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Brett3rThanU

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My first batch of beer is just about done, it's actually suppose to be truly complete this coming weekend, but I had to sample a bottle the other day. Here's what I did:

  • 3.75 lb can of Cooper's Mexican Style ME
  • 1 lb brewery grade corn syrup
  • 1 lb light malt extract
  • 1 oz cascade hops
  • Safale US-05 yeast

I left it in the primary for about 4 days, then racked it to the secondary. I know I racked a little too soon because of the activity I saw in the secondary, but hey, lived and learned. I left it in the secondary for about 2 .5 weeks, then bottled. Unfortunately during the primary stage the temp may have gone as high as 75 degrees, but not for very long, I then made my own swamp cooler to keep the temp down around 68. It has been sitting in the bottle now for 2 weeks... Saturday I tried a bottle and it wasn't bad, just nothing special. It had a hint of hops, but really didn't taste anything like a mexican style beer. The color was very golden, but cloudy, similar to a hefeweizen. However, the carbonation was good, good head, etc. My question is, I would have thought the beer would have come out a lot more clear than it did, was it my ingredients? Has it not sat long enough in the bottles? All in all my first attempt wasn't bad, but not great either, just average. My next batch I'll be steeping some grains so hopefully it'll turn out better. Any thoughts on the cloudiness?

Thanks.
 
You've also only had it in the bottle for 2 weeks....I'm just surprised it didn't taste "green" after only 2....

The usual rule of thumb is 1-2-3...but that's just a rule of thumb...it can be longer to fully bottle condition and clear... I have some 6-7 week bottle conditioned pumpkin porter, that's just starting to be drinkable and clear.
 
Generally the cloudiness is just an esoteric feature, it doesn't make the beer taste bad. It might get better with age, but I've had some that are as clear as can be and then chill haze forms when I refrigerate. Still tastes great though. If it bothers you, just drink in an opaque mug.
 
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