Massive Floating Yeast Cake

[Danam404]

Ever seen anything like this?

Low gravity blonde pitched on a Nottingham cake about 48 hour ago. Woke up this morning after no activity yesterday and saw this interesting situation.

 

[jcam91]

Gotta blow off tube on that right? Thats a vigorous fermentation.

 

[Danam404]

Yep big ol blowoff. Never seen a cake that big sitting on top. It's probably 3 inches thick and almost the whole diameter of the carboy

 

[mdr5322]

I have something similar happening on my belgian witbier. used belgian yeast from wyeast. never seen anything like it before. its not that big but its about a half inch. my thoughts would be that I pitched a pretty big starter and the yeasties didnt have a chance to flocculate to clear that top part since there was so much action underneath it?

 

[BigFloyd]

Unless you took out 2/3 to 3/4 or so of the yeast cake before placing a low-gravity wort on it, you probably way over-pitched. A big honkin full-size cake of Notty could likely handle an imperial stout.

Hope you have a blow-off tube on it and knock the temp down to about 60*F. Notty doesn't mind cooler temps (I've used it at 55*F with good activity), but is known to give off some yuckiness above 70*F.

 

[210_MMBrew]

I have something similar happening on my belgian witbier. used belgian yeast from wyeast. never seen anything like it before. its not that big but its about a half inch. my thoughts would be that I pitched a pretty big starter and the yeasties didnt have a chance to flocculate to clear that top part since there was so much action underneath it?

Same thing on my belgian wit from wyeast. How's your airlock?

 

[Danam404]

So today the whole thing is broken up and fermenting like crazy. There's a bit of wheat in the blonde, seems like every time I brew with wheat I get vigorous fermentation.

I am of the school of thought that over-pitching is crap. It's a made up idea that some guy on here started pontificating on this forum or one like it, and eventually it became law. I pitch on full cakes all the time, haven't made a bad beer out of it yet.

The second batch I brewed right next to it, for example, was pitched on a full cake of s-04, and it's been quite tame. No blowoff tube needed.

 

[Danam404]

Here's what it looks like today

 

[mdr5322]

Same thing on my belgian wit from wyeast. How's your airlock?

I had a case one time where I had brewed a wheat beer and had my bucket fermenter lid completely blow off. I dont think the airlock could keep up w the pace of the fermentation, since then i've been using a blowoff tube. both of those wheat beers have had VERY vigorous fermentations. the blow off in this last beer I mentioned was explosive almost.