Trub Question

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BrewDrinkBrew

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I just bottled my second batch of beer (a wheat beer). I had posted earlier about an issue with the yeast not completely settling and today on the 14th day it was still the same with a pretty prominent layer on the top which I had to sacrifice part of into the last bottle I filled. I also noticed today that the trub at the bottom of the fermenter was very "milky" in appearance which was different from my first batch of a pale ale. My two questions at this point would be if the milky colored trub could be seen as normal or if this could be an indication that something might have gone wrong coupled with the floating yeast issue? Also, would it be best practice to just scrap the last bottle with a high about of yeast "globs" or see if it settles and give it a go. I am trying to abide by the philosophy of RDWHAHB but I am just trying to avoid getting discouraged early in the game considering I also had a carbing problem with my first two bottles from my first batch (I will be cracking the next bottle to what I hope is a much better result tonight). Thanks in advance for any helpful info.

~Dan
 
wheat beers are supposed to be cloudy.

ok. i think your problem may be a bad bottling technique. first wait a minimum of 2 weeks before racking your beer anywhere and make sure the SG has stopped falling. leave the beer in the carboy till it is clear enough. next siphon your beer slowly from your carboy to your bottling bucket. use a siphon, preferably an auto siphon, with a little cup on the end to keep from sucking up the trub. once the siphon is on the bottom of the carboy try your best not to move it. this will keep from disturbing the yeast cake.
 
Thanks TipsyDragon, the good news is that I just opened another bottle from the first batch and it came out good! I now know the issue was not giving it more time in the bottle to carb. That being said, I feel better about how the second batch will come out, but only time will tell. For the first two batches I was actually using a Mr. Beer kit (insert sigh / eye roll here . . . :D) but I have already purchased a "big boy" kit with auto-siphon, 6.5gal glass carboy, and several other bells and whistles so once I give it a go with the new stuff I will certainly heed the advice provided. In regards to the cloudiness of wheat beer; I am aware of and ok with cloudy, but it was the fact that it was more so the "milky-WHITE" aspect of it that made we think twice about the successfulness of the fermentation (which did sit for 14 days). On the same note I did notice a suggestion on this forum for an "infected/rotten" section or something to that affect which would spur me to ask a question . . . could a statement be made about the color of the sediment or fermenting yeast as a clear indicator of an issue? Such as white = bacteria, green = mold, blue = smurf poop . . . etc. etc. ?
 
Sounds normal to me. Every batch of beer is different even if you use the same exact recipe and do everything the same. The yeast cake is typically milky and white/tan in color. I wouldnt worry about if I were you. As far as scrapping that last bottle, dont. Its worth a shot. Im not sure I understand what exactly you got in it. Was it just trub? Or was it krausen? Either way, next time you might consider letting your beer sit longer til its clearer, or racking to a secondary for a day or so before bottling.
 
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