Once the Krausen settles, why leave it lingering on the sides of the carboy?

[fastricky]

I just brewed a strongly hopped IPA. Took off like crazy, yada yada.

Nice 2" - 3" of Krausen formed and then eventually fell. But it left an awful lot of Krausen-residue on the sides of the carboy over the wort level. And the airlock wasn't bubbling anymore, which after only 1 week seemed premature.

So! I reckon there is a lot of usable yeast in that caked on krausen... I gently whirlpooled the carboy by rocking the neck a bit and the whirlpooling wort rinsed the majority of that caked on krausen back in.

Within a little while, the airlock was bubbling again.

Anything wrong with this practice?

 

[double_e5]

Fermentation was probably done. It usually takes less than a week to fully ferment an average beer. The airlock was probably bubbling because you knocked the suspended CO2 out of the beer.

 

[Revvy]

Actually there's a lot of nasty stuff in the krausen that can lead to off flavors....and if the krausen doesn't fall naturally there is a chance that swirling the stuff that didn't fall won't flocculate normally and could possibly leave off flavors in your beer...

If you taste it you will see how nasty it can be...

Personally the stuff that sticks to the side, I try to AVOID it coming in contact with the my beer....

It may be fine, but it's not something you want to do on a regular basis. In fact in the "old days" people believe in not letting the krauzen fall at all and to scoop it off...most people nowadays subscribe to the yeast is good theory and don't go to that extreme, but the lingering stuff in on the side of your fermenter is less yeast than BYPRODUCTS of fermentation....

 

[sirsloop]

swirling knocked out the suspended CO2... idk about off flavors.. its typically a lot of hop residue in an IPA.

 

[fastricky]

Good advice.

The krausen on the sides was mostly a nice light beige color, not the greenish/brown/grey stuff that looks nasty... hopefully that makes a difference.

Let's see if I notice a difference in flavor from this batch...

 

[fastricky]

Update... 9 hours later and the airlock is bubbling every 25 seconds or so... seems like it did the trick! (Yes, normally I'd be checking the gravity, but I broke my hydrometer a couple days ago... where's that UPS truck?!?)

 

[Revvy]

I still think someone needs to make hydrometers with flat sides so they don't roll off counter tops and stuff...

But then if they made hydrometers that didn't break and lasted forever...then it would put the elves that make them out of business...

 

[Wables]

Last time I bought a (read "another) hydrometer, I asked my LHBS if they would consider selling hydrometer insurance policies or giving unconditional warranties. It was worth a chuckle from the owner.

 

[fastricky]

I wish that's how I broke it... I keep mine typically in the test cylinder and when I went to put it back in to store it I just carelessly dropped it in. Note: that glass on the bottom is very thin.

 

[chillHayze]

Odds are fermentation activity increased from rousing the yeast on the bottom moreso than the sides. That would have just happened when transferring to secondary.

Noting really separates the stuff on the sides from the stuff in the bottom. Same stuff, it was just unlucky, happened to be near the edge and surface tension worked it's magic.

 

[PseudoChef]

Actually there's a lot of nasty stuff in the krausen that can lead to off flavors....and if the krausen doesn't fall naturally there is a chance that swirling the stuff that didn't fall won't flocculate normally and could possibly leave off flavors in your beer...

Lots of brewers use the krausen to repitch with absolutely no off flavors.

 

[Revvy]

Lots of brewers use the krausen to repitch with absolutely no off flavors.

But we're not really talking about the krauzen....the krauzen has fallen..we're talking about the stuff that stuck to the side and didn't fall NATURALLY with the krauzen...and in doing so lost contact with the beer...,especially since the bucket was opened and that stuff came in contact with the air, and just sitting there may even have autolyzed a bit...Like the goop from a big fermentation in the upper reaches of the carboy when there's a blowoff and the krauzen falls...it's oils, protiens, hop gunk...and like I said earlier...if it didn't fall naturally it may not act like the rest of the krauzen if it get mixed into the beer...it may not flocculate out....like I said here and elsewhere, if it didn't fall naturally, I'm not gonna risk that it WON'T affect the beer if I swirl it in...I'll leave it alone...it ain't hurting nothing clinging on the side of fermenter....