Krausen Dilemma...

[GHBWNY]

I'm fairly new to this. My primary is in a bucket. After 48 hours, perking has slowed and I presume a good head of krausen has formed. Meanwhile, I read that it is preferable to remove it so that it doesn't become re-absorbed by the wort and produce off-flavors. At this point, all I can do is pop the lid and using a sanitized spoon, remove it. But that apparently risks the introduction of micro-organisms that can ruin the beer.

So, do I risk the chance of off-flavors by leaving it? Or risk the chance of infection by removing it?

Just a note: I let my first bucket batch re-absorb the krausen and the beer turned out wonderful. But it was a nut brown with a lot of added flavor anyway. This is an Am. Wheat.

Thoughts, thanks.

 

[chickypad]

No - leave the beer alone, you're not going to get off flavors from the krausen. The only time I've ever heard of doing this is to harvest the yeast for future batches (top cropping).

 

[BrewerinBR]

Never heard of removing krausen? -- I do know that large breweries will top crop their krausen to get the yeast. Never removed krausen from my buckets? I would say DO NOT DO THIS

Where did you read this?

 

[HappiBrew]

You might be confusing this with the scum that forms in the top of a boil kettle. There is some debate as to whether this causes off flavors or if removing it effects head retention (personally I leave it). But I have never heard of removing krausen except to harvest yeast.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Yup, leave the krausen alone. It will not produce off flavors.

 

[Flboy]

I try to have krausin blowoff as a simple was to harvest yeast,fantastic quality and amount. Worth the pint of beer lost.

 

[GHBWNY]

Never heard of removing krausen? -- I do know that large breweries will top crop their krausen to get the yeast. Never removed krausen from my buckets? I would say DO NOT DO THIS

Where did you read this?

I read this in "Brewing Made Easy", by Joe and Dennis Fisher, 1996. Page 49, and I quote:

"In the bucket-type fermenter, the kraeusen cannot escape and eventually sinks back into the beer. This can contribute to off flavors to the homebrew. The only way to get rid of it is to open up the fermenter and scoop up the brownish foam with a sanitized spoon, but this can allow microorganisms a chance to get at you beer and spoil it."

 

[Aonghus]

The other guys are spot on with the advice of do not mess with it. This can be taken a step further: Don't mess with the beer for a while. Patience is rewarded. Garage, guest bathtub, basement or whatnot, pick a stable temp area and keep light from the beer.

 

[BrewerinBR]

Fascinating...

I disagree what the book says about "off flavors" and I am positive that you should not do this.

 

[GHBWNY]

The other guys are spot on with the advice of do not mess with it. This can be taken a step further: Don't mess with the beer for a while. Patience is rewarded. Garage, guest bathtub, basement or whatnot, pick a stable temp area and keep light from the beer.

The "patience" aspect is well-considered. I learned from my first batch that you cannot rush the process. If anything, waiting too long is preferable to hurrying things just to get it bottled.

 

[HappiBrew]

I read this in "Brewing Made Easy", by Joe and Dennis Fisher, 1996. Page 49, and I quote:

"In the bucket-type fermenter, the kraeusen cannot escape and eventually sinks back into the beer. This can contribute to off flavors to the homebrew. The only way to get rid of it is to open up the fermenter and scoop up the brownish foam with a sanitized spoon, but this can allow microorganisms a chance to get at you beer and spoil it."

That is interesting for sure. Good work on the research. I'm not at all an expert or brewing lit author, but I would probably consider this dated advice. I see the book was from 1996. I wasn't brewing back then and know nothing of those practices. I tried looking it up in my copy of "How To Brew" -John Palmer (kind of a modern brewing bible) and could find little on krausen at all...

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I read this in "Brewing Made Easy", by Joe and Dennis Fisher, 1996. Page 49, and I quote:

"In the bucket-type fermenter, the kraeusen cannot escape and eventually sinks back into the beer. This can contribute to off flavors to the homebrew. The only way to get rid of it is to open up the fermenter and scoop up the brownish foam with a sanitized spoon, but this can allow microorganisms a chance to get at you beer and spoil it."

Reading that makes me question the rest of the book. Do you have any other books to read? Palmers book is good. Some people find it too intense or intellectual. I think it is fine, but I suppose I am a bigger nerd than most.

 

[drainbamage]

I've never heard of anyone removing it. It should all settle to the bottom with the yeast cake so you can just rack over it when transferring/bottling.


Sent from my iThingy using a series of tubes.

 

[GHBWNY]

Reading that makes me question the rest of the book. Do you have any other books to read? Palmers book is good. Some people find it too intense or intellectual. I think it is fine, but I suppose I am a bigger nerd than most.

Generally speaking, the rest of the book concurs with what I have read here on HBTF from you vets, except that what I read here is naturally more comprehensive because of the number of available opinions/experiences. It was because of the otherwise very basic, almost cavalier approach they take to beginning HB-ing, that the emphasis on this one issue concerned me. Like I stated in my first post, I left the krausen in my first batch and it was a total success. I'll definitely and confidently let this ride.

Just have to say one more thing about HBTF --- when a newbie like myself asks a question which is SO basic to the experienced brewer, it is great to receive such a wide variety of positive feedback and encouragement. No one ever acts like a "know-it-all", or makes the new-brewer feel dumb for asking something, which really makes a newcomer feel welcome. Thanks.

 

[chickypad]

It could just be that the book is going on 20 yrs old as was mentioned. I see on Amazon the authors have a new version from last year. Even Palmer has corrected a number of things from his earlier versions that have proven to be inaccurate with newer information and experience.

Oh, and welcome to the obsession!

 

[GHBWNY]

This all raises one more question: is it better to ferment in a bucket and let krausen re-absorb, or ferment in a carboy and let krausen blow off?

 

[GHBWNY]

Reading that makes me question the rest of the book. Do you have any other books to read? Palmers book is good. Some people find it too intense or intellectual. I think it is fine, but I suppose I am a bigger nerd than most.

I have also been referencing a book called, "How To Make Your Own Brewskis" by Mark Murphy and Jordan St. John, 2012. It's more AG-oriented, a point at which I have not yet arrived, being new to this.

Probably as most new bewers, I have found myself more conveniently attracted to forums such as this for the new-brew info that I seek. It's quick and its Q & A format directs info directly the issue at hand. And it's fun talking with others and sharing experiences. Books are great go-to references, but they sometimes don't answer when you have a question.

 

[bdkelly]

The krausen doesn't really re-absorb, the yeast just fall out of suspension into the bottom. Whether you ferment in a bucket or carboy doesn't matter because only some of the krausen will make it out of the blowoff, so there's still some that will be left. The bucket or carboy question is a matter of personal preference. You may want to leave that alone, though, because it could start a plastic vs. glass argument that will derail this thread for good.