Hello all - I have a question about krausen behavior and what it may/may not indicate. I'm just on my third brew and my first attempt at going beyond a simple extract recipe, and also regulating temperature. Living in Singapore where it's hot and humid and best I can do is around 25C/77F. This time around I managed to get the temperature to about 19C/66F using a plastic tub and frozen water bottles swapped out every 12 hours. A bit mickey mouse but it works.
I brewed per the recipe below which I found online and modified slightly. Saw fermentation after 12 hours and a healthy looking krausen shortly thereafter. However, about 12 hours later the krausen completely vanished. Since I have a semi-transparent fermenter (Coopers DIY) I can look into the top of the fermenter without removing the lid. There is crazy activity - brown yeast clumps floating around and bubbling (very small bubbles) so fierce it looks like the top of a glass after you've filled it with soda. So safe to say I think it is still fermenting. I tasted a bit for off flavors in case it was infected but tasted fine.
So my question is (prefaced with the obligatory "I know this might be a stupid question") - what happened to the krausen? Is it unusual to see it vanish so early in the fermentation process while fermentation continues very actively? My previous 2 brews kept their krausen for 3-4 days. If it is unusual - what could be the causes and will it have any effect on say, head retention in my final brew?
Thanks.
1.7L can Real Ale (Coopers)
1.5kg light malt extract (liquid)
400g maltodextrin
2x14 g Fuggles Hops (1 at 20 minutes, 1 add to fermenter at -3 days)
Safeale Yeast S-04 (rehydrated)
500g Crystal Malt 60 L (steeped for 30 minutes at 170F)
OG: 1.048
Brewing at 19C/66F
I brewed per the recipe below which I found online and modified slightly. Saw fermentation after 12 hours and a healthy looking krausen shortly thereafter. However, about 12 hours later the krausen completely vanished. Since I have a semi-transparent fermenter (Coopers DIY) I can look into the top of the fermenter without removing the lid. There is crazy activity - brown yeast clumps floating around and bubbling (very small bubbles) so fierce it looks like the top of a glass after you've filled it with soda. So safe to say I think it is still fermenting. I tasted a bit for off flavors in case it was infected but tasted fine.
So my question is (prefaced with the obligatory "I know this might be a stupid question") - what happened to the krausen? Is it unusual to see it vanish so early in the fermentation process while fermentation continues very actively? My previous 2 brews kept their krausen for 3-4 days. If it is unusual - what could be the causes and will it have any effect on say, head retention in my final brew?
Thanks.
1.7L can Real Ale (Coopers)
1.5kg light malt extract (liquid)
400g maltodextrin
2x14 g Fuggles Hops (1 at 20 minutes, 1 add to fermenter at -3 days)
Safeale Yeast S-04 (rehydrated)
500g Crystal Malt 60 L (steeped for 30 minutes at 170F)
OG: 1.048
Brewing at 19C/66F
