Krausen Question

asummer

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Hi all. I brewed a porter this weekend and pitched it with WLP023 Burton Ale yeast on Sunday night. I miscalculated and ended up with an extra gallon of wort, so I split the batch between a 5-gallon carboy and a 1-gallon glass jug to ferment. By Monday morning both containers were chugging along nicely with a beautiful thick krausen on top of each. This morning (Tuesday) I came downstairs and the krausen is still an inch thick on the one-gallon jug, but the krausen was gone on the 5-gallon carboy. They're both still burping the airlocks steady and I can see bubbles and things moving around inside both containers. I'm worried because there was an ant trail on the side of the big container and even though I feel confident that they couldn't have gotten in, I am still a little puzzled. Do you think I underpitched the 5-gallon? Or am I overthinking this? (PS, I moved it to an ant-free location because they were definitely underage)
 
Maybe some wort on the side of the fermenter was attracting the ants? Even if they got in there's not much you'd do at this point other than what you've already done. If the fermentation goes on longer and you get a lower final gravity than expected then you can start worrying. But ultimately it'll be a taste test once fermentation has finished that will tell you if there's a problem.
 
(PS, I moved it to an ant-free location because they were definitely underage)
This made me laugh!

I wouldn't worry about it. In a couple days when you take a gravity reading and compare the two you may know more (or even have more questions! - Thus is brewing!) - Maybe the smaller jar and the shape are just helping keep the krausen suspended?

How did you split your yeast? 5-gallon may have just finished up a bit quicker - maybe a stronger fermentation...
 
The fact that you had a strong fermentation means you had healthy yeast. Could be that the larger thermal mass in the 5 gallon carboy kept the yeast a little warmer and therefore more active. They just finished early. And as long as the ants arrived after your carboy was sealed, you'll be fine. If not....they won't drink much! :D
 
Thanks y’all! I didn’t really measure the yeast due to laziness, just dumped a little of the starter in the small jug and the rest in the big carboy. I’ll check the gravity this weekend and chug the sample for quality control. I love how brewing is part science and part voodoo. Cheers!
 
I didn’t really measure the yeast due to laziness, just dumped a little of the starter in the small jug and the rest in the big carboy.
I would have done the same thing. I can only science so much... I'm more into voodoo!
 
I would have done the same thing. I can only science so much... I'm more into voodoo!

Cause I'm a voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child
I'm a voodoo child

Without googling it, who knows what this is from?
 
Hendrix! ...(Slight Return)
 
Always taste your samples

New to brewing but thought that tasting was important. I did a fly sparge (think that is the right term) on my first three batches last week and tasted the liquid left on the grain after I was done to see if there was any sugar taste, tasted the spent grain (not really that good), and tasted the beer when I moved it to a secondary fermentor (which may or may not have been needed).

Had to google Krausen, check off learning a new term today.
 
Cause I'm a voodoo child
Lord knows I'm a voodoo child
I'm a voodoo child

Without googling it, who knows what this is from?
Funny! I was going to write voodoo in the form of song lyrics too! Not Hendrix (which, as good as I feel I am in classic rock, I would not have gotten :( )

"Who do, you do, voodoo -
You remind me of the man,
what man?
The man with the power,
what power?
The power voodoo!"
 
Funny! I was going to write voodoo in the form of song lyrics too! Not Hendrix (which, as good as I feel I am in classic rock, I would not have gotten :( )

"Who do, you do, voodoo -
You remind me of the man,
what man?
The man with the power,
what power?
The power voodoo!"
Don't recognize that, maybe Huey Lewis?
 
No. It's the Atomic Fireballs - "Man With the Hex".
 
New to brewing but thought that tasting was important. I did a fly sparge (think that is the right term) on my first three batches last week and tasted the liquid left on the grain after I was done to see if there was any sugar taste, tasted the spent grain (not really that good), and tasted the beer when I moved it to a secondary fermentor (which may or may not have been needed).

Had to google Krausen, check off learning a new term today.
If them spent grains still have a sweet taste that'd mean sparge didn't complete it's job of rinsing out the sugars. I'll taste the spent grain from time to time bland is good.

Alot of brewing words come from Germany Krausen in Aus means the white fluffy stuff bubbling on top of the wort. Ha
 
@asummer - Be sure to give the details when the beer's ready to drink (or even when you pull a sample). :)
 

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