WTF is this??

[aardii]

I brewed an American Amber this past Friday with White Lab's WLP090. I made a starter 2 days before, pitched and didn't see any activity until yesterday when I noticed an inch or so of krausen. Today, I checked in and see this:

It's like someone covered the white foamy krausen in chocolate and the krausen is tearing through it in some places. I'm not panicked or anything, I'm just curious what the hell I'm looking at

 

[Clann]

Looks normal to me. It is just yeast that floated to the top of krausen.

 

[Revvy]

Looks like one of the millions of normal variations of krausen to me.

*shrug*

 

[passedpawn]

Hop protiens. The evolving CO2 is lifting them onto the top of the krausen. It's just like the scum you see on the seashore, proteins churned and carried by the waves to form a foam on the beach.

Most of these drop out if you chill quickly and leave the precipitate on the bottom of the boil tun. But, like Revvy said, completely normal. No ill effects (except makes a nice mess to clean out of your carboy later).

I have a protien skimmer in my fish tank that works the same way (column of bubbles, collection cup for foam) to removed dissolved organic material. I think most commercial water treatment facilities use this method also.

 

[hadabar]

It looks like a 12 of bud light...wtf man...

 

[shuckit]

It looks like a 12 of bud light...wtf man...

I was just thinking that, then I scrolled down to your post :rockin::rockin:

 

[Shooter]

He probably just uses it to rinse off the sanitizer.

 

[meegs]

Completely 100% normal fermentation. Maybe was a bit slow to start (sounds like you may have started your starter too soon. 12 - 18 hours ahead is plenty), but otherwise normal.

 

[aardii]

It looks like a 12 of bud light...wtf man...

I use it to hold the 5 22oz bombers I sometimes bottle in, easier to move them around =p