub on bottom , for easy collection.

and aparently it breakes up crazy mother brain curds

You really shouldn't swirl the fermentor. That krausen contains hop material and hot break. It's pretty bitter stuff. True, it will settle back to the bottom, but it's just as well out of the way of your siphon come racking/bottling day.