Please tell me this is yeast, and why

[ZebulonBrewer]

I made my first 5 gallon all-grain batch on December 9th, which was 11 days ago. My efficiency was abysmal (like 55%). I've been doing partial mash beers for almost 2 years, and I've done a couple small batch all-grain beers. This is not my first rodeo, but I've found something very strange in the fermentation bucket.

What the flying f*ck is that!

I really really hope it's yeast. This is a centennial blonde recipe which had an OG of somewhere like 1.037, and the yeast was a fresh packet of S-05. 7 days at 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and then 3 at 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Based on three years of brewing: it's done. Like...totally done. What is that?

It gets worse though:

This zoomed in shot makes me worried, also, in addition to the strange blob of god-I-hope-it's-yeast. I also placed a hydrometer in the part that isn't a part of The blob, and the gravity low. Very low. 1.004 or less low.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[poptarts]

I would think its yeast, there is no big bubbles or white film, yeast do "raft" around like that. The FG is pretty low though for 05. I would let it sit another week honestly and see. My vote is that you screwed up the mash/ got crap efficiency and did something to give it the low FG and that its fine. If you could crash it I bet the raft will sink and help you rack a bit easier too.

 

[bobeer]

Google infected beer and you'll see some horror shows. What you have looks a bit different but not an infection. Ride it out and see how it goes.

 

[Subdivisions]

I think you're seeing the remnants of the krausen that hasn't dropped out yet.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

I would think its yeast, there is no big bubbles or white film, yeast do "raft" around like that. The FG is pretty low though for 05. I would let it sit another week honestly and see. My vote is that you screwed up the mash/ got crap efficiency and did something to give it the low FG and that its fine. If you could crash it I bet the raft will sink and help you rack a bit easier too.

That was my thought, but with the time and the low OG, I figured it would be long done by now. I checked it after I bottled a 1.069 beer fermented with Scottish Ale yeast. Very different beers, though that one was a partial mash.

 

[govner1]

I think you're seeing the remnants of the krausen that hasn't dropped out yet.

^^^This!

 

[RM-MN]

I think your CO2 has pulled a bunch of trub to the surface. It does not look like an infection.

 

[JonM]

That looks like a massive clump of the cold break. I have seen it many, many times. Usually the cold break sits on the bottom of the fermenter, but occasionally it'll get enough CO2 around it that it'll float up to the top. Sometimes it's a couple clementine-sized clumps, sometimes it's as big around as a salad plate. It'll sink as fermentation dies down.

BTW - a healthy cold break like that means you're probably going to have nice clear beer in the end.

 

[spittybug]

Pan fried with a little chianti and fava beans and it'll be just fine.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to go switch out the 3-piece airlock with one of my S-shaped one, and stick it in the garage for a few days now that it's finally cold in Ohio.

One final question, though. If had good cold breaks in the past, and the only other beer I can think of that has a lot of yeast at the top were my WB-06 fermented wheat beers. Is this type of phenomenon more common with AG beers, or was this just a coincidence?