yeast problem

[Dronfieldbrewer]

I set off a bitter last Friday, 1049 og. based on marris otter and crystal malts with northern brewer and challenger hops

the yeast came from what I cultivated from a bottle of first gold co-op bottled conditioned bitter. It set off like a train with 2.5 inch growth on the top of the wort within 3 hours, lovely smells etc.

However it has now been in the FV for over a week an the growth has not dropped at all, now looks like a sort of dough rather than bubbles. still smells brilliant, do you think it would be a good idea to drop it into another FV to get rid of the head and see if it settles a bit or leave it for a bit longer.

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Thats not a problem at all.

I would test the gravity and see if it has finished fermenting, if it has then rack it off into a keg or bottles.

Some yeast does not drop easily, If it has finished fermenting you can, if you have the facility to, cool it down to about 5c for a few days, this should make the yeast drop out.

 

[unclepumble]

It is not a problem at all it is a top fermenting yeast, its sitting on top protecting your beer underneath.

It will be easy to top crop it and repitch, to another brew, but if its been floating there for a long time, it might not be best to, as it could have quiet a few other things in it such as bacteria, it will be easy enough to get some more though by the sounds of it, its handy to know there is a decent top cropping strain in my local co-op though, let us know how the beer tastes.

I should sanitize a big spoon skim the yeast off carefully don't splash the wort about. then rack the beer to keg or bottle.

UP

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Thanks for the help, I will skim it off with a sanitised spoon then drop it into a bottling FV with a few finings.

The beer that I cultivated the yeast from was wonderful, very fruity with long bitter aftertastes. I cultivated it in a sanitised jam jar with boiled water and spoon of malt extract (healthfood shop) and a spoon of castor sugar.

It set off like a train so moved it into a bigger Jar with more malt extract and sugar solution before whopping the lot into the fv with the wort. I have never had a yeast kick off as much as this before, far far quicker than S04

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Turned out horrible, straight down the drain. There was no way that the beer was ever going to clear, it looked like a muddy puddle and tasted sour.

I think I must have got an infection in it. I will try again with good old S04 and see how we go

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

It is not a problem at all it is a top fermenting yeast, its sitting on top protecting your beer underneath.

It will be easy to top crop it and repitch, to another brew, but if its been floating there for a long time, it might not be best to, as it could have quiet a few other things in it such as bacteria, it will be easy enough to get some more though by the sounds of it, its handy to know there is a decent top cropping strain in my local co-op though, let us know how the beer tastes.

I should sanitize a big spoon skim the yeast off carefully don't splash the wort about. then rack the beer to keg or bottle.

UP

It was co-op organic bottled conditioned ale