salvage operation???

or, let's make this clear!

Alright, stubborn mule that I am, I refuse to give up on this latest "bad batch". So, I need advice/suggestions.

Here is the summary of the situation (see https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=23139 if you have lot's of time on your hands):

I have a california common ale in the carboy. It is done fermenting. OG 1.050, was 1.008 two weeks ago when I racked it to clearing vessel and as of Yesterday it still is. It has been almost 4 weeks, 2 in primary and 2 in secondary as of this Sunday.

Tastes crappy.

I can not correctly identify the problem, best I can say is it is yeasty. Tastes like 2 other batches (of completely different style beers)I have made recently, but that is another story. It is pretty clear, but there may still be yeast in suspension?

Not knowing what the problem is, are there some things I can do to it before bottling that may help, but certainly won't make it any worse? As it is a lager yeast it could possibly sit longer if I cool it off more, so whatever I do has time to work?

Like using finings? This has been suggested to me but I am under the impression those work best when you are kegging. I bottle. Will this make carbonating difficult/impossible later as there may be no yeast left?

Any other things to try? Am I just being too obstinate and the only real solution is to either dump it or bottle and then drink the $%#*ty beer, or I should say, more %$^#ty beer as that is what I have been drinking. Got 2 1/4 cases to go :cross:

If I were smart I would just stop trying to brew. Alas, I am not that smart.
Thanks folks.

Use finings. Cold condition to get any residual yeast out of suspension. Re-pitch when you bottle with the cleanest ale yeast you can find, so that you don't destroy the beer's character. But that's just an idea, I don't know for sure.

What finings do you recomend. I have never used any before. I can get Super Kleer, gelatin, or bentonite (or is that just for wine) at my LHBS.

How cold and how long for conditioning? Coldest stable temp I could manage would be about 40 F in my spare fridge. I have a cold room in the basement that gets colder, but it fluctuates and could go below 30 F.

How much yeast would I pitch and a lager or an ale yeast? I have some dry lager saflager s-23 or ale I have some safale us-56?

I'll try those things, thanks Bird

Wish I knew - I've never used fining before either, just what I've heard about them makes it sound like they would work well for you in this case. The 40° sounds right for cold-conditioning. For yeast, I was just thinking a packet of US-56 or something similar mixed into the bottling bucket. Hell, worth a shot, right?

Hopefully, the *real* experts can chime in soon.

I don't recommend you doing anything...except wait! Where's the recipe?

Let me get this straight...in 1 para you say it's a Cali Ale...in another a lager...which is it? I've had lagers in a carboy over 100 days lagering...you're only at 2 weeks...be sure to keep the temps low (35-50F).

I've had lagers that tasted like rash after 3 weeks and after 3 months in the bottle it tasted damn good.

I had one of my Belgium Dubbels the other night (which have always tasted good) that I bottled in October. It was really great to sip on.

I wouldn't do anything other than let it sit, maybe a month or so longer. Keep your temp down.
Prime and bottle.
I had an ordinary bitter that tasted yeasty after 3 weeks in the bottle. At 5 weeks the yeasty flavor was gone. I used Muntons dry Ale yeast.

I had skimmed over the relative short length of time, so I'm going to jump on the chorus of "leave it along for a while." You aren't anywhere near desperation stage.

cold crash it

OK, I got it...it's a "Steam-style".

I've lagered over 100 days in a carboy. I wouldn't worry too much about your brew at this point.

I think I had the same problem. Look for a recent thread :

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19698

I figured it was that Cal yeasts are expected to work at 60++ degrees. So, I thought that what fixed my batch was some warmer weather, making for a diacetyl rest. I think I'll go try one now, bottled for only 4 days. OOPs. make that tomorrow, I forgot to cool one last time too, and gushed it by opening warm. I'll get back here tmorrow. Sweet, flat, but not foul are my expectations.

I swear that each week that goes by, the bottles of beer in my fridge get better. Even more so for my kegs...though they don't last as long as the bottles.

I'd say once you get this steam beer back on track, go to Austin Home Brew or Midwest Supplies, order a simple Blonde Ale kit and restart your brewing career with a simple (but delicious) brew session.

Do you do extract/partial mashes only. Maybe you're one of those people who were destined to only do all-grain.

cold that is. Um, too fast perhaps. This has happened to me before, I am not worried but I thought I would get some thoughts on it.

I put the carboy in my fridge at the warmest setting which actually is about 42 F. Well,
it created a vacuum. Not enough to suck water (er, at least not much) out of the airlock, but the floating part is sucked down on the stem inside the airlock. Should I do anything about that?

I figured the yeast are maybe in shock so not producing any new co2? I was going to lower the temp more, but should I do something else first? Unfortunately I could not think of a way to lower the temp more gradually. So it dropped about 12 or so degrees going in to the fridge. I realize that is a pretty extreme change.

Problem? No problem?
Drop it colder?

Oh btw, did I mention the effervesence? The beer is very mildly carbonated, lots of tiny bubbles to it. Ussually when I have had beer fermenting this long (1 month) it was flat. Any signifigance?

Thanks