Yeast that wont settle good in the bottle?

I have done about 8 Brewers best kits, all of different types.
Most of them have been pretty good and the yeast has settled tightly on the bottom of the bottle.

But on two of the 8 kits (american red ale and american microbrew style IPA) the yeast doesnt seem to want to completetly settle to the bottom of the bottle.

I even let a couple of the bottles of the red ale sit for 4 months and sure enough, even with my careful attempt at pouring, I still get quite a bit of chunks in my glass. The other kits Ive used as well as my friends who start from scratch, I can almost hold the beer upside down and not get any excessive yeast floating in my glass.

The red ale bottles looked packed but came off the bottom real easy. The IPA I have now which has been in bottles for almost a month, you can see the yeastfloating about 1 inch from the bottom. I poured one last night from a .5 liter Urdinger bottle and I had to leave about an inch in the bottle or else I would have all the yeast in my glass. That seems a waste.

Any one know if there is some kind of common goof that would make one batch yeast not want to settle tightly? Is it yeast specific? Any tricks to tighten up the yeast pellet?

thanks for any help
jim
p.s. No I dont like drinking the yeast if I can help it. In case people try to say it doesnt effect taste and is good for you.

xpoc454 said:

No I dont like drinking the yeast if I can help it. In case people try to say it doesnt effect taste and is good for you.

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It affects taste for sure. Some people like it, some people don't.

As for being good for you... it IS actually good for you. It contains a LOT of vitamin B, which is useful in preventing hangovers. But, it's also a natural laxative.

-walker

Walker said:

But, it's also a natural laxative.

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Oh...and I thought I was just getting old.

I guess I could offer something toward your actualy question, eh?

If you use gelatin or some other fining agent in your secondary, the yeast will settle down to the bottom of the carboy pretty effectively. You'll end up with fairly clear beer before you even bottle it, and what is left in suspension in the beer will definately be able to carbonate and should settle down in the bottle.

Also, if you cold-condition your bottles for a week before drinking, the temperature shock will assist in sedimenting the remaining yeast.

-walker

Cool thanks, Ive been debating about using finings to clear up the beer. I was a little nervous if I used it in the secondary it would remove all the yeast and there wouldnt be enough to ferment in the bottle. This was after I looked up poly-clear.

on a side note, The laxative powers of yeast is something I dont want the day after having a few to many home brews.

just eat a pound of cheese before you start drinking to offset the yeast.

believe me, there will stil be plenty of yeast in the fined beer to carbonate.

-walker

After bottling, give each bottle a couple clockwise twists to start a mini-tornadic funnel.

This will provide an inward force in the bottle affecting every floaty in there (eventually) downward via gravity,

Then repeat the process a couple of days later.

When you lager the yeast will settle out also.

I bought some gelatin. Are the general instructions similar to this?

Wait until your secondary is done fermenting.
Add 1 tablespoon to a cup of boiled water.
Pour into secondary and stir secondary with a long sanitized spoon.
Wait a couple days and than bottle?

thats how the stuff i buy reads i swear by it now

The spoon they sold me at the brew shop doesnt even fit in my fermenters, I ended up using the handle. Does everyone else use something to tir the gelatin or do you just pour it in and recap with air lock?

If you are strong enough, just pick it up and shake it or just invert it once or twice. Hold the cap on while doing this! I rarely use finings, but a cornie is light enough I can shake it. I'm too old to try that with a glass carboy, but know lots of younger guys who don't.

I don't like yeast chunks in my ale either and I purchased a very fine strainer that I'll pour though. I also use this in transferring from the fermenter to the keg.

Well i bottled the two pilsner batches yesterday. One had 2 lbs more dme in it. These two batches were by far the clearest beer Ive made so far. Im a little worried that there is yeast in it but I ve been told there should be plenty.
Pretty awesome so far, I will hopefully get an update on carbonation next.