what if that weird foamy head doesn't form in fermenter?

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.

jigidyjim

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
696
Reaction score
5
Location
Oakland, CA
I'm not sure what the big foamy thing that forms in the fermenter is called, but for my 4th brew it hasn't started forming. I have a glass carboy and watched the first 3 brews form, and this time it isn't.

I've read https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/ and I know that bubbling does not equal fermentation - my airlock isn't bubbling actively but there is air slowly pushing up the water, so it is fermenting at least a little bit after about 52 hours or so (I'll take a hydrometer reading tomorrow to see what it is like).

But I'm not sure if the lack of the foam means anything or not.

Thanks!
 
what kind of brew is it? the foamy business is called the krausen. i wouldn't be terribly concerned as of yet.
 
probably nothing to worry about, sometimes yeast takes a while to really get going. I've had batches where a krausen barely formed, but by the hydrometer, it fully fermented and the beer turned out fine. If your absolutely convinced that fermentation is not taking place, take a hydrometer reading (sanitize the hydrometer first) and compare it to your original gravity. If it's dropping, your fermenting... if not, do a little research using the search on repitching or stuck ferments... that will get you on the right track.
 
Sometimes the krausen comes and goes fast. Your yeast strain is highly flocculent as well, so it tends to fall easily and you might not get much.
 
Thanks for all the info. Checked today at about 72 hours and a small krausen has formed. So looks like everything is back on track for now...
 
Back
Top