Huge Foam Head on my kit brew

[David Woods]

Hi all,

New to this stuff so only doing kits at the mo.

I made the first Coopers kit exactly to instructions as a starting point and it turned out ok.

For the next experiment I did the same Cooper lager kit with some modifications. This time I built a brew fridge and set the temp to 18deg c, in addition to the extract I used BE2 and also 500 gms light malt extract. I then pitched a pack of US05.

So this brew kicked off the next day and produced a huge foam which has been there for 7 days now and a gravity reading still shows a long way to go. I guess my concern is that should the foam have subsided by now? the comments seem to say it should have so wondering if this brew is going to be ok as I also plan to dry hop at the end of ferment - it's looking like going for a while yet!

Any help would be great

Dave

 

[simon12]

What's BE2?

 

[chrisb8]

Beer enhancer?? In which case it has had dextrose and dme plus 500g extra malt extract. How much was used? What was the OG?

 

[David Woods]

It's the Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 - recommended by Coopers for the lager kit.
So the extract was 1.5 kg - the BE2 1 kilo and then 500 light spray malt - also should have said I brewed a bit short at 21 litres! . OG of 1047 - which I thought was a bit low but it went off like a rocket!!

 

[Arcs]

At what temp did you pitch? High temps will tend to cause the wort to brew faster and with higher lvls of foam. The foam can and will at times stay there for 12 or more days depending on the brew. I am fairly familiar with Aunty Mount Etna lately. The US04 is known to be a bit like Gervin yeast and will kick off real good with high pitch temps ie 26-28 C. But with that much enhancer and spray malt for the yeast to feed off, you should also expect lots of Krausen/foam. When the weather gets colder you won't notice so much. A good forum lounge publican here gave me some advice to buy some anti-foam for future brews. You may consider that advice also - it is shown to work and the yeast loves it.

 

[terrym]

I wouldnt be too concerned, however...
Is it still fermenting?
Whats the SG?
If its still on the go my advice is to postpone the dry hop until its finished. In any case I would be leaving it for 10 days or so before the hops went in.
And if there is still foam on top when you do add the hops it is likely that the foam will collapse.

 

[Graz]

It's normal. I've generally found US yeast strains a bit slower than the standard English ale yeast.

I ferment pretty much everything I make at 20°C in a brew fridge and aside from a quick check after a day or two to make sure it has got going I then leave it alone for 2 weeks. By then them fermentation has usually subsided. I then dry hop for 2 days, cold crash for another and then keg or bottle.

Your temperature of 18°C is at the low end for US-05 so it will take longer. https://fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/SafAle-US-05.pdf

 

[David Woods]

Thanks for the comments - v helpful. In case it helps any other noobs here is some more info.

The yeast was actually US 05 but don't suppose that would make much difference. I pitched the yeast at 23 deg c then moved the bin to the fermentation fridge where is has sat at 17.5 - 18 deg c.

The OG was 1.047

Last reading at the weekend was 1.032 so still going - sample was v fizzy. The shop I got the kit from advised brewing at lower than this and as the kit has an ale yeast - or so I believe - I thought the US 05 would do the same thing.

What make/type of anti-foam should I get.

Thanks

 

[simon12]

It looks like something has stalled, 1st things I would check is the temp in the fridge correct (ie not much colder than its set to) and is the hydrometer correct check in water that it reads 1.000

 

[Graz]

It looks like something has stalled, 1st things I would check is the temp in the fridge correct (ie not much colder than its set to) and is the hydrometer correct check in water that it reads 1.000

This and if it is at 18°C I'd be tempted to up it to 20°C.

The shop I got the kit from advised brewing at lower than this and as the kit has an ale yeast - or so I believe - I thought the US 05 would do the same thing.

They're wrong. Lager yeasts work at much lower temperatures, ale yeasts don't (and can go dormant).

What make/type of anti-foam should I get.

You don't need it. This can be used when doing all grain brewing to help stop things foaming up too much during a boil. The foam produced during fermentation is completely normal / desirable and will subside as fermentation completes. Not even sure that anti foam would have any affect on this.

 

[David Woods]

Thanks all - been very helpful - just done another hydro reading and it is still going - down now to 1.022 so a few days to go yet and tasted much less sweet so yeasties doing their stuff althougn the "head" still going strong! Temp in the fridge is fine judging by another thermometer.

Just to clarify the shop told me I could brew the lager kit at that temp as the first kit seemed to have finished very quickly - they didn't advise me to use a different yeast - that was my harebrained idea :tinhat:

 

[Arcs]

There's nothing wrong with experimenting with other yeasts, just researching them first is always helpful

 

[GerritT]

Hi all,

New to this stuff so only doing kits at the mo.

I made the first Coopers kit exactly to instructions as a starting point and it turned out ok.

For the next experiment I did the same Cooper lager kit with some modifications. This time I built a brew fridge and set the temp to 18deg c, in addition to the extract I used BE2 and also 500 gms light malt extract. I then pitched a pack of US05.

So this brew kicked off the next day and produced a huge foam which has been there for 7 days now and a gravity reading still shows a long way to go. I guess my concern is that should the foam have subsided by now? the comments seem to say it should have so wondering if this brew is going to be ok as I also plan to dry hop at the end of ferment - it's looking like going for a while yet!

Any help would be great

Dave

Very good. Now wait 7 more days before you're tempted to open the lid again. 2+2+2 is the adagio with normal beers, and yours is in that category. Everything's looking fine from here, keep us posted!

 

[David Woods]

Thanks for all the great help everyone. I plan on dry hopping when done then may cold crash so it should have plenty of time to complete. God knows what it will taste like but as long as it's not spoiled and has alcohol I will be happy. Bottling next - oh no! Likely will be looking at batch priming after doing the first brew bottle by bottle!

I will keep you updated as I do hate it when we are left in limbo on the outcome of brewing/tasting etc. This is one of many experiments I plan so I can learn as much as I can before going all grain at some point

 

[Arcs]

I would like to say that not all of us here are pure all grain brewers. Some do both extract and all grain. Some just pure extract. Some partial extract brew. Some do all three versions. Extract brews are handy if you just want or need to make a quick brew - to which there are many varieties and flavours to enjoy. So don't be put off with experimenting. After all, that's the fun of this hobby. Don't forget to have a dabble with the recipe calculator from time to time too!! Some great established recipes there

 

[David Woods]

Just had a panic - an earlier post asked me to check the fridge temp just in case - and it suddenly come to me that as I have the probe taped to the bin covered with insulation that I am obviously measuring the liquid temp not the ambient fridge temp - this is 15.2 c

is this ok or should I raise the temp - the brew seems to be doing ok if taking a bit long to finish.

A little off topic but does anyone know how to set the font when posting replies to be the same without have to change it every time - not keen on Times Roman!

 

[Slid]

I use US05 as my go-to yeast because the temps in the upstairs of the house never, ever drop below 20C ambient. No idea how US05 might perform at lower temps.

If your beer is still only half fermented, you probably need to raise the temp gradually. The yeast strain you are using may not really be suited to the temps you indicate, it is known as "West Coast" with reference to the US and not Scotland.

 

[David Woods]

Hi - yes starting to realise that and I have started to gradually raise the temp - suppose I could call it a diacetyl rest!

UPDATE: just mooched around a few sites and it seems the ideal recommended temp range for US 05 is 15 -22 deg so if this is correct my temp at 18 c seems ok?

 

[Banbeer]

While fermenting the temp of the wort will be a couple of degrees higher so as the probe is on the side of the FV it will more or less be measuring the temp of the wort

hope this makes sense

 

[terrym]

What make/type of anti-foam should I get.

A bit late in the day to comment but imo 'anti foam' sits in the same category as 'carbonation drops' i.e.unnecessary but an opportunity for the retail homebrew trade to sell you things you don't need. And believe me there are many other things out there that seem to fit in that category.