Yeast taken over?

[Mudcrab]

Morning, 

I've had a pilsner in the fermenter for a week and it seems as like the yeast has taken over (2 packs of US-05 in a 23L batch). The attached photo shows the current state of it. This is my first all grain brew and I'm wondering if this is normal? In my past brews, the yeast has cleared up considerably more than this by now. 

Any advice appreciated. Thanks! 

[Mr Agsy]

1pkt of 05 would normally suffice for a 23l batch, It's only been 1 week . I  normally leave mine for 3 weeks in primary, It looks OK to me..It just needs time to finish and drop out of suspension..

You say its a pilsner you are doing , you will not have that crisp lager finish as 05 is an ale yeast.. lager needs to be fermented around 4-15 degrees celsius, depending on what type of lager yeast you are using..

All going well , you will still have a nice brew.. I've done a few lager styles with ale yeasts myself due to not having proper temp control..

[Mudcrab]

I was advised to use two packets of US-05 as I didn't have temperature control. I'll leave it in there for 3 weeks as you mentioned.

Probably not a classic pilsner in terms of definition.

It doesn't smell funky or anything but just looked a little different at this stage compared to other brews. Thanks for the response!

[Crusader-Rob]

what was the OG on your wort?

this will tell me if 2 packs were enough/.too much.

this could be just over pitching rafts of yeast.

but ive never encountered anything like that before, how long was it fermenting when u took the pic?

if its at 2 weeks give it a long cold crash, and it should all drop out. 

you can also cold crash then try gelatin for a few days, to help drop it clear?

alternatively, theres something nasty in there, but only tasting and smelling will tell u that.

[Mudcrab]

I was a bit naughty and didn't take an OG reading. It was all a little hectic trying out my new set up and forgot. 

It has been fermenting for a week today. I have used 2 packets before with grain and extract and haven't had this problem specifically. It usually clears up a little earlier. I'll give it a couple of more days and then reassess. I don't have temp control right now so will find it hard to cold crash. 

It doesn't smell funny at all but will hold the taste test for a while. 

[Crusader-Rob]

haha i know the feeling, 

if you over pitched, it could cause that, so all i can say is give it time, taste at 10 days and see how it is, there no harm in trying it now, gives u an indication of how the fermentations going.

but do take an FG reading to ensure fermentation has finished.

dont be afraid to taste as you go, if you have a tap on your fermenter, as if there relly is something nasty in there then you'll know very soon

[Mudcrab]

Thanks. I will taste in a couple of days then. Hopefully it has gone down overnight. 

Providing I've entered the grain detail correctly into BeerSmith, it tells me that the OG should have been 1.047 with FG expected to be 1.010. 

[Crusader-Rob]

oh right. Take an FG reading when u taste as well.

by 10 days it should pretty much be at terminal.

FYI 2 packs of yeast in 1.047 is a massive overpitch. which explains the clumps.

if you need information on pitching rates for dry/liquid yeast go to the below it will help.

www.mrmalty.com

www.yeastcalculator.com

[Mudcrab]

Awesome, thanks for the links. I'll use them moving forward. 

Any ideas to get rid/reduce the clumps other than a cold crash? I imagine it would be odd to scoop them out.

[Mudcrab]

Just did FG reading and it was 1.010 so spot on. It tasted a little yeasty (probably as expected) but didn't have any off flavours in there that I picked up. 

I want to dry hop it - do I remove the beautiful yeast clumps before doing this? Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Crusader-Rob]

not really, i wouldn't spend time scooping the clumps out.

If itsstill a bit yeasty, give it some more time, with such a big overpitch i'd suggest letting most of the yeast drop out 

give it a total of 3 weeks in primary, with a 3-4 day dryhop. just chuck the hops in. i wouldnt be too concerned about the yeast affecting the hops.

[Mudcrab]

Thanks, I'll add some in later next week. Hopefully the yeast goes down. Doesn't look like it's budging at all. 

Thanks for you help. Cheers. 

[Crusader-Rob]

If you are ken to get rid of some of this stuff, you could try rack across to a secondary fermenter if you have one??

this can cause issues of oxygen ingress, but if your careful enough or have access to CO2 then that makes life easier...might be another option