Sediment in bottles

So I made my first batch of beer and it is fantastic. Tastes awesome and I am really enjoying it. My question is that in some of the bottles there is yeast-like sediment in the bottom? What causes this and how do I avoid it? It does not seem to affect the taste at all, but my wife sure doesn't care for it.

Also it seems like the sediment does not really appear in the bottom until I freeze it, almost as if it drops out of suspension when the temp is reduced. Should I have left it in the secondary longer?

Any advice?

Thanks!

It's going to be there if you naturally carbonate the beer. Just pour the bottle carefully into a glass and leave the last little bit in the bottle.

Why is it the questions I actually know the correct answer too, I get beaten by another poster.. lol

+1 to Shooter's post

It doesn't matter how long you secondary, it's part of the carbonation process, for bottle conditioned beers, both homebrew, and many many commercial microbrews.

In fact the Belgian's practically worship it.

If you are interested in reading more about it, you can read this post of mine from awhile back, when someone else asked the question.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/anyone-using-filter-bottling-123758/#post1379528

There's even a video on how to pour bottle conditioned beers leaving the sediment behind.

Acuna said:

Also it seems like the sediment does not really appear in the bottom until I freeze it, almost as if it drops out of suspension when the temp is reduced. Should I have left it in the secondary longer?

Any advice?

Click to expand...

well, stop freezing your beer for starters.

seriously though, are you actually freezing your beer or is that just inaccurate wording?

i ask because beer actually has more flavor and aroma when you serve it at appropriate temperatures....which is not 'ice cold' 32F.

that's fine and well for bud light...that "beer" has no hops or malt flavor to enjoy.

but 'good beers' do have malt and hops and these get masked be icy temperatures. This is why you see/read/hear about pubs in the UK that serve 'warm beer' (often as warm at 60F going into the pint glass).

try it out. I keep my beer fridge/kegerator at about 44F to make sure I fully enjoy the fruits of my labor.

malkore said:

but 'good beers' do have malt and hops and these get masked be icy temperatures. This is why you see/read/hear about pubs in the UK that serve 'warm beer' (often as warm at 60F going into the pint glass).

Click to expand...

I'm no brewing expert or anything, but this is one realm I CAN dispute. As an avid traveler and someone who lives with Europeans daily, the "Europeans drink warm beer" theory is a myth. I've lived all over different parts of Europe, and so has the rest of my family. I've NEVER encountered a room temperature beer overseas. I do understand that some places do serve special beers that are less cold than we prefer them, but ALL of my British friends say that the warm beer thing is just a myth...they tell me that we as Americans aren't exactly going to places where Americans are particularly adored.

Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.

And honestly, I hope you are not literally FREEZING beer...

Drink that stuff out of the bottle after you've poured your beer into the pint glass, it's chock-full of vitamin B, which is a great vitamin to take to prevent hangovers.

Careful raking can reduce sediment. A secondary and cold crashing can significantly reduce it.

leaving in the fridge for 2-3 weeks packs it so hard it won't come out on pours.

at least for me.

or maybe I learned how to pour?

Heck, I was getting concerned because I was NOT Getting sediment!!! 4 days in the fridge fixed that.

OHIOSTEVE said:

Heck, I was getting concerned because I was NOT Getting sediment!!! 4 days in the fridge fixed that.

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing, I tried my first home brew and there was no sediment at all.

HempelNet said:

Why is it the questions I actually know the correct answer too, I get beaten by another poster.. lol

+1 to Shooter's post

Click to expand...

I hear you on that one!

malkore said:

seriously though, are you actually freezing your beer or is that just inaccurate wording?

Click to expand...

DEFINITELY inaccurate wording, although I DO put the beers in the fridge for 12-24+ hours before I plan on drinking them.


Also, thanks for all the replies about the sediment. Now I know.

PatientZero said:

I'm no brewing expert or anything, but this is one realm I CAN dispute. As an avid traveler and someone who lives with Europeans daily, the "Europeans drink warm beer" theory is a myth. I've lived all over different parts of Europe, and so has the rest of my family. I've NEVER encountered a room temperature beer overseas. I do understand that some places do serve special beers that are less cold than we prefer them, but ALL of my British friends say that the warm beer thing is just a myth...they tell me that we as Americans aren't exactly going to places where Americans are particularly adored.

Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.

And honestly, I hope you are not literally FREEZING beer...

Click to expand...

It's not a myth in England. The rest of Europe, maybe. I know my way around England fairly well, and you want your ales at 50-55F.....55F is cellar temp (Which is called room temp). If it's served cold, then you are in the wrong pub which probably caters to the "yoof" who want their ales and lagers at the same temps.

I think there is misunderstandings from both sides on the serving temperature of beer... lagers are undoubtedly served cold no matter where you go, and lagers are the predominantly most popular style of beer consumed in Europe, just like here in America.

The so-called myth that American's seem to perceive as Europeans drinking beer "warm" probably comes from English style ales that are served, as Laughing Gnome indicated, in the 50-55°F range. That and perhaps cask conditioned real ales.

I think that your typical, young European is drinking Heineken, Beck's, Carling, and, the most popular beer in Europe, Budweiser... all of which are served as cold as any other American lager.

So it's important to make the distinction between the types of beers we're talking about before assuming one thing or the other.

The problem with America is ordering a nice strong ale at a local bar and having that served to me freezing cold with no head in a frosted mug, tumbler or (god forbid) water glass. THAT is what annoys me.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

It's not a myth in England. The rest of Europe, maybe. I know my way around England fairly well, and you want your ales at 50-55F.....55F is cellar temp (Which is called room temp). If it's served cold, then you are in the wrong pub which probably caters to the "yoof" who want their ales and lagers at the same temps.

Click to expand...

Okay, okay, semantics...sorry.

It's just something that really bothers me as I have been all over Europe and England, and have never encountered a warm beer.

I think it comes down to "warm" being a relative term. Yes, 50 degrees is FAR from a frosty lager temperature, but it's FAR from being "warm" (by my personal acceptance of the word). I can turn my cold faucet on and get 50 degree water to run out, which is not something I'd consider "warm" or "room temperature".

PatientZero said:

the "Europeans drink warm beer" theory is a myth. I've lived all over different parts of Europe

Click to expand...

I concur. I've been through Europe and Asia and never been served a warm one.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

It's not a myth in England. The rest of Europe, maybe. I know my way around England fairly well, and you want your ales at 50-55F.....55F is cellar temp (Which is called room temp). If it's served cold, then you are in the wrong pub which probably caters to the "yoof" who want their ales and lagers at the same temps.

Click to expand...

OK, everything is relative. 55 if c-c-c-cold to me, but I live in the sunshine state. I would not consider a bath at 55 to be warm.

Sorry for bringing this thread off topic. Yes, it's a relative term. I don't consider 55F warm either for an ale. However, to many Americans it is considered warm for a beer.

YAY! Agreements all around!