Is this normal?--See pictures

[guypettigrew]

Since using camden tablets, CRS and burtonising water salts my yeast has started behaving very differently. It's a harvested WhiteLabs 001, used many times, so I know how it usually behaves.

Previously it would ferment for about 3 days, producing a frothy head, then subside back into the beer, leaving the top of the beer with just a few loose bubbles.

With the water treatment, though, it's a very different story.

The yeast ferments much more strongly, with a thicker head and stays around for much longer.

Here are a couple of pictures of a beer I brewed six days ago, on boxing day. The head is still very strong.

Should I just leave it for another few days, or would it be a good idea to rack it of to the barrel now?

It started with a gravity of 1.045, today it's 1.008. It smells gorgeous, so there's no infection problem. I just don't know if this is how it's meant to be when the liquor is right.

Thanks in advance for the advice.





Guy

[coatesg]

Looks entirely normal to me... Stick the lid back on and let it do it's job...!

[Eric]

Ditto, aren't 001 and US05 the same? Don't like it but it does hang about a while.

[Spikesdad]

Looks fine to me...

[greenxpaddy]

Yeast love calcium for growth. Maybe that's it

[guypettigrew]

Thanks. A Whitelabs 007 did just the same both times I used it. It can only be the water treatment which is causing this change in behaviour, and perhaps it is the calcium, as greenxpaddy says.

I'll give it another few days, although I'm not keen on leaving ale sitting on (or under!) the yeast for too long.

Guy

[fisherman]

My last but one yeast was a Whitelabs WLP 023 Burton yeast.With my water treatment of CRS and DLS the head stayed until the end of fermentation so I scooped the head and put into a sterilised milk bottle and used it the same day as a starter for the next brew.The WLP 023 I have used never loses the head at the end of fermentation I have scooped it off and thrown it away. It certainly protects the beer. Very scary if you are used to dry yeasts, you tend to wonder what has gone wrong. I'm sure your brew will be fine Guy, test with your Refractometer on fermentaion . I am now on WLP 002 my standard yeast, but it does not hold the head quite as well.
Happy New Year to you all.

[fisherman]

I would leave for 2 days then keg. Keeping my eye out for the yeast cake drying out and changing to a darker colour at least daily. When you open the tap to keg it the head should stick to the sides of your fermenter as it empties leaving you clear beer.

[coatesg]

If you reckon it's finished, crash cooling should drop the yeast out. Or you can just syphon from beneath the yeast. Make sure it it's finished up though. It's much better to leave it sit for a few more days than to rack too early...