Help Racking a Murky Brew

[MDB]

I have a pumpkin in the primary I want to rack to 2dy to clear it up a bit, my hydro sample shows one murky brew. I heard panty hose with a couple marbles over the racking cane will help filter, but how do you keep the panty hose from coming off? Do you just use long ones and hang on? Thanks

 

[DrawTap88]

I'm not a fan of the panty hose method, especially if they're used. When racking, I hold the end of the racking cane about an inch below the top of the beer. All the while, slowly lowering the tip as the amount of beer in the fermenter goes down.

 

[lgilmore]

I don't know how to keep pantyhose on, I've spent a good portion of my life trying to get them off.......

 

[unionrdr]

How long in primary,do you have a stable FG? Sounds like it's not done yet to me being that murky. It'll clear up just fine in primary. No need to move it around.

 

[MDB]

3 weeks in primary it's done believe me. FG 1.012 (from SG 1.073). It's murkey because I had 30 oz of pureed pumpkin in the mash and 30 oz in the boil.

 

[Calder]

This maybe too late, but my suggestion would be to rack to secondary onto some gelatin, and not mess around with any filtering. The beer will eventually clear.

 

[DonMagee]

Maybe try cold crashing it?

 

[unionrdr]

I've had beers stay murky or at least misty 4-5 weeks in. But the pumpkin puree might be fine enough to stay in suspension a bit longer. Gelatin would be the quickest,I imagine.

 

[BrewMeABrew]

I racked my pumpkin off primary yesterday, following the "just below the surface" method. I got a little pumpkin when I started the siphon but no big deal. My swamp cooler must be fairly cold, I lost a gallon in pumpkin sediment. Recipe said rack after 4 days, but i waited a week. YMMV

 

[unionrdr]

As an interesting aside,I've always wondered,with all these trub losses,if the pumpkin could be strained off going into the FV with the top off water? Thinking that the sugars,short & long chain (flavor/aroma,& fermentable) would be cooked out of the pumkin flesh itself. Leaving no need for the flesh in primary? Opinions on this may be helpful in the future,& with fruits as well?... Too much trub loss from carrying the goopy stuff over to primary from the boil.

 

[BrewMeABrew]

I has the exact same thinking during my boil, and attempted a BIAB that clogged terribly. I then attempted to use a strainer, and that want going anywhere either. If i was more prepared ahead of time i may have setup a little different in order to rinse with the top off water.

 

[unionrdr]

Idk which you use,but my plastic FV's have wide opennings,so I use a 10" fine mesh strainer. It does get full/clog,but not as quickly as the funnel kind. I've even let stuff settle in the BK a bit after chilling while prepping the FV,etc. Then pour through the strainer slowly to leave more settlings behind. But sooner or later,ya gotta empty,rinse,& re-sanitize it. Goes with the territory.

 

[MDB]

This maybe too late, but my suggestion would be to rack to secondary onto some gelatin, and not mess around with any filtering. The beer will eventually clear.

I like that idea -- how do you do it? Like just supermarket gelatin? How much? Anything else I need to know?

 

[ztexz]

I'm guessing that you got most of the actual pumpkin out when you filtered into your primary, and I'm not sure putting it through another filter will make that much of a difference. I mean, it will help, but it will probably take a long time for probably not that much benefit.

I would definitely rack into a secondary using some gelatin. You can get the gelatin at your LHBS -- honestly, I don't know if it is the same kind of stuff you would buy in the grocery store.

Two important notes when using it:

1) The colder you can get your beer, the better the gelatin will work. I don't know how practical it is for you to get the beer cold at this point, but gelatin works better the lower the temperatue.

2) When you mix the gelatin, give it some time to "bloom." In other words, mix it, wait about 10-15 minutes, and then pour it in. Don't just mix it and dump it.

I'm not sure how much even the gelatin will help, but I think it is easier and has a greater chance of success than filtering.

Most pumpkin ale recipes I see seem to include using Irish moss during the boil as opposed to gelatin at the end -- maybe this is why?

 

[MDB]

Bad guess -- no filter into the primary LOL