Wow lots of Krausen

[balzern]

Check out the Krausen I have in my Dunkelweizen. I made a starter for Wyeast 3068 and after about 9 hours of lag time it just exploded to look like this!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/beermeister/5365764777/

 

[BlindOwl]

I did a weisenbock a couple months ago with a big starter of 3068 and it literally exploded just like yours. It was so thick it even clogged every attempt at a blow off tube. Fermentation from hell. Had beer on the ceiling and all over the walls. Turned out fantastic though. Hope yours turns out well too!

 

[SkylerChaBro]

Wow that looks nice and active. Just look at all the clumps of yeasties floating about.

Sir, this is beautiful.

 

[balzern]

Thanks I am excited! I don't think I will ever go back to the days of pitching liquid yeast without starters!

 

[dmercer]

Looks great! It's always exciting to see happy yeast. Both times I've pitched Wyeast 1332 I've had this. The first time I thought my 5g batch was going to blow out of a 6.5 gallon carboy. I'd never seen krausen like that. It, too, was a storm in a bottle

 

[Golddiggie]

This is what happened the first time I used Wyeast 1084 with a 'small' starter (about 1L of liquid, including yeast) in a honey porter... This is after 6-7 hours... That is in a 6 gallon PET carboy too... 5 gallon total batch.

Ever since then, I've made sure that either I'll be awake for the first 8-10 hours that from when the yeast is pitched or I install a blow-off tube for the first two days of fermentation. I really don't want to come home to find something like that again...

BTW, this is what the airlock looked like after 6 hours (from when the yeast was pitched)...

It was completely post-lag after 2 hours... Love it when starters do their jobs.

 

[mightynintendo]

Thanks for the massive in-line images!

This is what happened the first time I used Wyeast 1084 with a 'small' starter (about 1L of liquid, including yeast) in a honey porter... This is after 6-7 hours of activity...

Ever since then, I've made sure that either I'll be awake for the first 8-10 hours that from when the yeast is pitched or I install a blow-off tube for the first two days of fermentation. I really don't want to come home to find something like that again...

BTW, this is what the airlock looked like after 6 hours (from when the yeast was pitched)...

It was completely post-lag after 2 hours... Love it when starters do their jobs.

 

[Golddiggie]

Thanks for the massive in-line images!

Hey, I fixed them...

Forgot to scale them down in PS before posting them up... In the meetup image gallery, they don't show up as large. Even when viewing them in their own page they look smaller... I adjusted the image size, then updated the url to match the smaller images...

 

[mightynintendo]

Hey, I fixed them...

Forgot to scale them down in PS before posting them up... In the meetup image gallery, they don't show up as large. Even when viewing them in their own page they look smaller... I adjusted the image size, then updated the url to match the smaller images...

yeah yeah...

 

[erock2112]

I think the first thing I noticed about the OP's picture is how the volume is exactly five gallons...

 

[eferinga]

Just curious, Why did you decide to do the primary in the carboy? Is it for the blowoff?

 

[balzern]

hahah what can I say

 

[balzern]

Well first I decided to use a carboy for primary because I wanted to see how aggressive fermentation was because I have only used buckets thus far. Now I will do in carboys not only to see the fermentation but also for blow off.

 

[yellowthere]

This damn picture makes me dizzy. Stop Showing off!!

 

[Golddiggie]

This damn picture makes me dizzy. Stop Showing off!!

I was just tracking the carboy movement... It was almost like I had music going and it was dancin...

 

[eferinga]

do you keep it locked up in the dark most of the time...so it doesnt skunk?

 

[eferinga]

Also, should you wait for the krausen to foam off, I was readingthat sometimes the krausen is mistaken for something else (but cant for the life of me remember the name), and has the possibility of making the beer extra bitter and should be scraped off. This is done after the fermentation.

correct me if I am wrong

 

[Golddiggie]

do you keep it locked up in the dark most of the time...so it doesnt skunk?

I keep mine shrouded in darkness while in carboys. Wrapped up in heavy towels, in as little light as possible.

I am planning on getting some [more] used corny's to use as fermenters soon. That way, there's zero chance of light getting into the brew, and they have a smaller footprint than buckets, or carboys. Also easier to move to cooler storage areas for aging. Not to mention that I'll be able to fit more of them into a fermentation chamber (once I build mine in a few months)...

 

[eferinga]

I keep mine shrouded in darkness while in carboys. Wrapped up in heavy towels, in as little light as possible.

I am planning on getting some [more] used corny's to use as fermenters soon. That way, there's zero chance of light getting into the brew, and they have a smaller footprint than buckets, or carboys. Also easier to move to cooler storage areas for aging. Not to mention that I'll be able to fit more of them into a fermentation chamber (once I build mine in a few months)...

The only thing I have against corny's for primary, at least, is the trub that falls, which can clog the keg. Would you do it for your secondary or just deal with the sludge and cleaning?

 

[Golddiggie]

The only thing I have against corny's for primary, at least, is the trub that falls, which can clog the keg. Would you do it for your secondary or just deal with the sludge and cleaning?

My plan, for now, is to simply remove the out tube from the corny during primary fermenting. I'll be using that post for the airlock/blow-off tube anyway. I plan on getting a couple of gas in tubes so that I can put that in the out post and get the keg to seal, for when I'm looking to age in the keg and all the yeast is gone.

To clean out what's left behind in the corny, I might put the dip tube back in, push with CO2, reserving the yeast cake first, then put the balance into another keg. I need to get things figured out a little more before I start using the corny for primary.

I'm planning on getting one of the filter setups that goes between two kegs for my lighter brews (or anything not a stout or dark porter). That way, I can filter out anything that hitches a ride during the transfer. Although, if I don't get all that much chill-haze serving at ~45F, I might just skip that part.

I do have an old ale inside a corny right now, aging on some oak chips. I have three batches of mead that I'll be looking to get out of their glass carboy's in the next 2-3 months. So, those will be going into corny's too (one 5 gallon, two 3 gallon batches there). I have a one gallon batch of mead that I might just bottle up when it's done with the flavor additions and bulk aging, in a few more months.

 

[balzern]

I keep mine in a dark closet which is around 66-70 degrees depending on the day. It works out well and the only time light hits them is when I check up on the little buggers.

 

[Golddiggie]

The only closet that might have any room in it, where I live now, ranges from the mid 40's to mid 50's this time of year. So, too low for fermenting ales in.

I am planning on making a fermentation chamber come spring, so that I can keep things in the proper range.