so i have this batch of pale ale beer (5 gallons) and this isnt clearing, i waited for fermentation to stop and added super kleer, it has cleared some but not all the way. my sparge runoff was not very clear causing cloudy wort and i wonder if this is the issue. i also havent cooled this batch yet. i have had very successful batches in the past and this is the only notable differences between them.
why wont this one clear?
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I've had troubles with this when I was using a mini food processor to crush my grains. Too much of the fine floury stuff I think led to excessive dissolved proteins & thus haze. Chilling only made it worse & it didn't settle. I finally got a Barley Crusher grain mill,crushed'em at the factory .039" setting,& that def helped. I also started using Fivestar Super Moss in the boil. That helped even more. Clear or very nearly so. Usually very clear at this point.
Chilling the wort to pitch temp in 20 minutes or less also helps.
Chilling the wort to pitch temp in 20 minutes or less also helps.
NickTheGreat
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Are you me? 
I have a pale ale whose wort was not running clear. And it still pretty cloudy in the carboy.
I'm going to try to cold crash or something, but not too optimistic, now
I have a pale ale whose wort was not running clear. And it still pretty cloudy in the carboy.I'm going to try to cold crash or something, but not too optimistic, now
I BIAB so I get a ton of flour into the boil and my beer sparkles. What yeast? Do you use any kettle finings? How's your hot/cold break? I've found that gelatin clears up even the most stubborn hazes.
i used us safale - 05 i usually add irish moss but i did not this time i had none on hand and didnt think it would make much of a difference, but i guess it has.
i bottled this afternoon and primed with sugar, hopefully it will clear in 2 weeks, if not oh well its not a biggy, ill try to look for better milled grain(i dont mill my own) and be sure to use the moss. i havent tried gelatin but ill be sure to give it a go next time around, thanks to everyone that posted it has been a big help!
dlaramie08
Well-Known Member
Do you not want to tell us all of the info do we may make an informed decision? Recipe? Temps? How long in primary?
I made a batch of pale ale using Galena hops for the dry hopping. It never cleared and I blamed the hops as other batches with the same recipe except for different hops cleared just fine.
dlaramie08 said:
Well I'll be glad to tell you! Just asking would have been nice. So the temps are the original , mash 155-152f for sixty minutes, then after drainage I gave it a 3 gallon sparge bath of water at 175f it was then boiled for 60 minutes, hops were added at 60-one oz,30-1/2 oz,15-1/4 oz, and 5 minutes 1/4 oz all German hollertau 3.2% then I strained the boil with a nylon grain bag, I did not use a grain bag for the mash, I did want the beta and alpha-gluconase and proteins to be left behind, I felt it would leave behind an off taste and a cloudy effect. It had a very rapid fermentation, it started at 1070 and hit my target gravity in 4 days which was 1011 I transferred from a brew bucket to a 5 gal carboy to clear one Day it cleared almost completely the second day there was no noticeable increase in residue in the bottom from yesterday's residue, I take pictures to watch the difference in the increase of residue. I bottled that day with priming sugar and the bottles have less than a millimeter of residue, very little, the grain bill was 8 lb pale 2 row 2lb light crystal 1/2 lb vienne.
If your dry hop tastes grassy it's usualy because you've dry hoped too long.
dlaramie08
Well-Known Member
How quickly did you cool to pitching temps? Sounds like you have a lot of protein that's still hanging around. I think you may be rushing it a little bit. If you give it a little more time in primary/secondary before bottling it can help. Also, using boil kettle finings (Irish moss, whirlfloc , etc) and cooling very quickly are the two best things to do to help clarity besides patience. Once the bottles are carbed up, put them in the back of the fridge and forget about them for a couple of weeks and they should be quite clear.
two_one_seven
Well-Known Member
If I read the specifics correctly you bottled on day 5?
boscobeans
Well-Known Member
Looks like that may be the problem to me.
Most of mine sit in the fermenter for a minimum of 4 weeks.
bosco
unionrdr said:
I have never made a brew where I had to dry hop, but the beers I have tried that were had quite a bite I think it's because the hops used in the brew, used Hops with a higher cohumulone content than the more pleasing hulumone. I don't like the bitterness that forms from cohumulone. Harvested yeast also takes part in dry hopping even though its in secondary, harvested yeast can take away the grassy bite from a dry hop brew. Also if the brew is stored in secondary at a low temperature (around 50-60f) then it adds aroma retention, so this may also mask that grassy effect, all of these methods I have not tried but could be factors. I love the discussions! I just started this blogging thing and I love it
It doesn't have to be harvested yeast to effect the dry hop. It just has to be in suspension. Hop oils coat the suspended yeast cells. when the cells go to the bottom dormant,the hop oils' aromas go with them.
It's not just a certain type of hops that may smell grassy. It's more a function of time. Hops also have a lot of herbal & floral notes to them,even lemongrass. I think it's these notes that are being mistaken by some as grassy.
It's not just a certain type of hops that may smell grassy. It's more a function of time. Hops also have a lot of herbal & floral notes to them,even lemongrass. I think it's these notes that are being mistaken by some as grassy.
dlaramie08 said:
It did take a while to cool the boil, almost 50 minutes i ran out of ice :/ ...q. 65-70 is my pitching , primary, and secondary temps. I did not use kettle fittings before and it came out clear, I never crash cool and it comes out clear. It's just this batch and I noted what is different up top. The recipe I use is supposed to be bottled within a week. I swear I'm not rushing primary the hydrometer does not lie I might be rushing secondary but I keep track of sediment buildup with pictures and marks and within a 12 hour period the sediment had no detectable build up. And the bottles have almost no sediment on the bottom if at all. I will practice patience though , it is not like me to rush.
Recipe instruction sheets with kits,etc are notorious for being short-n-quick time wise. Most home brews by the average brewer will not be ready to bottle in 7 days flat.
unionrdr said:
I do not have an issue with the aroma. But you are correct that I may be mistaken that harsh bite for these flavors. And yes any yeast has that effect but harvested yeast has a greater effect on the aromas. Also the brews I have tried had left bits of hops in the brew similar to smutty nose so this could also have an effect. I am not trying to prove you wrong I was just trying to express my opinion on dry hopped brews
unionrdr said:
Oh hunnay
this ain't no kit. This is a recipe from yours truly, but of course I took it off of a family member but I had worped the hops the mash and sparge process along with grain load and that doesn't explain why other batches have workedtwo_one_seven
Well-Known Member
Well the recipe said it should be bottled in 7 days, if you look above you'll see I have my explanation to someone else that thought similar to you
Not sure if you want the truth or a bunch of people to make this more complicated than it needs to be. You bottled it too soon simple as that.
dlaramie08
Well-Known Member
two_one_seven said:Not sure if you want the truth or a bunch of people to make this more complicated than it needs to be. You bottled it too soon simple as that.
217 is right. You asked a question and we answered it. I'm sorry you don't like it, but fishing for more answers because you don't like the one that's been agreed upon is not a good idea.
two_one_seven said:Not sure if you want the truth or a bunch of people to make this more complicated than it needs to be. You bottled it too soon simple as that.
Well why did previous batches work before? I'm not trying to frustrate but I like collaborating, I like the multiple answers!
dlaramie08
Well-Known Member
Yeast are living things and being that, they do not live according to our timeline. You may have been nothing but lucky on the previous batches. This batch of yeast are most likely not floccing out as quickly. 7 days is just too soon to have consistently reproducible results at our level.
Edit: 7 days is too soon without using other fining agents or crash cooling etc.
Edit: 7 days is too soon without using other fining agents or crash cooling etc.
two_one_seven
Well-Known Member
Multiple answers are messy. It's best to have one that theortically answers the question best. Test and see it it fixes the issue. You start playing with a bunch of variables at the same time and there is no way to figure what is what.
two_one_seven said:
Okay well thank you guys!
ill let you know that I tried some just now tonight and its very delicious, it hasn't cleared the bottles yet but dang! It came out just as good if not tastier than the others, it's surprisingly over carbed and holds a cap without any issue, I'll send a picture soon. Thank you to all that help and sorry for the dibockle I just love to talk brew.boscobeans
Well-Known Member
Clearing ales takes a few weeks, either in the fermenter (I keep it there for about 4 weeks and it goes in the bottle clear) or in the bottle once fermentation is done and all that goes on in the bottle is fermentation from priming sugar.
My thoughts on your beer:
If it is overcarbed in such a short period of time I might be a tad worried about bottle bombs. Sounds like you still have primary fermentation taking place along with priming sugar fermentation????
Usually my ales take a few weeks to carb up.
Just to be safe you may want to put them somewhere and in something that can handle beer and broken glass.
OMO
bosco
boscobeans said:
I have placed them in a cool place so it will halt fermentation in the bottles. The primary was finished there was no movement in the liquid or the air lock and the hydrometer hit the target gravity, I can promise you I am not trying to deny your answer it sounds very probable. I am thinking this was for the better? I have never had a beer ready this fast and taste the way it is supposed too. Which is very good. Thank you for the info! Happy brewing
