cloudy beer

My last batch turned cloudy after getting to serving temp. What do I need to do to stop this next time.

Some yeasts don't settle out easily. S-33 is an example. What type of yeast did you use?

ryno327 said:

My last batch turned cloudy after getting to serving temp. What do I need to do to stop this next time.

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That's a protein chill haze. ( a haze that forms when the beer is chilled). Usually ( but not always) happens in beers that have moderate amounts of adjunct grains like wheat, rye, raw barley, corn and rice.

1) use Whirlfloc or Irish Moss in the last 15 min of the boil at 1/2 tsp./5 Gallons.

2) you can use plain unflavored gelatin reconstituted in boiled, cool water (too hot = Jello). Cold crash your fermenter after fermentation is complete to get the haze to form. Dump the solubilized gelatin in and let it do it's thing. Couple of days later, it's settled out and it will be ready to rack.

3) consider your grain bill. If you have to use raw grain adjuncts or have a recipe that is notoriously cloudy, consider a 15-20 protein rest in your mash at 120-130 F. Proteinases are active in this range and will breakdown the extra protein. Be forewarned; you don't get something for nothing; protein helps foam stability so if you like a good thick foam head, you'll have to balance that grain bill and mash schedule to give you what you want.

I used WLP002 and didn't have any adjunct in the grain bill.

Well a higher mash temp create more protein?

ryno327 said:

Well a higher mash temp create more protein?

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It won't create it; but, i suppose it could limit the amount of proteinase activity and therefore increase your chill haze( maybe). If there is no wheat or adjunct, Irish moss should take care of it.

I will say that IPA's also tend to be cloudy as well unless filtered.

What's the recipe look like?

26 lbs 2 row, 10 lbs Munich, 5 lbs Vienna, 3 lbs CaraMunich, 2 lbs corn sugar.

ryno327 said:

26 lbs 2 row, 10 lbs Munich, 5 lbs Vienna, 3 lbs CaraMunich, 2 lbs corn sugar.

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http://amzn.com/B008S00GE4

I Never brew without it.

Thanks for the advice. Irish moss it is from now on.

Earlier in the summer, I made a lawnmower beer without whirlifloc and with a weak-arse hot break, and it was cloudy as heck from the first glass to the last. I made the nearly identical recipe with whirlifloc and a vigorous hot break, and it's crystal clear after only a week in the keg. So vigorous hot break and whirlifloc are good ways to help clarity.

Do you skim off the hot break?

Chilling quickly after the boil should also help.

Dry-hopping can lead to haze, but it doesn't sound like this is your issue; that haze will also be present and room/cellar temp, while it sounds like your beer was clear at room temp and only hazed up in the fridge.

ryno327 said:

Do you skim off the hot break?

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Nope - it settles to the bottom of the kettle while the immersion chiller does its thing. Any break material that makes it into the fermenter settles to the bottom after active fermentation dies down.

I have a batch of Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde in the fermenter right now - there's a lot of clumpy gunk at the bottom, but the beer is brilliantly clear.

Yes crystal clear at room temp and I didn't dry hop.I did have a week hot break, I think I need to get larger burners for the new 20 gallon kettles.