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Author Topic: Krausen stuck in the blow out tube  (Read 2063 times)

Offline abedell0222

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Krausen stuck in the blow out tube
« on: July 14, 2010, 09:46:07 pm »
I made an oatmeal stout a few weeks ago. When I got home from work I noticed the krausen was stuck in the blow out tube. I let it sit for another day or so to see if it would get moving, but it never did. So I removed the hose and rinsed it out in sanitizing solution and put it back in the carboy. Still nothing. When I racked it to secondary I noticed it was quite bitter. So I was wondering if the beer will mellow out if I let it sit for a while? was it bad that the krausen was stuck in the blow out tube? And what can I do in the future to prevent this? Thanks   ???

Offline richardt

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Re: Krausen stuck in the blow out tube
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2010, 11:23:47 pm »
Welcome to the hobby/obsession.  Brewing is a lot of fun.

Krausen is supposed to blow off.  Getting stuck in the airlocks or tube can happen.  Ideally, the airlock or tube DOES NOT get clogged, because, if it does, it blows off!  So, if your krausen isn't "moving along"--that could be a good thing (it means no blockage).  CO2 could still be burbling past.  Of course, you'd probably have been seeing bubbles in the bucket that the hose was inserted into...

Hydrometer, Hydrometer, Hydrometer.

The only way you'll know if things are progressing along (fermentation-wise) is to check the SG.  Sometimes, the fermentation only seems to take a few days (due to yeast strain and/or temps).  You'll have better beers if you control fermentation temps, and fermentation will take a little longer, usually.  (If you don't already have temp controls of your refrigerator look into Ranco or Johnson controls online along with "DIY how to wire your Ranco controller" on BrewBoard).

The bitterness/astringency could be due to the grains (roast grains that are mashed tend to lend a lot of astringency, esp if oversparged and pH allowed to >6.0)  See other posts on tis forum about cold steeping dark grains or adding it to first runnings only.
Bitterness?  Might be due to hops ending up in the fermentation bucket. Or taking a long ime to chill the wort (ie., w/o use of a wort chiller) leading to increased hop utilization.
Another thing to consider is your local water profile--if it is excessively alkaline (unlikely for an oatmeal stout utilizing dark grains), it could be conributing to the problem.  What does the sulfate concentration look like?
Is it a process problem?  Check your sanitization and rinsing.  Describe it for us.

Offline abedell0222

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Re: Krausen stuck in the blow out tube
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2010, 09:06:04 am »
Thanks for the info. Due to the oatmeal stout only being my fourth batch of beer anything could have gone wrong. I'm still relying on beginners luck! I guess it ran out... Anyways, I have a lot of homework to do before I start my next batch. I can already point out a number of things I will do different next time. Trial and error. So, I believe it was a process error.