I'm brewing a coffee stout with cardamom with an Austin Homebrew mini-mash kit have very thick, persistent krausen sitting on the top. I used WLP001 yeast with a starter and the 1% alcohol booster, and after a day or so it erupted and blew off the airlock. I put on a blow-off tube after that, but since the krausen really hasn't moved at all. I'm new to homebrewing - this is only my second batch - and having read some of the threads here, it seems like it should be fine, but at 19 days in primary without any change I'm starting to get a little paranoid. Should I just hold tight? Is there anything that may have been causing this? Tried to include a picture but the posting program wasn't really having it. Thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice!
I've never heard of a 1% alcohol booster. You've been duped. It's probably corn sugar. Anyway, get a gravity reading today. Get a gravity reading on Sunday. If the readings are the same then you're fine to package your beer. 2 to 3 weeks is typical for primary. Your gravity readings are what will determine when you hit your FG.
Sometimes the krausen just lingers, usually it is not a sign of anything being wrong. Take a gravity reading a couple days apart to see if fermentation is done.
Thanks to you both. To be clear, I can just stick the thief, and if all is set, the siphon, straight through the krausen to test/rack to secondary? I ask only because I saw mention in some other threads that you shouldn't disrupt it at all to not risk having it collapse and mix back into the beer itself. Thanks again!
The best yeast you have is on top. I wouldn't mind pushing them back to the bottom of the beer and let them take another pass at anything they might have missed on their way back down. (I'm saying this tongue-in cheek). Disturbing the krausen doesn't matter at this point. This is how some brewers reharvest yeast for their next batch. You're probably at FG now. Double-check. Yes you should sanitize a wine thief and take a couple of readings. Be gentle and quick about things. Don't slosh and get the lid back on in a reasonable amount of time. Be sanitary and you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't secondary unless you have to. Personal brewing preference.
