Krausen-Poker II: This Time, It's Personal

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

So I'm-a trying to guide my room mate through his first brew, which is a copy of my Hun-Y Wheat Ale (but using some DME, and less honey).

Of course, now that it's not my brew, things are happening which I am useless to explain.

For the situation, I refer people generally to the "Should I poke the krausen" thread, for that's approximately what we're going through:

Brewed the wheat beer approximately last Sunday (in a 6.5 gal Carboy!)

Exchanged blowoff tube for airlock around Wednesday

Temps around 72 fairly consistently

Big krausen has risen and come down, but it is still about an inch or so, and it has this kind of dried-out darker look to it. Airlock activity has stopped.

Will it fall? Has it somehow crystallized/hardened? Is that possible?

And- if I need to get rid of it, how do I do so from a carboy?

Argh... whatev, I'm not worried yet... just don't want to look bad in front of my devoted pupil...

 

[edost]

I've had the same thing on my last 2 beers. The last one was Cheesefood's Vanilla Cream Ale & this one is a Golden Ale.

I brewed the vanilla cream ale on a sunday and was going to rack it to the secondary on the following sunday before I left for a week long training trip. The krausen was still there and I wanted to let it fall on its own, so I left it. When I got back from my trip, it had fallen & I racked it to the secondary.

Now with this golden ale I was going to rack it to the secondary yesterday (again, 1 week after brewing), but again the krausen has not dropped. At least this time I'll get to see when it drops. I'm hoping for mid week, but if I have to wait until next weekend, so be it.

 

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

But I don't have to worry that it has somehow hardened into some kind of shell, right? I mean, it'll fall eventually?

 

[edost]

I haven't had a krausen that hasn't fallen on its own yet. Some have taken longer than others, but they have fallen. :knock on wood:

I'll keep you posted if it doesn't fall by this weekend.

 

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

So it wound up not being a krausen so much as kind of a filmy cover- no big deal, it still smells and tastes okay (the beer, that is, not the film).

I racked it to secondary, and it's clearing a bit, though there area few bubbles. I thought it was done fermenting, as it was at 1.010, but maybe it wasn't? Anyway, no worries- I'll let it go, bottle it, and see what happens. I have a feeling it's a very low alcohol brew anyway. It may not even crack 4 % (which is making it taste kind of watery, sadly).

 

[D*Bo]

What woulld be the issue of racking to secondary before the krausen falls?

 

[user 4295]

What woulld be the issue of racking to secondary before the krausen falls?

If the krausen hasn't fallen, that is an indication that the primary fermentation has not yet completed. Racking the beer off the yeast cake before primary fermentation has completed can lead to a stuck fermentation.

John

 

[Desert_Sky]

If the krausen hasn't fallen, that is an indication that the primary fermentation has not yet completed. Racking the beer off the yeast cake before primary fermentation has completed can lead to a stuck fermentation.

John

It can, but I havent run into that problem yet. I like to rack to the secondary before fermentation is completely finished. THat way the beer is quick to form a nice layer of CO2 over top of itself and push the O2 out. There is still plenty of yeast in suspension.

Most of the time I will normally see small signs of fermentation kick up again in the secondary. You know, those little bubble patches that form around the edges. This method has done me well so far, and it keeps me from worrying about oxidation since I secondary in a 6.5

 

[user 4295]

That is a valid reason to rack early to the secondary Chimone, especially using a 6.5 to secondary in. Lots of head space there, and the still active ferment purging out the O2 would make me feel better too.

Since I made the switch to Better-Bottles, and thus, oxygen free racking, I don't worry about oxidizing my beer during the transfer, or having O2 in the head space of my secondary. The CO2 produced during the primary is used to purge the air out of the secondary. See diagram below.

John

 

[D*Bo]

Thanks John.
Hadn't really thought about that. I would have thought there would have been enough yeast still in suspention. But I suppose I also stir up a little bit dragging the fermentor upstairs (don't want to risk getting mold spores in the beer transfering in the basement, it isn't out of controll down there, just less risk upstairs)

That better bottle set up looks pretty nifty. Altho I think I'll stick with my glass carboys.

Chimone, you could think about settting something up with a small co2 tank to purgee the carboy before hand. I have purged carboys for my wine by just opening the valve on the tank. But if what you are doing works, why change it?

 

[edost]

It took 2 weeks again, but the krausen fell and I racked to the secondary on Sunday.

 

[Desert_Sky]

Chimone, you could think about settting something up with a small co2 tank to purgee the carboy before hand. I have purged carboys for my wine by just opening the valve on the tank. But if what you are doing works, why change it?

Ive actually been thinking about that today. I have a APA in the secondary with 1.5 ozs of hops in there. Im going to need a tertiary for htis one being that I have hops all over the place. On the top, on the bottom...etc etc

Anyways, fermentation is finally complete, so I may release some CO2 from the beer when racking but Id like more in the tertiary just becasue....

Now....Im hoping I can just cut some of the spare tubing I have and get enough CO2 in there that way. I hope I dont end up wasting too much, CO2 is expensive. Keeping my fingers crossed.