Krausen - no blowoff in a large bucket

[ArcLight]

I read in Brew Chem 101 that its beneficial to have the Krausen blow off, and that if its mostly reabsorbed it will negatively impact the flavor of the beer. Since I use 6.5 gallon buckets, I don't use a blow off tube.

Does this imply that buckets are not as good as carboys as primary fermenters? OR is this outdated information?

 

[BainbridgeBrewer]

I use 7.5 gallon brew craft buckets as primaries. I've had some krausens fall back into the beer, and some stay floating on top. I have never made a bad tasting beer that I would attribute to the krausen. Just my experience.

 

[Nateo]

In terms of sources of potential off-flavors, krausen is pretty low on the list for small batches. The darker brown stuff that floats on top of the krausen is the part that doesn't taste good. When I ferment in buckets, most of the brown stuff ends up sticking to the sides of the buckets. When I transfer the beer, I try not to disturb the sides too much.

 

[dancness]

When the krausen drops, a lot of that nasty brown stuff sinks into the trub anyway.

I'd agree the krausen "funk" is not a significant source of potential off flavors in your finished beer. Unless of course you intentionally siphoned the funk.