All grain brew question, what is this cloudy stuff??

So i just brewed about my 15th all grain batch, and for some reason my wort is really cloudy and gross looking, like nasty stuff sticking together, i am posting a picture but what in the heck is this? Should i even ferment it? Or just throw the batch out? Im so confused. Its not hops because i put them in hop bags like always.

To me wort is always nasty looking. I would just go ahead and pitch the yeast.

Looks like cold break. Either that or you accidentally made egg drop soup.

It's pretty small, so it looks like hot break to me. That's a good thing! You want that in each batch- it means you got a good hot break. That should result in a better flavored beer, better clarity, and a more shelf stable beer.

The stuff is everywhere, i mean litterally, when i was siphoning it into my carboy it was in every bit, very very cloudy, even my sample for my gravity check was really cloudy and gross looking, your saying this is a good thing?!?!?!?! lol i have never seen it before in my last 14 brews so i am still just confused by it.

Do you use Irish moss, whirlflock or some other clearing agent?

I agree that it is either cold break or hot break. That's a good thing. It means that you got certain proteins that you don't want in your final beer to precipitate out of solution. Even if you transfered this stuff into your fermenter it will settle to the bottom and you'll be able to siphon without pulling it out.

Lind13 said:

The stuff is everywhere, i mean litterally, when i was siphoning it into my carboy it was in every bit, very very cloudy, even my sample for my gravity check was really cloudy and gross looking, your saying this is a good thing?!?!?!?! lol i have never seen it before in my last 14 brews so i am still just confused by it.

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ALL of my batches look like that. Egg drop soup is a good description! That's actually a GREAT thing. Trust me.

Here's the thing, though- the wort itself should be clear. The "crud" is cloudy, but the wort should be very clear because the crud is coagulated and not actually mixed in the wort. It's heavier, so it should sink to the bottom, leaving clear wort above.

A really good way of testing this out is to pull out your gravity sample last 20 min or so of the boil chill it in a cup in a small ice bath or freezer chill it to 60. I usually do this for my Origional Gravity sample.It always seperates.I use a baster and always dip in off of this trub and take my sample reading to the hydrometer,this way i dont have to stick anything into my cooled wort except for the mixer to aerate it with.I dont have to sanitize the hydrometer either then i just taste it and pitch the sample.

Awesome! You guys just made my day, so it turns out that the 14 batches i thought were good werent even done perfect!! Thanks guys, im excited now, and yes i use irish moss last 15.

Next time you see it try whirlpooling and letting sit for 15 min. See if it settles.

Ya that's a good idea, though I have trouble whirlpooling because my boil kettle has a weldless spigot and the nut on the inside sticks out and I always hit it when trying to whirlpool

Looks like cold break to me.

Lind13 said:

The stuff is everywhere, i mean litterally, when i was siphoning it into my carboy it was in every bit, very very cloudy, even my sample for my gravity check was really cloudy and gross looking, your saying this is a good thing?!?!?!?! lol i have never seen it before in my last 14 brews so i am still just confused by it.

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I'm surprised to hear that you haven't seen break material in your first 14 beers. I've never seen one without it.

enohcs said:

Next time you see it try whirlpooling and letting sit for 15 min. See if it settles.

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Plus 1 - for whirlpooling. I pull out my chiller for a minute, whirlpool, and then put my chiller back in and let it sit for 20 minutes. Works great for me.