my beers dont get big krausens. why?

[fredthecat]

im working on my 34th batch of fermented alcohol now. my setup for beer has become very standard now and after reviewing some threads, i realized that i've honestly never had some extreme krausen as described by so many others. i always brace myself for a big one if i say do a higher OG beer and the krausen is always the same, about 2 inches tall. only had a blow off on my very first batch because i basically closed off the CO2 release.


is this good or bad and anyone know why?

 

[alane1]

A few factors like pitch rate and temp come to mind.

 

[fredthecat]

i forgot to also ask, does it indicate poor fermentation health? my temps are usually on the mild end of the ale strains i use (mid 60s)

 

[alane1]

do you use extract?

 

[fredthecat]

no

 

[geoffey]

This question is really difficult to answer without having some details about your process, which as you mention has become standard for you now.

What types of beers do you regularly make?
What is the starting gravity?
What yeast(s) do you use? Liquid vs. Dry and which specific strains?
Do you make a yeast starter?
Do you do any aeration of your wort prior to pitching yeast?
You say typically you ferment on the mild side, 60f, do you have temp control?
What are you fermenting in, and what size? (A 7-8gal carboy with a 5gal batch will appear to have a smaller krausen than the same batch in a 5-6gal carboy.

On the lower end of the fermentation temp range for any given yeast, I would expect to have a less vigorous fermentation (i.e. smaller krausen). That isn't a hard rule for every yeast strain though. And it isn't a bad thing. If you're consistently hitting your FG then my advice would be not to worry about the size of the krausen.

 

[Seven]

It may depend on the yeast strains. In my personal experience WLP001 always seems to have a small krausen like you described and I do use good temp. control, healthy pitch rates, etc.

 

[Xpertskir]

If you keep your temps on the low end of the spectrum it will slow the yeast down and inhibit krausen. Even at proper pitch rates. This is especially true at low-moderate OG


This is not a bad thing. I routinely make fermentation flawless beers in the 1.050 range and rarely have a blow off at 5.5 gallon of wort in a 6 gallon BB.

A general thing, you do want to ramp temp up as fermentation slows to ensure full attenuation

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I've only had one blow off as well which was from the German Wheat 3333 on an apple ale that I set next to a heater. It promptly emptied it's bowels all over my bathroom in a couple hours. I attribute this to the raised temp, lots of simple sugars from the apple cider, and the extra aeration from the cider pouring into the wort.

It's seems the German strains are the only ones that make me a tad nervous. I've had Belgian/English/American strains that act exactly like you mention, a krausen, sometimes as much as 4" of krausen but nothing insane. Generally I am over pitching when I am used dried yeast strains with lag times under 6 hours and high temps and I'd probably have to try and force a blow off by leaving almost 0 headspace.

In fact just did a 1.053 wheat ale (for a strawberry rhubarb) with wyeast 1450. Pitched a 1 liter starter into 5 gallons into 7 gallon fermenter, lag time was 2 hours and it was chugging away at 75 right now, no blow off (I was positive it was going to blow off with my first beer made with a yeast starter). If something was going to blow off, it'd be this guy.

 

[clint404]

Wyeast 1272 had the smallest and fastest krausen I've seen to date and it made the best beer I've tasted yet. Are you trying to get a big head here

 

[wildactbrewer]

I'll tell you the same thing my wife tells me, "Size really doesn't matter..." lol Couldn't resist!

I long time brewer on here told me one time that if there was krausen at all, then you'd have to really work to mess it up at that point.

 

[kirbcheck]

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. If you seem to be hitting your numbers and the beer tastes good, it can't be a big deal. I'm guessing it's your Ferm temps, possibly your choice of yeast and the amount of slurry you pitch. The only time I needed a blowoff was when I pitched a ton of 1056 with a SG at 1.112 and the closet was right around 70. There was a mess everywhere. But it's not the size of the boat that matters, just the motion of the ocean.

 

[Redmond_Fil]

I recently had a batch with a less than impressive krausen but all else was fine. I attributed it to stressed yeast (different story in another thread), moderate OG, cooler fermentation temps, and a different fermenter (6g. Better Bottle vs. 6.5 carboy).

 

[stpug]

Typical krausen formation for me is in the 1/2-2 inch range, typically right about 1" is standard for most yeast strains I use. I also pitch cool and hold fermentation temps for the duration. Fermenting on the cool side of optimal yeast range will help moderate the krausen build-up - this is a good thing in my book! There a couple strains I use that are prone to large krausen formation (wlp029 and brewferm blanche), but aside from those I'm usually seeing 0.5-2" krausens (and even less on my lagers).

In short, krausen height doesn't indicate anything other than the yeast are alive and active.

 

[hunter_le five]

Pitch an active starter of WY3068 into a batch of Edwort's apfelwein and ferment in the mid 70's. Get behind a blast shield and wait for the 'splosion.

 

[d3track]

Do you happen to use fermcap?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Pitch an active starter of WY3068 into a batch of Edwort's apfelwein and ferment in the mid 70's. Get behind a blast shield and wait for the 'splosion.

I have a feeling we could make a sport of this. I mean, they launch pumpkins from air cannons and trebuchets. Whose to say we don't build fermentation vessels that can fire beer bottles 2,000 yards?

 

[Westermans]

I have found in my brief experience in brewing that my dry pitched yeast produce a large amount of krausen. My one liquid yeast WL100 I think (it's California ale yeast) with a starter at 24 hours, aerated wort and consistent pitching temps did not produce much krausen.

 

[fredthecat]

ok, seems like it's basically temperature? i've always always been on the cooler side of anything and tend not to raise the temp too much unless its a belgian or something, just the way i do things i guess.

yeah, i've made very nice beers always, im not looking to make any effort to change it. just curious because my setup has changed in many ways and my krausens have always remained small. seems like yeast population/temp and obviously the resultant vigor of the ferm. neat

 

[hunter_le five]

ok, seems like it's basically temperature?

That is one factor, yes. But not the only one.