Muddy Beer from keg

[Chayes0724]

Hello everyone! Been a lurker for a while, first time poster. I’m relatively new to home brew. However, I just kegged my first beer. The only reason being, I hate cleaning bottles. That being said, I’m having an issue I hope I can get some advice. The beer I get from my keg is very muddy. Almost looks like chocolate milk. I bottled a beer from the keg just to see how that one would look over time. The beer in the bottle after 2 weeks is perfectly clear! They both taste the same, but I don’t want to be serving chocolate milk beer to my friends. Any idea what could be happening? My guess is I’m picking up sludge from the bottom of the keg, that’s getting stirred up when it gets dispensed. But I’m not real sure. Thanks in advance! I’ve added a picture to the thread.

 

[Iseneye]

The keg dip tube sits right at the bottom. Particulates from the beer will settle to the base over time so the first few pours will be sucking out these particles. The amount of time for the keg to clear depends on how much material got transferred between fermentation vessel and keg. Before I used the clear beer system it took quite a few pints to be drawing nice clear beer then it was generally good for the rest of the keg.

 

[Chayes0724]

Yea that’s what I figured. This is after about 12 12oz bottles. And it’s still muddy. What is the clear beer system you speak of?

Edit:: after a brief search. I found and ordered the clear keg system. What a great idea. Thanks!

 

[balrog]

How long did you let it settle, and how cold, without moving the keg at all, before trying to get beer from it? I usually have to wait a good week, 30-40°F, then pull a pint, then wait another day or two, pull a pint and then they're clear. But if I move that sucker, it can get stirred up again, depending on the yeast. A friend swears on using a "brite tank" after primary fermentation, just to let more settle before kegging. If I know I am taking a keg to a party, I'll CO2 push to another keg.

 

[Chayes0724]

So I force carbonated the beer because im impatient. The first pint I drank within a few hours of that and it was muddy obviously, I expected that. Now its been two months and about 12-15 pints taken from the keg. It looks no different from the first day I drank it. Maybe I just drink too slow. And maybe im just not very careful when I transfer the beer. Im going to try this clear keg system and see how it works out.

 

[Iseneye]

Well something isn't right in that case. Can't help you I'm afraid. If it is still muddy then the clear beer may not work. Clear beer draws from the top of the keg but if the entire keg is muddy that won't help.

 

[Chayes0724]

I don’t think it’s the entire beer at this point. I really think it’s just a bunch of muck at the bottom. Since the beer in the bottle settled out. I’m thinking the keg did too. I just have to take the beer from the top and not the bottom. At least I think. But what do I know?

 

[balrog]

I get sediment in my kegs all the time. I see it when the keg empties and I clean the keg. The thing is, the sediment **LEFT UNDISTURBED** will stay there, and not continuously get mixed. 'Tis true that after kegging, and sitting a spell, the first pint or 2 will have sediment, but after that, it will not. The area around the bottom dip tube will vacuum up sediment only on the first couple pints.

Unless you disturb the sediment. Moving the keg will do that. Also having the gas input on the wrong post wherein you are bubbling CO2 into the long diptube would be like sticking a straw in a glass of soda and blowing. There has to be a reason that the sediment is being disturbed in your keg.

 

[Chayes0724]

I just double checked. The gas is on the correct post. I didn’t disturb the keg all. It’s been sitting in the same spot for a month now. I’m guessing there’s just a lot more sediment at the bottom than I expected. And I’m still sucking it up. I’ll report back when the clear keg comes in and see if taking beer from the top helps. If not, I’ll just have to bottle a few at a time and let it sit for a few days before drinking.

 

[balrog]

Makes absolutely no sense to me, and I am intrigued.
What was the recipe or kit, and what was the yeast?

 

[Chayes0724]

I bought the kit from TXbrewing, it was their big d Dunkelweiss all grain kit. Wyeast 3068.

 

[Chayes0724]

Installed the clear beer draft system today. Made a huge difference! The beer is now clear. When I pulled out the dip tube, I noticed it wasn’t curved all. Maybe because it was straight it’s picking up all the sediment at the bottom and not having time to settle at all. Either way, I recommend the clear beer draft system for anyone else experiencing issues like me.