JillC25

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I have my first batch in the secondary carboy... it's been there for 5 days @ 72 degrees F. Used Irish moss as a clarifier in the boil.

My question is how do you know if your beer is clearing up? It is hard to tell with beer spanning over a foot wide. It looks cloudy to me, but I don't have any point of reference to determine how "clear" it should look. It is an ale, and is a brown-ceadary color. I shinned a flashlight through it, and it does look murky. Any suggestions on how to gauge the clearness more acurately?

Thanks!

Jill

Dude

Recipes 

Not to sound like a jerk--but who cares if its clear?

Really--the floaties will eventually work thier way to the bottom. You can try racking it again. Patience is key.

You probably won't ever get crystal clear beer like the stuff you buyin a store without buying an expensive filter system, so letting the floaties settle and re-racking to another container is the easiest way.

Everything thats in it is healthy for you so my philosophy is not to worry about clarity all that much. Taste is what counts.

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DeRoux's Broux

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hey Jill, orrelse is right. i'd let it sit for about 10 day's in the secondary then bottle/keg. as it ages it will get even clearer. i have an American Pale Ale that's been on tap for 3 weeks, and it's cyrstal clear. i didn't even use irish moss. even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes!

don't worry, it'll be great......

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JillC25

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I don't neccesarily care if the brew is a little cloudy (i'd like it clear just for athstetic reasons), but i was more interested in what clear beer looked like in a carboy. I know... that sounds silly. I've had mine in there, like I said, for 5 days and have not seen improvement/change...

I'll just have to be patient- or start brewing Beer #2 (Munich Helles "Lite"- from annapolishomebrew.com GREAT service!)

homebrewer_99

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The echo some of the previous comments...leave it in the secondary for about 10-14 days.

Don't worry....it is clearing. I know it's hard to tell sometimes.

As for the flashlight...stop that! A waste of time. I actually have a Bock I made that on a REALLY bright day you can't see any trace of the faintest light from the sun through it.

Additionally, it will get more clear the longer it is in the bottle and in the fridge.

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DeRoux's Broux

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well, in that case, you'll probably never see a "clear" beer in the carboy. it always is lighter and clear when poured up.

also use good racking techniques from kettle to primary, primary to secondary, secondary to bottling. that's one of the best ways to clear your beers!
and yes, START BREWING #2!!!!! :~)

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andre the giant

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I echo the sentiment... Start brewing #2 immediately. Doing a few rapid fire batches gives you the opportunity to reinforce good brewing behaviours and habits.

My beer usually ends up a bit cloudy when I bottle it. Most of that will settle out during conditioning. Then when you chill the beer, sometimes chill haze will form. It doesn't affect the taste of your beer, but it does affect the appearance. I get chill haze in some of my batches. But I don't care. Its the taste that really makes a difference to me.

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Turricaine

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I used to brew beer from the kits quite a bit and have done several batches in this way before switching to AG. Obviously beer always leaves the fermenter cloudy. And then somewhere over the next 2-3 weeks the beer becomes CRYSTAL CLEAR. I was just wondering since my first batch of AG did not clear up like I was hoping it would do. I must admit I will be disappointed if everybatch comes out cloudy or at least not as clear as I would like.

SilvaRizla

Recipes 

I always thought that if you drank beer thats not clear it will give a bad stomach, is that not true?

uglygoat

Recipes 

all grain will be more cloudy usually because you have much more protiens and amino acids and other goodies in there from the actual grain and husks etc... you don't get this with extract so much...

fermentor temps play a big roll in cloudiness/clarity, as do kwick chill times from the end of the boil to the pitching of yeast. you want to precipitate a quick cold break asap so these haze forming protiens can settle out in the kettle.

but it don't really matter likes been said, as long as you enjoy it, and clarity isn't being judged

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