What the heck?!

[tkerugger]

I hate to be this guy, but I need some help...

I brewed a Sierra Nevada clone (extract - from Midwest) on 11/03, pitched wyeast 1056 from a 1.6 L starter at 70° and fermented it in my basement at 65° until today.

I cleaned and sanitized my keg and got ready to rack / opened the bucket and this is what is on top. Is this infected? I've never had floaters like this. Looks like kombucha!

Keg it or dump it? I don't know if I have the courage to sample it yet - kinda averse to molds, etc.

Thanks!
Neil

 

[plankbr]

Looks like normal krausen to me.

 

[JLem]

Looks perfectly normal...though it is weird that the krausen is still so thick after a month of fermentation

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

How does it smell?

 

[tkerugger]

It had kind of a faint rotten egg smell as fermentation was beginning which was replaced shortly by the aroma of hops. I haven't checked on it basically since the rotten egg smell went away. Now all I can smell is my adrenaline and tears.

Should I just keg it and see what happens?

 

[Trox]

I would just leave it in the fermentor for another week or 2 and see. Also sanitize a wine thief and pull a sample out to check the FG, see where its at and if it is close to done.

 

[ChefRex]

What is the temp that it was fermented at? If cold it will slow the process.

 

[unionrdr]

Looks like krausem leftovers & cold break to me. If it tests done,package it up.

 

[flars]

This might be a dumb question, but did you meet your target volume in the fermentor?
Lightly swirl the bucket to loosen the krausen. After it has dropped take a hydrometer reading. Taste your sample.

 

[JLem]

Did you take a gravity reading? After a month it should be done, but it might have had a long lag, especially if the yeast were stressed/unhealthy (which might explain the sulfur smell early on.

 

[JLem]

I should add that nothing about that picture looks like an infection

 

[tkerugger]

Ok, here you go.

1.010 FG and tastes good. Lots of break material in my auto-siphon when I took a sample (used it as a poor mans wine thief) but maybe that's just because I poked through the krausen on the top?

Should I transfer it to secondary in hopes it will clear a little more, or just go straight to the keg?

Will this break material clog the dip tube?

Thanks for your answers and patience!

Neil

 

[tkerugger]

Ok, I'm a wuss.

Racked it to the keg. Was nice and clear once I got going. I bet it's going to taste great in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for talking me through this, guys!

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Cool!!