Please Help!! Beer froze - now particles are floating in it

[PawtucketPat]

Hi all. I made a beer a while back that was to be bottled and taken to my father-in-law's 60th birthday. I fermented, cold crashed, kegged and carbed. This past week I accidentally allowed the temperature in my keezer to get way too low and the beer froze. I thawed it and degassed it and figured everything would be ok. Tonight I poured a little bit to see how it looks and it looks like mud!! There are so many suspended particles in it. The smell and taste seem ok but it looks totally unappealing. I was supposed to bottle it in five days but I can't serve beer that looks this bad. Is there anything I can do? Will the particles drop out reasonably soon? Should I got buy a filter at the LHBS? Please help!! This beer was so good before the accident and I am worried it is ruined now.

Thanks in advance.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[billl]

You stirred up a bunch of sediment, so it will take a while to settle back out. At fridge temps, it shouldn't be that long though. Just let it sit for a day or so and then pull a couple pints to get to clear beer.

If you are nervous, you can always add some jello to help speed that drop along.

 

[PawtucketPat]

Thanks bill. I think I will try adding some gelatin tonight and see if that helps.

The thing is, this beer was really nice and clear before the freezing incident. I believe I have somehow caused some proteins to become suspended. I don't understand the chemistry well enough, but that is all I can figure since there was no sediment in there before.

 

[barnaclebob]

You can add geletin or just let it sit for a week. You will end up pouring a few really nasty looking pints but then it will start to clear up again.

All of my beers have had trub on the bottom of the keg when I cleaned it out. Was the beer slightly cloudy to begin with and then cleared up? If so it will go back that way.

 

[PawtucketPat]

It was pouring pretty clear. It was just sitting and waiting to be bottled. I am going to try the gelatin and see how that does. Time is not on my side here.

 

[Yooper]

What do you mean you 'degassed it'? It should have been carbed up and then just allowed to thaw with no shaking or purging. I don't understand what happened there.

 

[PawtucketPat]

My understanding was that since it got much colder than it should have it would have also absorbed more CO2 than it should have. So I let it thaw and released some pressure off the keg. It turns out I probably released a little too much but that is the least of my concerns. I have it back on serving pressure now.

 

[Yooper]

My understanding was that since it got much colder than it should have it would have also absorbed more CO2 than it should have. So I let it thaw and released some pressure off the keg. It turns out I probably released a little too much but that is the least of my concerns. I have it back on serving pressure now.

Well, it is too late now, but that doesn't make much sense, as even if it was at 12 psi, and got to 31, it wouldn't have necessarily been overcarbed as frozen beer won't carbonate, Anyway, if it sits for a while and carbs up ok, it should clear again. It may not happen in a day or two, though, if it has to carb up as well as settle.

 

[PawtucketPat]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I will post back if I have anything further to add.