Dark Floaters in Bottles! Pictures!

[DGElectric]

Hi All, and thanks for the advice - I've been lurking gratefully since September.

My latest brew* has been clearing slowly in bottles for the last 10 days. But some bottles have a lot of dark floaters near the top. (Others fewer, others none.)

Pictures below. This is my first dry-hopped brew. Previous 5 extract brews were no problem, and have shown signs of incremental improvement.

My first guess is that some bottles weren't sterilized effectively, and it might be mould - although it's not clinging to the sides at all. I just used bleach solution followed by a rinse with tap water. But then that's what I did for the last 5 brews, mostly in the same bottles... Only things I did different this time was (a) No-Chill, and (b) Dry Hopped. Anyway, pretty funky-looking stuff

Any other ideas?

* IPA - 1.3KG Cooper's LME Can, 1KG DME, 1 Pound White Sugar, Full Boil 23L (5UK Gallons) in tea urn, No-Chill (90C into custom plastic fermenter + rolled around), 1 Coopers' yeast (included in kit), 3 oz Willamette Hops (week 4 of 4, primary).

 

[firestem4]

It could be sediment that is just roused when you move the bottle. Is it floating around in bottles that haven't been touched/moved?

 

[gcdowd]

You said you dry hopped? Could just be hop particles

 

[TapeHead]

I'm thinking that looks like either hop particles or some other sediment.
I would also suggest ditching your current sanitation practice and start using a no rinse solution like Star San or something similar. It's real easy and has always done a great job for me.

 

[Travestian]

I'm voting for hop particles also. To minimize that chance next time dry hop in a fine mesh bag that has been sterilized. Also when you rack to the bottling bucket put another fine mesh bag over the end of the siphon. Cold crashing helps before hand if you have the means. Either way, move your carboy / bucket a few hours before bottling to the place you will rack from. That minimizes the chance of stirring up anything from the bottom.

 

[iaefebs]

Great pictures, welcome to HBT DGElectric. I vote for the 3oz of dry hop also. The beer is carbonating, bubbles are rising and bringing up the hop particulates. I think once the activity stops and you chill them, that stuff will fall to the bottom.

 

[DGElectric]

Many thanks for the advice.

gcdowd, Travestian: Let's hope it's hop particles. My hopsock was sterilized, but I didn't bother with filtering the outflow from the bottling bucket... Next brew's going to be AG, so I don't think I'll be dry-hopping again soon.

firestem4: Its definitely floating even when the bottles are undisturbed, near the top but not right on top.

TapeHead: I'm in South China, home brew supplies are limited. Just bought some iodine on TaoBao (Chinese eBay), gonna see if I can make up a 12.5ppm sterilizing bucket for the next bottling day, and maybe a spray bottle.

Suffering from head-up-arse, though. For 20L water, should I add 50ml or 5ml of my 5% solution.

World's worst mathematician...

 

[DGElectric]

Wow. This has been killing me all day. Admittedly, I went to a wine tasting (my wife runs a wine company; I'm the buyer). Anyway, my calculations are as follows:

Sterilizing Bucket Volume ml 20,000
One PPM ml 0.02
12.5 PPM (required input of pure Iodine ml) 0.25

Bottle Volume of Solution 500
Bottle % Pure Iodine 5%
Bottle Volume Pure Iodine ml 25

% of Bottle to Add to 20L 1.00%
Volume of Bottled Solution to Add to Bucket ml 5

This means I'm gonna add 5ml of my 5% Iodine Solution to 20L of tap water to get a no-rinse sanitation bucket. Any comments? Please feel free to point and laugh at my piss-poor numeracy.

 

[DGElectric]

And BTW thanks iaefebs for the comment too. I am an unashamed n00b, and grateful for all, including the most scathing of advice. Punish me!

 

[deadfall]

Wow. This has been killing me all day. Admittedly, I went to a wine tasting (my wife runs a wine company; I'm the buyer). Anyway, my calculations are as follows:

Sterilizing Bucket Volume ml 20,000
One PPM ml 0.02
12.5 PPM (required input of pure Iodine ml) 0.25

Bottle Volume of Solution 500
Bottle % Pure Iodine 5%
Bottle Volume Pure Iodine ml 25

% of Bottle to Add to 20L 1.00%
Volume of Bottled Solution to Add to Bucket ml 5

This means I'm gonna add 5ml of my 5% Iodine Solution to 20L of tap water to get a no-rinse sanitation bucket. Any comments? Please feel free to point and laugh at my piss-poor numeracy.

It took me a while and I came up with 5ml also.

 

[DGElectric]

Thanks deadfall. I'I'm also gonna ask my local guru in Guangzhou, just to confirm. I'll post results.