First Brew Results - Delicious but Cloudy

[jlietzow]

I got to taste my first ever home brew last night and am really happy with it. It's a Midwest Simply Beer Pale Ale extract kit and is much better than I had expected, especially given my clumsy first attempt at brewing. There's a nice level of bitterness to the beer and a good flavor overall. It also has a really good head, which surprised me since it's only been in the bottle for 6 days.

So I'm a proud papa, but want to improve for future brews. The only real concern I have about this one is the cloudiness. As you can see from the pic it is not clear at all.

I'm sure there are a number of areas for me to improve, but I'd like to start by trying to brew a beer that is less opaque.

Is my brew's cloudiness normal, or is it something that I can / should work to improve? I've read about Irish Moss - is that something that I should consider, or should I just focus on improving the basics first?

Just as background, I fermented in a bucket for 1 week then transferred to a BMB as secondary for another week. The OG was 1.040 and the FG was 1.005 (stable after 1 week). Both readings were consistent with the recipe. It was in the bottle for 6 days before I opened and enjoyed the fruits of my labor last night.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I've already come to appreciate this group as a tremendous resource to help me become a capable home brewer.

 

[brewbama]

You can clear your beer. Some don’t. I think if you give it time it will clear.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/pdf-printouts/clear_brighten_beer.pdf

 

[helterscelter]

I believe Irish Moss and or whirfloc only help really of you're doing a full or partial mash. I don't know that they will help much with extract. I wouldn't dissuade you from trying them, who knows they may actually help.

But time definitely helps for sure.

 

[RM-MN]

There are 3 things that give you cloudy beer like that. First is time in the fermenter. During the ferment the yeast activity stirs up all the trub. It takes time for that to all settle out. One week isn't enough as the ferment is barely over by then. At 10 days it will have settled out a lot more. Many of us leave out beer in the fermenter for 3 weeks so that more yeast will settle out.

Second is time in the bottle. Carbonating beer is another fermentation and it stirs up whatever trub got transferred when you bottled. 6 days in the bottle isn't enough. Your beer should still have what we call "yeast bite" from the suspended yeast. We recommend 3 weeks in the bottle. This allows the yeast to be done carbonating the beer and settle out. It also lets the beer mature a bit which changes the flavor and body of the beer.

Third cause of cloudy beer is known as "chill haze" where the chilling causes proteins to show up. The answer to that one is also time. Chill your beer for a couple days and those proteins that cause the haze settle out.

 

[jlietzow]

Thanks for the insights. I suspected that my impatience may have played a role.

I have a second batch fermenting now (an IPA). I transferred it to a BMB as a secondary, against most guidance I see here, because I was concerned that the seal on my bucket was leaking (no bubbling in airlock at all). I can see now that it is not clear, although it seems to be improving. It has been fermenting for a total of 2 weeks so far so I'll plan to let it continue for at least another week.

Should I expect the beer to be fairly clear when I bottle it?

 

[Rhaop]

What size is the bmb? If it was a 6gal or larger vessel i would just primary the beer in that and leave it set for a couple weeks at least

 

[Rhaop]

Cloudy or not your beer looks delicious btw, once you get a pipeline going it will be easier to be patient and allow your newer batches to clear and settle before bottling

 

[brewing_clown]

Just to set an expectation, most commercial beer that is crystal clear is generally filtered. If you are expecting that kind of clarity from your homebrew, then you may be disappointed.

You can mitigate with kettle finings, post-fermentation finings, and cold conditioning, but it may be hard to achieve that level of clarity. You can get close if it's really important to you.

Most folks are happy with a little haze. Personally, I find over-fined and filtered beers lose some character.

I agree with the other posts though - yours is especially cloudy probably because you didn't give it enough time to settle after fermentation. Patience is hard where beer is involved.

 

[jlietzow]

What size is the bmb? If it was a 6gal or larger vessel i would just primary the beer in that and leave it set for a couple weeks at least

Sadly it's only 5 gallons. I'm thinking of ordering a 6.5 gallon siphonless as an upgrade to my brew kit for just that purpose.

 

[jlietzow]

Cloudy or not your beer looks delicious btw, once you get a pipeline going it will be easier to be patient and allow your newer batches to clear and settle before bottling

It is delicious [emoji3]. I don't taste the suspended yeast that others have referenced, but I suspect that my tastes are not yet that refined. Either way I'll look forward to letting some of this batch bottle condition longer and seeing the impact that has on taste and clarity.

 

[jlietzow]

Just to set an expectation, most commercial beer that is crystal clear is generally filtered. If you are expecting that kind of clarity from your homebrew, then you may be disappointed.

You can mitigate with kettle finings, post-fermentation finings, and cold conditioning, but it may be hard to achieve that level of clarity. You can get close if it's really important to you.

Most folks are happy with a little haze. Personally, I find over-fined and filtered beers lose some character.

I agree with the other posts though - yours is especially cloudy probably because you didn't give it enough time to settle after fermentation. Patience is hard where beer is involved.

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually fine with some haziness, but want to make sure anyone I share it with isn't put off by the looks. Having my first brew ready should help with my patience now!

 

[ProblemChild]

Also look into balancing your water. My understanding is that there are variables that can be controlled that will help with cloudiness - getting the mash Ph lower is useful to that end. Additionally, chiling the wort quickly after boil helps. Those are two process changes that are just good brewing anyway...

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for the insights. I suspected that my impatience may have played a role.

I have a second batch fermenting now (an IPA). I transferred it to a BMB as a secondary, against most guidance I see here, because I was concerned that the seal on my bucket was leaking (no bubbling in airlock at all). I can see now that it is not clear, although it seems to be improving. It has been fermenting for a total of 2 weeks so far so I'll plan to let it continue for at least another week.

Should I expect the beer to be fairly clear when I bottle it?

I have buckets that seal, buckets that leak enough that the airlock never bubbles, and one bucket that I use regularly that has no airlock on it, just a hole with a piece of saran wrap taped to hold it over the hole. The yeast don't care, they just make beer anyway.

 

[d3track]

Also, if bottle conditioning, pour somewhat gently. There is going to be a thin layer on the bottom of the bottle you will want to leave in the bottle.

That being said, congrats on your first successful brew!

 

[TGFV]

Congrats on your first brew!

For clearer extract beer whirlfloc can help I find (use it in my extract brews) in the boil. After that I always leave in primary for 4 weeks if I have time (they are good after 2-3 but clear even more if left for longer). And for bottle conditioning I leave for 3 weeks to ensure it has cleared in bottle enough. Then cool for 3 days.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Congrats on joining the club. I started brewing brown ales so I wouldn't have to worry about clear beers..haha. Cheers!

 

[purdon42]

Looks good! Better head than my first batch. Being patient sucks but I gave mine another week in bottles before cracking the first and it helped. Waiting on a Heady Topper clone now, cheers!

 

[TGFV]

Also, be happy your first beer is drinkable.

My first looked beautiful, nice light Amber colour, perfect head, near perfectly clear...

And tasted like burned molasses and ball point pen.

I'll take great tasting over perfectly clear anyway (plus I do alot of saisons and wheat ales so there is that too)

 

[jeffceo24]

Nice job! I just brewed that exact same kit a few weeks ago. I kept mine fermenting in the primary bucket for 3 weeks at around 64 degrees. FG was 1.007. I think mine was a little clearer. The extra week probably helped. What temp was yours fermenting at? Here is a sample of mine pre-bottle conditioning: View media item 68870

 

[jlietzow]

Nice job! I just brewed that exact same kit a few weeks ago. I kept mine fermenting in the primary bucket for 3 weeks at around 64 degrees. FG was 1.007. I think mine was a little clearer. The extra week probably helped. What temp was yours fermenting at?

I fermented closer to 70 degrees. I was tempted to leave it in my basement at about 65 but feared that was too cold. Sounds like it worked well for you.

I've got an IPA fermenting now - it'll be 3 weeks the weekend. Thinking I'll bottle then and let condition for two weeks, hopefully getting a bit more clarity. Either way I'm happy to have his tasting beer!

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Whirlfloc or irish moss is easy and can help.

Skip the secondary. Not necessary for that beer and 2-3 weeks in the primary is fine. The only beers I do a secondary on are big stouts that I want to bulk age.

If you have the means, cold crash it to mid 30's for 2-3 days before bottling. This will settle out a lot of stuff.

As you've seen, more time in the bottle helps.

Finally, pour carefully. bottle conditioned beer has a layer of sediment on the bottom that can get stirred up and cloud up an otherwise clear beer.

Congrats on the first batch. Beware, it quickly becomes an obsession.

 

[BucksIPA]

Cooling the wort very quickly was one of the first things that made a huge difference for me. Whirlfloc in at 15 to go. Get some glass carboys. It much easier to see the results as they are happening when starting.

The move to all grain and kegging was the big leap in quality

 

[Blazinlow86]

Looks good. I'll bet it clears up in a few weeks.

 

[Lefou]

Lauter until clear.
Hot break.
Hot break.
Hot break.
Get a good hot break, use a Whirlfloc 5-15 minutes before the end of the boil. If using a moderately flocculent yeast, chill after bottle conditioning. Given a little time the beer will clear right up.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I’ll admit I did not read every comment, in this thread, so someone may have said this already.
That said...

Cold crash for a couple days.
Then fine with gelatin.

Brülosophy has probably the most popular experiment and step by step on how to do this.

http://brulosophy.com/2015/01/05/the-gelatin-effect-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Saunassa]

Sadly it's only 5 gallons. I'm thinking of ordering a 6.5 gallon siphonless as an upgrade to my brew kit for just that purpose.

I have both a 5 and 6.5 gal BMB. got the 6.5 on that free with two kits deal a few weeks back. I went with the one without the faucet on it because I have kids and the little ruggies might be tempted to turn it and I would end up with beer all over the floor.

 

[Lefou]

Looks good! Better head than my first batch. Being patient sucks but I gave mine another week in bottles before cracking the first and it helped. Waiting on a Heady Topper clone now, cheers!

When bottling a freshly-capped batch, I've noticed the beer foam and clarity improves as times goes by.
My last batch had very strong carbonation with larger bubbles and very little head formation after 4-5 weeks but around the two month mark, the bubbles were finer, a small rocky (but not very persistent) head formed, and the lacing noticeably improved, too. Usually my homebrew doesn't last that long but I've been buying commercial stuff to drink, so it's given an opportunity to observe slight changes in the beer.

 

[NGD]

When bottling a freshly-capped batch, I've noticed the beer foam and clarity improves as times goes by.
My last batch had very strong carbonation with larger bubbles and very little head formation after 4-5 weeks but around the two month mark, the bubbles were finer, a small rocky (but not very persistent) head formed, and the lacing noticeably improved, too. Usually my homebrew doesn't last that long but I've been buying commercial stuff to drink, so it's given an opportunity to observe slight changes in the beer.

While I realize this thread is old, chalk me down for another one of the “fine with gelatin” camp. Did it for the first time 3 brews ago and was impressed with the results.

@Lefou Curious how long you typically leave your bottles at room temp? Often times when I bottle condition, I end up not having room enough for all the bottles to chill after a few weeks. Those that sit at ambient longest end up with the best carbonation. Granted I typically don’t brew hop forward beers so I never worry about leaving them sit.

 

[Lefou]

How long do I leave my bottles at room temp?
It depends on how fast I drink them, more or less. Four to eight weeks, tops, for most of my brews, but I calculate my volumes for about 4.5 gallon batches. It makes bottling quick with 22oz bottles and finding storage space is easy when you do smaller batches and are lucky enough to own a house.
Early on around Week 4 of carbing, the CO2 bubbles are fairly large and they dissipate almost like soda. I do a lot of the brewing between October to May and my ambient room temp during a typical winter is between 58F-62F, depending on where the bottles get stored. My typical beer usually has an ABV between 4-5%, IBU level of about 20-30IBU, little to no high alpha hops, mostly Saaz.

On the other hand, as a noob, I got froggy with one of my first partial mash brews - some of it lasted more than a year at room temperatures.
That particular batch of bock-strength amber consisted of around twenty-five 22oz bottles, 6.5%ABV. It got better the longer it sat, very clear and thick, persistent foam.