Beer Clarity

So I just finished brewing a Belgian blond from extract using a full boil and whirlfloc and I took a sample to get the OG. The first thing I notice was the clarity was much better than any of my previous batches (which have all been pretty cloudy) As I mentioned I used whirlfloc and managed to cool with an ice bath and immersion chiller in under 20 minutes. I let the sample sit and it collected sediment and was even more clear. Would this be accurate in predicting the clarity of the beer or will fermentation (using WLP 570) have an affect the clarity?


Thanks

Just as aside, for whatever reason I am striving for a clear beer. It is a pet peeve of mine that I would like as clear of beer as possible. I realize that it has little affect on taste and that ceramic mugs masks all cloudiness, just a thing for me I guess.

the yeast will definitely cloud it up some, but it should mostly settle out(if you are patient) and if you cold crash it, you can get it even clearer. but the less crap you start with, the less you end up with. do you bottle or keg? if bottling, be careful with the cold crashing, you don't want to mess with the yeast too much. a secondary will help you out also.

if you want to get really funky, buy a whole house water filter housing, a 1 or 2 micron (nominal) filter for it and clear your beer that way.

Time and cold crashing will help.

Most new brewers have a problem with impatience and don't give their beer enough time to clear naturally.

homebrewer_99 said:

Time and cold crashing will help.

Most new brewers have a problem with impatience and don't give their beer enough time to clear naturally.

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+1. The first pale ale I brewed (and I used Whrilfloc) was crystal clear until I put it in the fridge, then had bad chill haze. But after two to three weeks in the fridge, it's crystal clear again.

Thanks for the info. I am bottling and am still inexperienced enough to be fearful of the cold crash in the secondary. Currently my secondary is being used as a primary for some apfelwien, but the plan is to let it sit in the primary for 3 weeks (as the apfelwien finished) then move to secondary for 3 weeks and finish in the bottle for 3. If I let it sit in the bottle for a week to carb and then place the bottles in the fridge for 2+ weeks will that help with the chill haze, I guess that would be a in bottle cold crash? Or maybe I don't understand cold crashing or chill haze for that matter.

With the water filtration systems, I am assuming that at the size they would filter the yeast? Something my roommate and I had considered but only if we had the ability to force carb in a keg.

Thanks

Don't put them in the fridge after a week in the bottle. Let them fully carbonate (about 3 weeks @ 70*) and then you can store them in the fridge.

jojojones said:

Thanks for the info. I am bottling and am still inexperienced enough to be fearful of the cold crash in the secondary. Currently my secondary is being used as a primary for some apfelwien, but the plan is to let it sit in the primary for 3 weeks (as the apfelwien finished) then move to secondary for 3 weeks and finish in the bottle for 3. If I let it sit in the bottle for a week to carb and then place the bottles in the fridge for 2+ weeks will that help with the chill haze, I guess that would be a in bottle cold crash? Or maybe I don't understand cold crashing or chill haze for that matter.

With the water filtration systems, I am assuming that at the size they would filter the yeast? Something my roommate and I had considered but only if we had the ability to force carb in a keg.

Thanks

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You need longer than one week at room temp to carb and condition. If you want the beer to be ready in nine weeks, how about 3 to 4 weeks in primary, skip the secondary (or only a week in secondary if you are dry hopping), three weeks to carb (even more would be better), then a couple weeks in the fridge?

No, you don't want to cold crash in the bottles. This is done in bulk.

If you can rack to another fermenter then just let it sit a few more weeks to clear up.

The purpose of cold crashing is to allow more of the yeast to fall out of suspension and become clear.

If you cold crash in the bottle you're going to have a 1/4 inch or more of yeast sediment in every bottle. One little jostle can/will make the contents cloudy again.

The clearer the brew going into the bottle the cleaner the brew goes into the glass...and a much better presentation to your guests.

is it possible that sometimes clarity depends on the brands of extract?
When I used to only extracts I normally would get cloudy or murky beers quite a bit.
That for the most part went away after I started AG. now years later I decided to do an extract beer again and there we go, cloudy beer again.
I mean it dont bother me in the least, but is that atleast a possiblity?

Will cold crashing effect my ability to bottle, have too much yeast fall out?

Thanks

jojojones said:

Will cold crashing effect my ability to bottle, have too much yeast fall out?

Thanks

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Almost, certainly, not.

Even though you can't see yeast in relatively clear beer there are still millions, if not billions of cells in there that will carb the beer. Keep in mind you probably pitched somewhere around 100-200 billion cells. Also, many people are bottling lagers that sit for as many as 4 weeks in lagering, which is the same as cold crashing.

I don't secondary and my beer is super clear after 2 weeks in keg, or 3 weeks in bottle plus 1-2 weeks in fridge. Just as yours will be! And I don't cold crash unless I'm in a massive rush to serve something

So don't worry about that. Just be sure to keep the bottles at ~70F for about 3 weeks.


Brew On!

If I cold crash do I want to bottle with the beer colsd or does it matter?

jojojones said:

If I cold crash do I want to bottle with the beer colsd or does it matter?

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It does not really matter, however, the temperature affects the amount of carbonation you'll get. So, you just need to be aware of that.

There are many charts on the topic. Check Mr Malty

I may have the wrong idea here...but what about some type of filtration?

The work I do is giving me ideas LOL

filtering will certianly help to produce a brilliantly clear beer, but that WILL remove yeast before bottling, so you'll have to add more yeast at bottling. Or you'll have to keg.

Gotcha. Diatomeceous Earth, some filter pads, and a way to keep pressure would work great I would imagine. It would also help cure a contaminated batch.

It really depends on what it's contaminated with, doesn't it?

khiddy said:

It really depends on what it's contaminated with, doesn't it?

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yes. i am not sure I would agree with the claim that filtering can negate contamination.

some bacteria, or wild yeast, could be effectively 'filtered out'. However, the off flavours that they cause are not filterable, in most cases.

For example, I'm relatively certain you can filter out Brettanomyces cells themselves (never tried - and I don't filter), but the acetic acid produced by the brett cannot be filtered by conventional homebrew equipment. Though I imagine it may be possible to remove it in a lab somehow.

It might be fair to say that you can 'minimize the effects of contamination by filtering', as removing wild yeast could stop any negative effects from worsening once packaged. But I don't think you can 'fix' contamination by filtering.

noeldundas said:

Almost, certainly, not.

Even though you can't see yeast in relatively clear beer there are still millions, if not billions of cells in there that will carb the beer. Keep in mind you probably pitched somewhere around 100-200 billion cells. Also, many people are bottling lagers that sit for as many as 4 weeks in lagering, which is the same as cold crashing.

I don't secondary and my beer is super clear after 2 weeks in keg, or 3 weeks in bottle plus 1-2 weeks in fridge. Just as yours will be! And I don't cold crash unless I'm in a massive rush to serve something

So don't worry about that. Just be sure to keep the bottles at ~70F for about 3 weeks.


Brew On!

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+1

In addition to dropping yeast, the cold crash assists in coagulating protein sediments still suspended in the beer. Returning the beer to ~70F should help ensure an efficient carbonation process as well.
Cold Crashing Ales A Way to Clarify Beer | Brewer's Friend

bhansen99xj said:

Gotcha. Diatomeceous Earth, some filter pads, and a way to keep pressure would work great I would imagine. It would also help cure a contaminated batch.

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Personally I would stay away from diatomeceous earth. It might give off some really funky flavors. I can smell that stuff for days when I add it to my lawn. I wouldn't want it anywhere near my beer. Even if someone promised that it wouldn't affect the end product, I wouldn't do it.