Should I be worried

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DoctorMick

DoctorMick

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My goose island clone has been fermenting for 2 weeks and has hit its expected fg but there is still a layer of what I assumed was krausen on the top!



Does that look like krausen? I'd have expected that to have dropped by now. When I sampled it last week it had a sour smell which now seems to have gone but I think it's left me a bit paranoid and I'm seeking some comforting words of reassurance! :lol:

My plan is to leave it for another week and if it still tastes and smells ok I'll bottle it.

It's also smells and tastes absolutely nothing like goose island which is disappointing but I'll get over that if I don't have to pour the lot out!
 
I had an American Pale from a kit keep a thick yeasty crust for the best part of a month recently. Turned out fine in the end though.
 
I've had this from a true top-cropping yeast (1272). While I don't think 1028 is a top cropper, it is a low flocculation strain so it doesn't have the same propensity to clump and drop to the bottom. Lots of things affect this, including the pH and mineral content. Plus, its your third generation with this strain, right? It could be that a subpopulation of mutant yeast cells has established with this top-croppy behaviour. With my 1272 brews I just shook the fv once a day for a few days and it dropped eventually. It doesn't look like a typical infection, so I wouldn't worry. At the end of the day, if it tastes good, drink it!
 
Cheers, that's just what I wanted to hear. :thumb: I'll give it the extra week in the FV and if it's still on the top I'll just crash for a few days and leave it behind when I go to the bottling bucket. I don't think I'll brave using the yeast in my next batch, I have an american ale yeast in the fridge which probably isn't ideal for a milk stout but what the hey, some of the best recipes will have been created by accident.
 
Bottled last night with no sign of off flavours or smells so hopefully I was worrying about nothing. I'm going to be brave and reuse the yeast for my next brew as well, hopefully I won't end up regretting that.
 
DoctorMick said:
Bottled last night with no sign of off flavours or smells so hopefully I was worrying about nothing. I'm going to be brave and reuse the yeast for my next brew as well, hopefully I won't end up regretting that.
Click to expand...
But on the other hand if your brew has gone funny then you will contaminate the next one. I wouldn't take that risk for the sake of the cost a packet of new yeast. Better safe than sorry.
 
Your piccy looks fine. Looks like a krausen that hasnt dropped. What yeast did you use? As terry says if it was just a packet yeast I'd just buy another one just to make sure (I'd also bleach the FV, just to make sure too).
 
It was wyeast london ale 1028. I've got a wyeast 1056 american ale in the fridge which I could use in its place but I'd have to make a starter which would mean I couldn't brew tonight (although I'm not convinced I can be bothered anyway!).

I gave the FV a thorough clean with a strong PBW solution last night so I'm confident anything that was in there will be dead but the yeast is still the problem. I suppose I best play it safe rather than risk pouring 5 gallons of beer away, I've only had to do that one so far and it wasn't a pleasant day.
 

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