Cloudy AG Brew

For my first AG brew (read partial mash, but i mashed the grain in an MLT), i did the Can't Lager Oktoberfest in the recipe database. I tried my first bottle last night (2 weeks in the bottle) and it was delicious. There wasn't enough carbonation yet (i used corn sugar), but the taste was there. The only problem is the beer was cloudy as hell. I'm guessing i didn't vorlauf the mash well enough.

So last weekend i brewed Edworts Haus Pale and i circulated about 1.5 gallons of wort out and into the MLT and the damn wort wouldn't clear up. There were still bits of grain in the outflow and it was cloudy. What would cause this to happen? I used a Northern Brewer 10 gallon rubbermaid MLT with a false bottom. Best i can tell i had the false bottom firmly on the bottom of the cooler before i put in the grain.

Any suggestions?

Arent first runnings cloudy anyways? You just look for them to be grain free I thought.

right, 'clear runnings' just means you don't see bits of grain/husk anymore.

with my SS braid MLT, I can only open the valve about 60%. any more and my runnings just aren't clear.

try draining it a little slower.

It's weird because it looks like someone dumped the Grain dust right into my bottling bucket. It's a fairly light beer but i can't see through it. Sheesh. Next time i'll drain more slowly and see what happens.

Obsession with clear beers... Psssh, tasty and potent, there's a good pair of focii.

But that picture of Edworts Haus Pale looks so clear, clean and refreshing. My beer is cloudy! I have to research some more to figure out how to get a clearer brew.

kegging and gelatin are your clear beer friends.

time heals all, leave it in the fridge, it'll clear up

How are you chilling your wort? Getting a good hard cold break can also help with clarity, including chill haze. I've seen an improvement when I switched to a CFC.

I always cycle the first runnings back to the top of the MLT. It always takes a bit of running before the mash "sets" and begins to properly filter out the husks and small particles. I start the real sparging only after the liquor is running clear.

I assure you that your mashing/sparging/vorlauf technique has nothing to do with the clarity of your post fermented wort. Chilling fast yes. Longer secondary yes. Cold crashing/conditioning yes. Patience yes.

Aging beer is the answer. You have to wait 28 days minimum in most cases. It does not matter if the beer is in a Keg or Bottle. Yeast will be in the beer as long as there are sugars to eat. Have patience. Chill haze is another point to make and it can be reduced by using a clairifier during the end of boil. Read up on this.