Dealing with 'cake'.

[Chris]

I'm just after some advice on this one please,

I brew from kits, it's all I know :lol: , but once my kit has been brewing for 24hours (like today) it's got a right cake on it. On the top of the cake is a lot brown bits, I'm assuming yeast? Would I be right in thinking that if some of the yeast is above the surface of the lager, then it's not doing it's job as if it would if it was in the lager..? Twice today I've pushed all the bits back into the brew but as the cake gets bigger these bits sit on top of the cake again..

So, is it wise to push it all back into the brew, or should I stop being so impatient and just leave it to do it's thing :rofl: ..

Regards
Chris :

 

[ni9e]

Just leave it to do its thing the more you faff with it increases the chance of getting it infected

 

[grinchy]

Amen to that.... :clap:

just lost 4 gallon of bitter to 'faffing'....... :cry:

 

[Frisp]

just lost 4 gallon of bitter

 

[grinchy]

i know.....

i brew in my garage and the bitter was barely fermenting because of fluctuating temps. I messed with it every day checking the temp and checking S.G. to see if it was doing anything :nono: Then i decided in my ultimate wisdom to put a submergable heater in. I sterilised it and dropped it in.....then shock horror, an infection.

I drained about a gallon of it into a DJ in the hope that the stuff at the bottom hadn't been tainted. I've bottled that and will leave it for a month and see how it is.

I removed the heater and cleaned it and then noticed that there was some nasty brown stuff that looked a little like old rust, coming from underneath the temperature control knob, it just kept coming...and coming...and coming (you get the picture).

Anyhoooow, i think the moral of the story is DONT FAFF!!!

 

[Parva]

I'm just after some advice on this one please,

I brew from kits, it's all I know :lol: , but once my kit has been brewing for 24hours (like today) it's got a right cake on it. On the top of the cake is a lot brown bits, I'm assuming yeast? Would I be right in thinking that if some of the yeast is above the surface of the lager, then it's not doing it's job as if it would if it was in the lager..? Twice today I've pushed all the bits back into the brew but as the cake gets bigger these bits sit on top of the cake again..

So, is it wise to push it all back into the brew, or should I stop being so impatient and just leave it to do it's thing :rofl: ..

If it remains inside the FV leave it, anything that comes outside wipe it up and clean it but under no circumstances return it to the FV! :)

 

[MEB]

I'm just after some advice on this one please,

I brew from kits, it's all I know :lol: , but once my kit has been brewing for 24hours (like today) it's got a right cake on it. On the top of the cake is a lot brown bits, I'm assuming yeast? Would I be right in thinking that if some of the yeast is above the surface of the lager, then it's not doing it's job as if it would if it was in the lager..? Twice today I've pushed all the bits back into the brew but as the cake gets bigger these bits sit on top of the cake again..

So, is it wise to push it all back into the brew, or should I stop being so impatient and just leave it to do it's thing :rofl: ..

Regards
Chris :

If the krausen has brown bits on it scrape the surface off with a very sanitised item. The brown bits are 'crap' and of no further use to your brew. Best not to 'push them back in' as you've described really :shock:
The Krausen (cake) is the end result of your yeasties doing their thang and if you have a good krausen your yeast is doing it's job fine. More or less. :thumb: