No Krausen?!

[HarvardSquareHomey]

Well, I brewed a dortmunder brown by brewer's best. Everything went well. Although pouring and straining into the primary was a bit tricky because I did it solo. My girlfriend usually helps me out. I got good activity in the airlock for a couple of days after putting into the primary.

Today, I was going to bottle my winter that is in the secondary and put the dortmunder into the secondary. I cracked it open to check it out and there was barely any krausen blowup on the top or the sides of the primary. There is one thin ring just around the top level of the liquid.

Is something wrong? If there was plenty of activity in the airlock, then I should be fine right? It has been in the primary for 2 weeks. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Revvy]

Always use your hydrometer to double check fermentation. Airlock activity and lack of a Krausen is really no sign of complete fermentation....It may have already fallen...Or fermentation is stalled.

I brewed a modified version of the BB Dortmunder kit a month ago and if I recall there wasn't much of a Krausen ring around it after it fell...But there was a heck of a Trub in the bottom of it.

But that might have been a result of the fact that I had added a couple ounces of Orange peel and fresh ginger to the boil.

You're the only other person beside's me who I have heard has brewed the BB Dortmunder!

Cool!

 

[HarvardSquareHomey]

Yeah, I'll check the hydrometer today. What was your fg on your dort? We just sort of picked up this kit randomly. I'm not even familiar with the style. But I'm definitely looking forward to trying it out, provided it works out.

 

[Revvy]

I can't recall, 'cause I'm at work and don't have the sheet in front of me. But I believe I was around the target. I do recall (cause it was on my sigline) that the abv came out about 6.12%

Besides the orangepeel and ginger there was about a half cup of boiled fresh squeezed orange juice added to the secondary.

I just bottled it on Friday, so I got a few weeks before I'll know anything about taste.

I wasn't too familiar with the style either..I was at my LHBS trying to figure out something that wasn't a wheat that I could do orange, clove and ginger in, and the guy there thought the Dortmunder would work well...

Everything I've tasted of it so far...secondary and bottling tasted great.