Tell me more ×
Homebrewing Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for dedicated home brewers and serious enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

I brewed a hoppy red ale on Tuesday and pitched some washed wyeast 1084 into it that evening. I had an og of 1.070 and went ahead and put a blowoff tube on the fermenting bucket in case I had a huge krausen. I did not see any fermentation bubbles, and later realized that the seal was not as tight as I thought it was between the tube and bucket lid. Today put in a regular airlock and noticed a strange green scaley looking growth on the top of my beer. Is this some sort of contamination? A picture is attatched...! I'm new to the site so i can't post the picture on here. However, you can check out my HBT post with the pic here http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/contamination-whats-305419/ Thanks!

enter image description here

share|improve this question
I added the picture. It's a good example of krausen for other beginners to see. – mdma♦ Feb 18 '12 at 11:53
How do I upload an image to a post on Meta provides step by step guide to inserting images. – mdma♦ Feb 18 '12 at 15:31

1 Answer

up vote 6 down vote

This is normal. It's krausen - bits of yeast, hop particles and oils, trub and proteins floating on top of the beer - and a sign of healthy fermentation.

share|improve this answer
1  
Looks like a "mostly done" krausen. The green ring on the sides of the bucket is a high water mark, showing how tall the krausen was at its peak. – Tobias Patton Feb 18 '12 at 15:33
1  
I agree Tobias - at first glance I thought the white parts (the bucket) was white from the krausen. Then it would have been a new krausen, but this here has almost all fallen back in, so it's a "I'm pretty much done, but leave me alone for a bit to condition" krausen. – mdma♦ Feb 20 '12 at 20:06

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.