Typical Kreusen "Falling Time"

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BrewCF

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Orlando, FL
So, a buddy of mine and I are learning to homebrew together. But, he is one impatient *&%@!. The situation is that we have had a few stuck/incomplete fermentations in a row. I think we have made the necessary adjustments -- proper mash temps, yeast starters, oxygenating the wort, etc. -- to finally get a successful femenation.

So, we brewed an ESB on Saturday afternoon (5 gallons) and pitched a yeast starter made from a Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale Activator Pack. Airlock action began within a few hours and a kreusen formed on Saturday night. By this monring the kreusen had fell and a lot of the yeast flocculated to the bottom of the carboy. My brewing parter (who isn't on the forums) is having a manic moment over this. I've passed all of the pearls of wisdom that I have read, about being patient with the fermentation, etc., on this site. But my discussions with him got me thinking: What is the typical time that kreusen falls during fermentation of a standard ale? I though I read that it is usually 24 to 48 hours, but I could be wrong.

I know that some on here have had kreusens last for up to several weeks, but I was just wanting everyone's impressions with respect to the "typical" time it takes.
 
There's never anything "typical" about making beer...when you are using living micro organisms (yeasties) you have a certain "wild" factor,,,called mother nature, and she's a capricious *****....you could split a batch of wort into two fermenters split a yeast starter, pour each into the seperate fermenters...and have two completely different things happen, one could could be done in a couple days and one could take a week....for no reason that we can percieve...

No two fermentations are ever the same...

You have to realize that we're not in charge, the yeasties are...they've been doing this for over 5,000 years, so they are the experts...and they have their own time table....don't ever assume anything about them...but trust them implicitly...and all will be well.

Besides krausen falling doesn't mean the beer is done...nor does fermentation ending mean that the yeast is finished doing what it needs to do...that's why many of us pitch our yeast and come back in 3-4 weeks and bottle....it give the yeast plenty of time to clean up the byproducts of fermentation and makes for really clean, clear and crisp beer.
 
For me, it is typically on the third day when the kraeusen falls back in. I have noticed it is dependent on pitching rate and OG also. A high pitching rater will speed it up some and a high OG will prolong it some. I think yours falling back in at 2 days is fine, most importantly it formed. Tell your friend to calm down and take a gravity reading next weekend. :)

For me there are a lot of typical things about making beer. I typically mash my grain, drain the wort, boil it, add hops, cool it, add yeast, it ferments the wort making me tasty beer! :mug:
 
sounds like you dont have anything to worry about. Just wait a few days take your gravity reading and all will be well.:)
 
If I did not know about yeast having their own timetable I would be very concerned about my brew from Sunday. Krause n started forming Monday morning (yesterday) and its already fallen as of this morning. This is THE fastest I have ever seen Krausen fall.

The first recipe I made up by myself, I paid close attention to it and The Krausen fell after the 6th day, and was completely gone on the 8th. I cannot wait to get that one into bottles! But this is normal for Nottingham yeast at 67-68* for MY setup. That other brew up there ^ that one was weird...

Anyway, All in good time... Tell your friend to RDWHAHB and shut up.:D
 
We need to add Kreusen activity to the airlock mantra. Both are terrible indicators of what the yeast are doing. Only the hydrometer can tell you.
 
We need to add Kreusen activity to the airlock mantra. Both are terrible indicators of what the yeast are doing. Only the hydrometer can tell you.

Yeah, but at least if you see a krausen then you know somethings happening, though some new brewers do get frightened by it...

But a fallen krausen is just one step on the road to beery nirvana....it doesn't mean time to jump and rush the beer into secondary or anything...it just means one part of the job has been completed.
 
Wait until you brew using some of the true top-cropping English yeasts and you see what could be described as Bisquick rafting on the surface of the beer.

:D
 
Wait until you brew using some of the true top-cropping English yeasts and you see what could be described as Bisquick rafting on the surface of the beer.

:D

Is it worse than the "Krausen Kurdels" when using Nottingham? You know, the stuff that looks like tan cottage cheese?

I actually think dryhopping, where the oils trap the co2 bubbles, where it looks like you pellicule pic is pretty ugly too...
 
Is it worse than the "Krausen Kurdels" when using Nottingham? You know, the stuff that looks like tan cottage cheese?

Oh yeah- I'll see if I can snap a pic of an ESB in primary that has the Bisquick raft.

I just went and checked and most of the raft has FINALLY flocc'ed out (this has been in primary for 45 days), so it won't be nearly as dramatic as a few days ago.
 
Oh yeah- I'll see if I can snap a pic of an ESB in primary that has the Bisquick raft.

I just went and checked and most of the raft has FINALLY flocc'ed out (this has been in primary for 45 days), so it won't be nearly as dramatic as a few days ago.

pm me some info on these yeasts...I've only just started hearing about them from on here this week...they sound fun.

Thanks Bro!
 
Temperature will play a huge role in this as well. If you take a batch, split it, use the same yeast, ferment one at the bottom of the yeast's temperature range and one near the top, the one at the top will finish much much faster. The one at the top will also taste very different than the one at the bottom, more esters, possibly more harsh fusel alcohol levels. As most have said, there are A LOT of variables that impact the speed of fermentation...and quick ferments doesn't always mean better beer.
 
Yeah, but at least if you see a krausen then you know somethings happening, though some new brewers do get frightened by it...

On the other hand, we have a rash of new brewers that get needlessly concerned if there is little krausen or the krausen falls quickly. Krausen is an indication of yeast activity, but yeast may be working with little to no apparent krausen.
 
Just an update -- we took a gravity reading last night and, low and behold, the yeasties did what they were supposed to do . . . clocked in at 1.013 :mug:
 
Here's a pic of the Bisquick. I should have snapped a pic a day or two earlier when the entire surface was consumed with yeast. :D

IMG_6523.JPG
 
Gross! I've had some disgusting looking ones, too, but never took a picture. We should start an "ugliest krausen" contest!

HA! But that isn't krausen, it's pure yeast. The West Yorkshire strain is a true top-cropper, so you get barges of yeast floating even after the krausen has fallen. I get the same thing every time I use WLP400, too.

Yeast rules.
 
Back
Top