Krausen That Doesn't Quit!

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nacnud

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Hey guys (and girls maybe?),

I've had a couple of brews lately that have produced a very persistent krausen. Usually they seem to drop down by the 4th or 5th day but on a couple of occasions they just didn't disappear, even once the SG is stable. They tend to be very thick and wet looking. The beer turns out fine but it makes cleaning up a bit more difficult.

Is this normal? Anyone know why it happens?
 
Hey guys (and girls maybe?),

I've had a couple of brews lately that have produced a very persistent krausen. Usually they seem to drop down by the 4th or 5th day but on a couple of occasions they just didn't disappear, even once the SG is stable. They tend to be very thick and wet looking. The beer turns out fine but it makes cleaning up a bit more difficult.

Is this normal? Anyone know why it happens?
What kind of brews? How are you fermenting, brewfridge? Cupboard? What temps? What yeast? etc etc! Probably could get much better responses with much more info!
 
What kind of brews? How are you fermenting, brewfridge? Cupboard? What temps? What yeast? etc etc! Probably could get much better responses with much more info!

Pale ales, 23L. Just DME in a coopers fermenter at room temperature (about 22C) in a cupboard. Safale US-05 yeast, couple of hop additions, nothing complicated.
 
Us05 hangs around a bit sometimes. Wait until you get into some serious top croppers like wy1469 etc. There is heaps of stuff out there on this...ale yeasts are generally (there are always ifs, buts, maybes, and exceptions) 'top fermenting' yeasts...so many ale yeasts form an impressive layer of mousse-y krausen etc on the surface of the beer. Aside from making your clean up more difficult, I regard it as a good thing. Lots of dense, healthy yeast etc. It ill drop out in time, although I have frequently bottled and/or racked beers out from underneath a 1469 krausen that has sat there for over 3 weeks. Let it be, it is a natural and normal thing.
 
What Lecterfan says. My experience is the same. No problem.
 
Sweet. So long as it's normal I can relax and let it be. Now that I really think about it I think it's only happened when I've used US-05. I wonder why that is?
 
Sweet. So long as it's normal I can relax and let it be. Now that I really think about it I think it's only happened when I've used US-05. I wonder why that is?
The hugely popular US-05 is widely known for leaving a krausen even after fermentation is complete, particularly if you pitch it dry rather than re-hydrating it first. Of course it's dependant on the amount of oxygen in your wort, fermentation temps, ingredients etc. Regardless, it's perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about, it's just a flocculation thing. If you prefer, give your FV a gentle swirl and the krausen will collapse back in.

If you're concerned about the cloudiness of your brews using US-05, I recommend transferring to a secondary FV after 5-7 days, and if you have the ability, cold crashing that before bottling.
 

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