Gravity check during Fermentation

[jivy26]

So I am 4 days into the homebrewing experience and love it. It hasn't been without its learning experiences for sure, but I won't make the same mistakes twice.

That being said I have 2 carboys fermenting each around a day apart. They both have a nice yeast cake on top and I want to check the gravity, but do not want to disrupt the yeast cake on top to do so.

At what point are you checking the gravity during fermentation and then after this point I assume you are checking it daily? Also do you disrupt the layer of yeast on top to do so?

Thanks!

 

[Rockn_M]

4 days is to soon. I always wait for the top layer to start to drop before checking gravity. You probably have another 4-6 days before that starts, maybe longer depending on what you brewed. After that I check gravity after three more days to see if my gravity is stable. If it is, bottle\keg it up.

 

[mongoose33]

What you have on top is called Krausen (pronounced CROY-ZEN). Krausen is German for "the crap you get on top of your beer while it ferments." Yes, it does have yeast in it, but the yeast cake is what will form on the bottom of the fermentor when the yeast drops out of solution.

You'll typically get a couple of inches of that on top, maybe more, and it'll stay there for 2-5 days, typically. When fermentation slows the Krausen will drop, leaving an almost clean surface of the beer. Sometimes people have such active fermentation that the Krausen will blow off the airlock, creating a mess. To avoid that they will use a blowoff tube.

Here's a pic of Krausen:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43865&d=1326735353

 

[jivy26]

4 days is to soon. I always wait for the top layer to start to drop before checking gravity. You probably have another 4-6 days before that starts, maybe longer depending on what you brewed. After that I check gravity after three more days to see if my gravity is stable. If it is, bottle\keg it up.

Brewed a IPA and DIPA one using wlp001 and the other California ale v. I will wait until this crust falls like you said Cheers and thanks for the quick response!

 

[jivy26]

What you have on top is called Krausen (pronounced CROY-ZEN). Krausen is German for "the crap you get on top of your beer while it ferments." Yes, it does have yeast in it, but the yeast cake is what will form on the bottom of the fermentor when the yeast drops out of solution.

You'll typically get a couple of inches of that on top, maybe more, and it'll stay there for 2-5 days, typically. When fermentation slows the Krausen will drop, leaving an almost clean surface of the beer. Sometimes people have such active fermentation that the Krausen will blow off the airlock, creating a mess. To avoid that they will use a blowoff tube.

Here's a pic of Krausen:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43865&d=1326735353

So it does have a name! Yeah I will wait for it to drop before I test the gravity thanks for the info. And heck yes I have a blow off airlock to prevent that cheers