Solids On Top Of Wort In Primary

[DrewCarey82]

G'day guys brewing a wheat beer.

18 degrees, morgans masterblend wheat and morgans golden sheaf wheat and saf-wheat satchet.

The yeast took about 18 hours to visible get going - I didnt rehydrate it.

The airlocks been bubbling really, really slowly since Saturday.

It has this scum on the top the colour of the masterbelnd that looks very syrupy in colour and about 7cm in a cowpat shape each.

Smells great though.

Do I need to be alarmed? I did a lot of shaking to try to activate the yeast.....

 

[razz]

Sounds like it's off and running. Relax, don't worry and have a home brew

 

[DrewCarey82]

Thats what I figured....

Just worried about the cowpat looking things on the top....

 

[AndrewQLD]

Wheat yeasts tend to floc to the top of the fermenter, it's not uncommon for you to have a 1" cake of yeast floating on the top.
It sounds fine, enjoy your wheat.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[dickTed]

I've had floaties in brews. Looked like cork fragments through the condensation. All were suspended in the top inch of brew. Still floating when racked, but the floaties stuck to the side of the primary fermenter as I racked it. Secondary was clear. Drank OK.

 

[DrewCarey82]

Cool thanks guys wasnt alarmed but thought I'd better clarify.

 

[jayse]

The much darker stuff that rises to the top of the yeast at the very start is a combination of basically protiens, hop matter and dead yeast cells and other unwanted products it looks clearly much darker than the yeast itself on top and is generally not to much to worry about. It will happen with all brews, some brewers skim this off as when it falls back in to the beer later it can give a harsh bitter flavour to delicate beers and also the protien can possibly provide a nutrient soucre for bacteria after the ferment is over. Generally though i have never found it to be a problem to let fall back into the beer.
When it gets to the highest part of krausen the yeast will rise further above this dark line around the fermenter and the oily looking dark patches will disapate as more yeast makes its way to the top. The 'darker stuff' goes to the top at the very begining then finally it will all fall back into the beer with the yeast at the end.
Anyway like other brewers said its normal and nothing to worry about just thought i give a little info on what the much darker stuff actually is. Techincally the darker stuff is all unwanted.
I'am talking about the stuff that is much much darker than the yeast and what raises to the top at the very begining.


Born to booze.
Jayse

 

[peas_and_corn]

I get all sorts of stuff floating in my beer during ferment. I let it go, then use the Homer test- if I don't go blind, then it must be all right!