Ferming down ok but leaving lots of floating bits

[Springer]

Hi all,
I have been brewing for 5 years and just logged brew 64, but have had funny things happening to my fermenting on my last two brews Am using the same technique and same ? yeast.
First time it happened fermenter was in the workshop, on a heat mat struggling to make 20 degrees, after 2 weeks I had a closer look at what I thought was still bubbles and it was actually floating stuff like wet cornflakes ? Dropped in hydrometer and it was 1008 ! smelt a bit funny. So yesterday I dropped it into another bucket and today put it in a corny and a few bottles, tried it just and it tastes fine smell has also gone?
Just looked at another fermenter, in the kitchen, again struggling to make 20 degrees and after 8 days it also has the wet cornflake look, it really does look like bubbles in poor light.! It was down to 1009, so I have scooped out the snot, over a desert bowl full.
This brew is a Scottish light which has smelt good all week and still does, so will bottle it tomorrow with little worries. I am used to thick slug on the bottom of the fermenter not floating hanging cornflakes ! :?
So any ideas what happening, is it me or the yeast or something else? I am pitching a the same temperature and the head, a good one in both cases is forming in the usual time. :wha:
Best Regards to all
Springer

 

[Wez]

I might have missed it, but dod you say how it tastes?

 

[prolix]

if you use same strain dry yeast every time I would clean the fermenter or try a different one. a tiny scratch could be harbouring something.

If you have been reusing the same yeast strain from one brew to the next, I would suggest it has become something else either by infection or mutation.

If, as you say, nothing else has changed.

 

[tubby_shaw]

What yeast is it?
Are you brewing all grain, if so what copper finings did you use?

 

[Springer]

First brew a Scottish heavy, smelt like a brew made with a well worn wet suit if you can image that, (I used to sail dinghys!!), but once I got rid of "the stuff" it improved and now tastes good for its age. I really thought it was destined for the drain, I would have needed a stiff drink before doing that !!
Using Muntons new packets, with Irish moss and did throw in one of those "probolic or what ever they are tables, have used them before though with the moss. Moss it quite old ?
Doing all grain. The fermenters are showing signs of a bit of age ???????????
Skimmed the Scottish light a hour or so ago and a few more floaters have appeared on surface, but it smells good and I am sure it will be ok, as I will keg or bottle it tomorrow??
It sure is a bit weird?

 

[tubby_shaw]

Using Muntons new packets, with Irish moss and did throw in one of those "probolic or what ever they are tables, have used them before though with the moss. Moss it quite old ?

Did you begin to experience problems when you switched from Muntons old packets ?

 

[jamesb]

[quote="Springer"
Using Muntons new packets, with Irish moss and did throw in one of those "probolic or what ever they are tables, have used them before though with the moss.
[/quote]

Protofloc? Would you say it's a little cauliflower like, rather than cornflakes?

 

[Springer]

Only done four brews this autumn, so bought in a stock of new yeast for these last two, used an old packet of Muntons and a Nottingham for the first two which were ok ? Seems to be something new happening.
Yes it does look more like cauliflower than cornflakes, some of it anyway, a bit honey comb or tripe looking, them there are the floating lumps rice size up to the cauli "floret" size, tried to make it sound nice there !! Should have taken a pic they are worth a thousand words, they tell me !! Interested to here your deliberations...........??
Protafloc Tablets (yes I got the spelling right, these were a freebie from a well know supplier and I have used them before will no problem?
"A soluble tablet added to the final 15-20mins of the boil, helps assist the coagulation of proteins. Use 1 tablet per 5 gallon."
I was begining to favour the problem being down to my old fermenters myself, was thinking of giving them a dose of beach as advocated by Mr. Wheeler, now and again he says as it kills stuff steriliser fail to?
Problem here is like the old sailing days when the boat was not going fast enough, if you changed more than one thing as once and hopefully was successful, you never find out what the remedy was?

 

[jamesb]

This has been reported a few times when people have used Protofloc, the usual cause is using too much. IIRC, some people on here use 1/4 of a tablet (could be half, I'm sure someone will be along in a bit to say).

 

[commsbiff]

Try reading this thread.

 

[jamesb]

Try reading this thread.

Ah, that's the one I was trying to find.

 

[Springer]

Thanks very much for the replies, extremely helpful and spot on, I said a picture was worth a thousand works............thats the stuff :thumb:
I have skimmed it off, so I think the course of action is to rack it off, put in some fining? and then bottle it or whatever !
I wonder if the smell develops if left a long time? The first brew was left in a dark cupboard for two weeks and it looked like it had not finished fermenting until I got a light on it ! It was on a heat pad and I think it was a week overdue.
So next question is should protafloc be used, as you say it can be reduced to half or quarter dose, but it certainly can cause a lot of trouble, is it worth it......... what's the gain ?
What a source of knowledge here !!

 

[jamesb]

So next question is should protafloc be used, as you say it can be reduced to half or quarter dose, but it certainly can cause a lot of trouble, is it worth it......... what's the gain ?
What a source of knowledge here !!

There's nothing wrong with Protofloc, it's just that people tend to use too much of it. To put it in perspective, in another life I use ten tablets for 4bbl, that's 144 gallons. We could probably get away with less. So you're looking at between a quarter and a half for a 5g brew. (These are the tablets that are about 2g each). I find it's far more effective than standard irish moss.

Of course, at home I use Whirlfloc, where it is just bung in one tablet for 5g. I think some confusion happens because certain suppliers think that Whirlfloc and Protofloc are *exactly* the same, when they're not.

 

[tubby_shaw]

The choice on copper finings is down to you :thumb:
I use 1/4 protofloc tablet in a 40L brewlength and have no clarity problems.
I used to use Irish moss in my 25l batches and had no clarity issues either :wha:
Protofloc and whirlfloc are more efficient as you have found out :lol:

Not a lot of help I know :lol:

 

[Springer]

So we, "you" that is, sorted this one in less than 24 hours! Thanks very much, was starting to think things had gone really belly up !
It does say on the instructions use one protafloc per 5 gallons, but I won't be doing that again, maybe save it for the larger brews and try the whirly stuff for the 5 gallon ones !
Off to sort the Scottish Light.............
Springer

 

[Aleman]

I must admit that I think I have been very lucky regarding the use of protofloc as I started using it well before it became available from home brew shops . . . and buying it direct from Murphy's meant that I had access to the product data sheets so have always used the correct rate (1-4g per hectalitre). The big problem is that commercial brewing products and practices do not always scale down to home brew quantities. . . . . Unless like me you are brewing at nearly a 1/2 BBL (18 gallons).

I think that the majority of problems on the forum are generally down to the woefully inadequate and contradictory instructions provided with the product.

 

[Springer]

Well its all sorted. Just syphoned it off into a pressure barrel, and stopped at the first signs of yeast and cauliflower! I then carefully tipped the remainder into two pints glasses and then into 500 ml bottles. Its pretty clear and only 10 days old.
Its got the taste of being quite a good one! You can see the only bits that got away in the bottom of the glass.

I have not used Protafloc for some brews now but will be doing so in future but backing off the quantity as mention in previous posts.

Normally only use cornies and bottles, but as the cornies are full and no time to sort out bottles I cleaned out an old pressure barrel. It was quite nice to syphon the whole brew into it with no messing. Will be using this "forgotten"method again. Think I will bottle it later.