I hope to debunk a myth that I heard. A friend of mine told me that some guys told him that his brown ale was infected (they didn’t say with what) because his krausen was two different colors. I think this is B.S. I tasted the beer, it was fine. But I’ve seen two-toned krausen before, and I can’t imagine that it’s indicative of infection… Am I wrong?
not exactly sure what you mean by two tone, but if you mean the dark green scum on top and then the tan or brownish/whitish foam underneath that is not an infection. It is hope residue. Some people think you should try to get rid of it, I never do and don’t worry about it. If you have blow off you get rid of alot of it. Or if you are fermenting in buckets you can skim it off with a santized spoon.
It’s nothing to worry about, especially if you have a two-tone Ricky Ricardo jacket and an autographed picture of Andy Devine to go with it. ;D
“Two toned krausen” is pretty common and anyone who thinks its a sign of infection hasn’t been brewing for very long and doesn’t know what in the hell they are talking about.
and Brillcream, don’t forget, Brilllllllllllcream, a little dab’ll do ya
Damnit, now that song is stuck in my head.
jerks!
All krausen to my knowledge is at least 2 toned. Generally the first krausen stirs up all the cold break and hop trub and brings it to the surface. After that drops a second off-white krausen generally develops. Try top cropping and you will see the difference in krausen. Usually when I top crop I skim off and pitch the early krausen that is dark brown/green. 24-48hrs later a nice off white, creamy krausen develops that I will harvest to re-pitch.
Very good, I will now reassure my friend!