Yeast at the bottom of the bottle..

I have a batch bottle conditioning that has been in the bottles for around 12 days. I took one, and chilled it down to sample and check carbonation. Well it was so good I drank the whole thing, although only slightly carb'd. However, I did not notice the yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle.. I left 1/4 inch in the bottle just to be safe, but I'm curious.. Where's my yeast? And if I consumed it.. Whats the worst that can happen??

Not experienced enough to tell you what happened to your yeast cake, but I can tell you that the worst that'll happen to you if you drank it is you'll get some really kickin' gas.

Just be nice and warn people :rockin:

Yeast is actually very healthy, although it can make you gassy or incontinent or something like that. It also affects the taste.

If you had your beer in secondary for a long time before bottling, you won't see much at the bottom of the bottle. More likely, it just hasn't settled yet and was in your beer.

Note that if you only barely chilled your beer, then the CO2 may not have dissolved into the beer yet, making it less fizzy.

Depending on the yeast, the grain bill, how long you primary, how long you secondary (if you do one) and how long you chill all have an impact on the amount of yeast in the bottom of the bottle. My beers have very little sediment in them.

If you are new to homebrewing and/or bottle conditioned beers you may fart a lot, it may even be that way for a year til your gut flora gets used to it, then your stomach will settle back down. Yeast farts are quite common in the beginning.

As to if yeast is harmful or not, it is one of the best things you can eat. It is full of Vitamin B complex. The Belgians practically worship it, for all it's healthful benefits...

Nope, no secondary, so I'll just assumed it hasn't settled yet. I still plan on giving it a few more days at room temp, and then chill for two weeks, so I'm sure it will settle. This is my first batch, so I'm completely new to the concept. Thanks for the info!

I might be inclined to go a little longer at room temp. I know I said above you need to chill your beer to help the CO2 dissolve, but this will also slow the general carbonation process. 12 days isn't a lot of time. I usually go 3+ weeks, putting the bottles in the fridge a couple days before i drink them.

Revvy said:

If you are new to homebrewing and/or bottle conditioned beers you may fart a lot, it may even be that way for a year til your gut flora gets used to it, then your stomach will settle back down. Yeast farts are quite common in the beginning.

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Reminds me of a question I got years ago when handing someone a homebrew:

"is it going to give me the poops????"

ItsTheBrent said:

I have a batch bottle conditioning that has been in the bottles for around 12 days. I took one, and chilled it down to sample and check carbonation. Well it was so good I drank the whole thing, although only slightly carb'd. However, I did not notice the yeast cake at the bottom of the bottle.. I left 1/4 inch in the bottle just to be safe, but I'm curious.. Where's my yeast? And if I consumed it.. Whats the worst that can happen??

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Did you pour the beer into a glass? If you drink from the bottle, the yeast will get mixed into the beer. Sorry, had to ask.