Krausen not dropping?

[Bobb25]

In past all extract brews, the krausen which formed, dropped to the bottom of the fermenter, when the yeast was done with its work. My most recent effort is my first partial grain, a NB Speckeled Heifer, which is an ale. Brewed 13 days ago, with a yeast starter, the fermentation started off very vigorously, and needed a blow off tube. It slowed down and I switched to a conventional air lock before leaving town for 9 days. It has been fermenting in the proper temps, and I fully expected to arrive home to a beer ready to be racked into a secondary for a week. However, although there is no air lock activity, there is still a very thick layer of krausen in the space above the 5 gallons of beer in a 6 gallon fermentor.
Questions: (1) Will this eventually drop, and should I just be more patient? (2) Should I rack it to a secondary now, avoiding the floating krausen? (3) Should I leave it set for a week, and then bottle it directly from the primary?
Thank you for sharing the wisdom of your experience !
Bob

 

[solbes]

I would say it will eventually drop. I've had that happen on 2 batches of Kolsch, and racked it over to secondary anyway.

With a low ABV beer like speckled heifer, I would assume you could bottle directly after 3 weeks. If its not clear try to chill it down for a day or two. and then bottle Or if you still want to secondary, a few days is all you would need to clear it.

 

[Gavin C]

Just wait. Don't bother with secondary and bottle when you have determined that fermentation is complete. Sounds like fermentation is still proceeding.

I'm relatively new to brewing and have been doing it for about a year with about 10 batches now. It is much harder to be patient in the beginning as there is no pipeline of brews at various stages.

Brew another batch and leave the other one undisturbed for however long it takes for the krausen to drop and then wait some more. (I don't think it drops to the bottom. That is trub at the bottom which is a separate entity containing yeast, break material, particulate matter etc.

NB have some great recipes. I started out with some of their kits.

 

[eric19312]

Give it a gentle shake and see if that last bit of krausen drops.

You didnt mention which yeast you used, but I guess not the recommended US05. Some yeasts seem to take longer to drop the last of the krausen, but if the beer has gone relatively clear under the krausen it is probably done.

 

[Bobb25]

Thanks for the suggestions , eric19312, Gavin C, and Solbes ! What I thought was krausen, was actually the dried remnants of the krausen, which had deposited on the inside neck of the 6 gallon fermenter, above the 5 gallons of beer. It is now transferred to a secondary, and resting comfortably in the Brewer Heights Brewery.

 

[Gavin C]

Great stuff. Glad to hear your beer is well. IMHO you should read some of the threads on secondary vessels usage. Pros and cons rationale etc. might save you some work in the future if you come to the same conclusion as I did.

 

[Bobb25]

Thanks Gavin. I've considered that, but since I am bottling for now, I wanted to give the beer every chance to clear up When I change to kegs next year, I might try to skip the secondary as an experiment.
Bob

 

[Gavin C]

Thanks Gavin. I've considered that, but since I am bottling for now, I wanted to give the beer every chance to clear up When I change to kegs next year, I might try to skip the secondary as an experiment.
Bob

No worries. Give it a try