Do I Have Chill Haze?

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BronzeBender

BronzeBender

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Hi,

So Ive been lurking and reading these forums for about a year and finally started trying to brew beer. I went away for the weekend with 3 days left of a 14 day primary fermentation (tomorrow is day 14) and the IPA was coming out nice and clear. However I got back to my place today to find it completely clouded up almost milky. Ive been trying to look into what it could be Chill Haze? I understand the noob-ness of the question and but I was wondering if I should try to refrigerate it a few days to cold shock it or bottle it and give it a few weeks anyway?

Thank you

Edit* Ive also noticed the airlock seems to be bubbling quite a bit now
 
BronzeBender said:
Hi,

So Ive been lurking and reading these forums for about a year and finally started trying to brew beer. I went away for the weekend with 3 days left of a 14 day primary fermentation (tomorrow is day 14) and the IPA was coming out nice and clear. However I got back to my place today to find it completely clouded up almost milky. Ive been trying to look into what it could be Chill Haze? I understand the noob-ness of the question and but I was wondering if I should try to refrigerate it a few days to cold shock it or bottle it and give it a few weeks anyway?

Thank you

Edit* Ive also noticed the airlock seems to be bubbling quite a bit now
Click to expand...

Chill haze is when a clear beer at room temperature turns a tiny bit hazy when chilled. You don't have chill haze; instead it sounds like an infection process. "Milky" sounds bad.
 
An infection process? But wouldn't I have noticed something earlier? I left Friday and it looked pretty clear. Could it happen since then? I was wondering if a temperature drop would maybe restart or cause the process of fermentation to start up again since it seems that the bubbling started up again?
 
Depends on a lot of information you have not mentioned.
What temperature was it fermentated at? What temp did it get to over the wekend? what was the og? what is the sg?
It could be an infection, but it could also be that it was too cold and not fermenting very fast until it warmed up over the weekend and the active ferment kick up all the trub again. Ofcorse this would not make sense if it was at around 70°F the whole time.
Can you post a pic?
 
Well I don't think it could have been an increase of temperature that caused if anything I think there was a decrease of temperature the last few days. It's my first batch so it's a Brooklyn brew shop kit and I didn't have the og since I didn't have a hydrometer yet. It's been fermenting at about 75° maybe just a bit lower for the last two weeks.

Here is a picture of it now, but on Friday it was a clear color.

image-4185769829.jpg
 
I could be wrong, but IIRC, chill haze only appears when the beer is chilled below 40F.
 
thargrav said:
Taste it - you'll know.
Click to expand...

The only problem with that is there is only 1 gallon of it :D
B ut I agree, take a sample and see what it tastes like and a gravity reading, if it is stable over a couple of day bottle it up.
 
My personal opinion is you will taste it then dump it. I have been brewing since 1977 and I have never seen a good beer go from clear to cloudy in a fermenter, never.....

Unless you are trying to replicate some sort of sour Belgian!
 
BronzeBender said:
Well I don't think it could have been an increase of temperature that caused if anything I think there was a decrease of temperature the last few days. It's my first batch so it's a Brooklyn brew shop kit and I didn't have the og since I didn't have a hydrometer yet. It's been fermenting at about 75° maybe just a bit lower for the last two weeks.

Here is a picture of it now, but on Friday it was a clear color.
Click to expand...

While its been a long time for me...that looks pretty normal for the BBS kit...an IPA I imagine? Plus, its very hard to get beer like that clear at 75...time and temp lead to a clearer beer. Once you've carbed the beer in bottles...give them a week or two in the fridge, then you'll know
 
Thanks for the suggestions, ill take a gravity reading tonight and taste it. I'll give it a few days and see if the gravity is stable and bottle it and see what happens from there.
 
thargrav said:
My personal opinion is you will taste it then dump it. I have been brewing since 1977 and I have never seen a good beer go from clear to cloudy in a fermenter, never.....

Unless you are trying to replicate some sort of sour Belgian!
Click to expand...

I also have never seen a beer/wine/mead/cider go from clear to not, without an infection.

Hopefully it was just stalled before, and started again, but that's really unheard of.
 

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