Sediment-y Stuff

[cowboymcd82]

I know what you're thinking, and I kind of doubt it's yeast

Also, I'm not sure it has to do with mashing, but it seems like the only thing I did different with this brew.


Anyways... I brewed up an oatmeal coffee brown ale a few weeks ago, my first partial mash, which I bottled last night. Through the whole process, I noticed some sediment-like stuff floating about in the beer. It was in the fermentor (every time I checked the gravity during fermentation, too), it was there when I racked to the bottling bucket... I thought it'd be filtered out by the bottling wand, but I checked with the last bit of beer by putting it in a glass, and... nope.

I have no idea what this stuff is. It looks like... well, actual sand/sediment/sugar. Is it from the mash? The oatmeal? I've just never seen it before in any of my beers. Even the first time, when I didn't filter the hops/hot break/cold break out of the wort, that all got filtered out by the bottling wand. I'm not really worried, I don't think... I'll drink it regardless, haha... I'm just curious what it is, and if it's avoidable next time.

(btw I was debating whether to put this here or the beginner forum. I think I saw something about filtering from mash tuns which makes me wonder if it's something I missed when I mashed...)

Thanks!

 

[maida7]

It's probably trub. Leave your beer in the primary until all that stuff settles on the bottom after the fermentation. Then carefully rack the clear beer off the top without sucking up the pile of trub and yeast at the bottom.

There is no real reason to filter your wort.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Hops, yeast, and depending on your crush and how well you vorlaufed, bits of grain.

None of it devestating.

 

[ayoungrad]

How much time did you give it before bottling?

If you give it enough time and still have floating debris, put a filter (I have used a swatch from pantyhose) on the end of the tube attached to the racking cane with a rubber band. Sterilize it and then put that end into the bottling bucket. It will filter as you rack to the bottling bucket.

 

[cowboymcd82]

K. I wasn't really worried. It didn't seem like trub to me, but I could be wrong. It was in primary for ~3 weeks, never moved it from its spot in the closet, and the stuff was in suspension when I took gravity readings, so it doesn't look like it's going to settle.

btw, I did a partial mash using the method in deathbrewer's thread -- so, no fancy equipment, used a hop bag for the grains, etc.

Like I said, I'm not too worried, I'll drink it anyways. Just curious.

 

[ayoungrad]

Three weeks should be plenty of time to settle.

I use Deathbrewer's method more or less and I have only really noticed debris if I've dry hopped.

Wonder what it is?

 

[maida7]

Yeah, I don't know what that is. Do you have pictures? What does it taste like?

 

[cowboymcd82]

Well, I didn't take any pictures when I bottled, so I wanted to wait til it was ready. I cracked open the first bottle tonight while brewing my next batch, and when I poured, there was none of the sandy stuff in there, so.... I dunno. Problem solved?

I guess it must have been trub? But every time I've ever seen trub floating in beer, it's been more.... mud-like, I guess. Plus, there's the fact that it never settled in the fermentor, even when it wasn't moved.

But hey... I'm not complaining. It turned out pretty good, haha.

Thanks for the help anyways!!