Cloudy Beer?

Ok, This may be a stupid question but this is my first batch. When i pour my beer into a glass it is fine upto the last part when it then becomes cloudy. is that because the second fermention happened in the bottle and there is a bit of sediment in the bottle ?? If so is this safe to drink?


Thanks


Leigh

leighroyuk said:

Ok, This may be a stupid question but this is my first batch. When i pour my beer into a glass it is fine upto the last part when it then becomes cloudy. is that because the second fermention happened in the bottle and there is a bit of sediment in the bottle ?? If so is this safe to drink?
Thanks
Leigh

Click to expand...

I would think that you just siphoned over some sediment from the primary to the bottling bucket and did not give your beer adequate time to clear. This is quite normal for your first brew. No, it will not hurt you. There is actually some good vitamins in there for ya

leighroyuk said:

Ok, This may be a stupid question but this is my first batch. When i pour my beer into a glass it is fine upto the last part when it then becomes cloudy. is that because the second fermention happened in the bottle and there is a bit of sediment in the bottle ?? If so is this safe to drink?


Thanks


Leigh

Click to expand...

If you primed your beer with a little sugar before bottling (for carbonation) then it will throw a slight sediment. If you like your beer clear then pour it all straight into a glass leaving a little bit behind to avoid the dead yeast cells.

It's just dead yeast and perfectly safe. Stop pouring when you see it, because it will change the taste a bit.

If you want a clear beer you need to pour it into the glass as normal, but when you get to the end you need to slow down and not pour the yeast into the glass.

It's a combo of 2 things, I think. A bit of stuff from your secondary, or some sugar sediment if you bottle primed. Either way, drink it down. It's OK for you, and helps your digestion. If you are pouring to impress without the sediment, follow the above. AND remember, to rinse that bottle, as it's a pain to clean it after the sediment dries up in there.

hi,

thanks for the replies they have helped me alot. Got a couple of questions. Is there any way of getting round this for example doing the secondary fermention in something else then bottling it? The second question is how would i make the bitter have a head that stays for a bit as it is well carbonationed and it does produce a head but it dissapers quickly.


Thanks

Leigh

Leigh, there are heading agents, which help to retain bubbles, which you can add to your beer. Lots of us homebrewers avoid those sorts of things because many of us enjoy the fact that our beer is just malt, hops, and yeast and water.

You can bump up the priming sugar a little bit if you want a bit more head.

If you don't want any sediment, then you'll have to force-carbonate with CO2 injection. You can do it with a keg, or presumably with some $140000 piece of equipment, just like Budweiser. Or you can learn to live with a tiny bit of sediment in your bottle, and not pour out that last 1/10th of the beer.

One of the methods (tricks) I use is to brew 5.5 gals instead of 5.

This way when I rack I DO NOT try to get the last drop out of the fermenters.

Leave as much trub behind as you can in the primary and secondary and your brews will be more clear.

leighroyuk said:

The second question is how would i make the bitter have a head that stays for a bit as it is well carbonationed and it does produce a head but it dissapers quickly.

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You can prime with DME instead of corn sugar...that will help produce a creamier head. Also, a touch of wheat extract in the boil will help too.

A keg and a counter-pressure filler will do the job.

leighroyuk said:

Ok, This may be a stupid question but this is my first batch. When i pour my beer into a glass it is fine upto the last part when it then becomes cloudy. is that because the second fermention happened in the bottle and there is a bit of sediment in the bottle ?? If so is this safe to drink?


Thanks


Leigh

Click to expand...

Hey Leigh. You never did say what kind of beer it is. I am assuming its not like a wheat.... traditionally wheats are cloudy from yeast....

The beer is actually a bitter GWR one i think..... lol and it is supposed to be clear! It is clear up to the last 10th of the bottle when there is a bit of cloudyness! But like people said i will just have to get used to it or not do the second fermention in the bottles!

Thanks for all the help guys!

Leigh

As long as you bottle condition you will have precipitated yeast. If you wish to continue bottling, you can either pour short and leave the yeast behind in the bottle or you can force carb into 32 oz. plastic bottles. Your LHBS should have everything you need. This will be a cheaper alternative to kegging.

As for head retention; there are several things that can cause this. Soap residue or oils of any type will reduce head retention. Try using just 4-6 oz. of Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils) in your next batch.

Good luck,
Wild