Yeast suspension

[alix101]

Hi I racked off my batch of two hearted ale a week ago ... I probably moved it from the primary a couple of days to soon anyway in return I've got a decent yeast cake in my secondary, and unusually for my beers it has a yeast cake on the top that is suspended .., I was just wondering how this will effect my beer ... And I'm guessing all I can do now is to wait for it to condition ??? I had been reading that despite what I've always done and read before that it's now a better idea to leave your beer on the yeast cake and in turn this will intact clean the beer and not give it off flavours like I had always been told .... Thanks

 

[COLObrewer]

You shouldn't rack to secondary until fermentation is complete, what was the gravity? Sounds like there may be enough yeast to finish the job.

 

[HHP]

Sounds like krausen on top?

 

[rycov]

it's probably Krausen, and you probably racked too soon. the beer will be fine though. racking too soon just defeats the purpose of secondary, it shouldn't hurt your beer.

 

[alix101]

Thanks ... It certainly appears I racked to soon i was just in a rush ... And I've always been ok after a week in the primary before I put it in the secondary for 2 weeks , I'll guess I'll just see how it turns out hopefully as good as two hearted ...

 

[COLObrewer]

You're in the wrong time zone, you need to get in the yeast time zone, they are the ones in control, the only way for us to know when they are done is with a hydrometer. . . . . . again fermentation should be complete before racking to anywhere for anything.

Another tidbit of info that may help you is to remember that all fermentations have the potential to be different from one another, there are too many variables to track and some that are completely out of our control. The hydrometer is your best friend . . . . . with RDWHAHB running a close second or maybe first.

As far as the off flavors you touch on, they are speaking of autolysis of the yeast, this typically doesn't happen for months and months.