beer really cloudy

[jlatusek]

Hi Guys,

I just brewed my first batch of a headytopper clone. after the initial brew i strained into primary fermentation. last night i then starined from first into second and the beer is just super cloudy, i cant even see through it. I now know that instead of straining I should have siphoned.

Here is what it looked like in the primary: http://s21.postimg.org/45j2btit3/IMG_0368.jpg

Here is what it loked like after i strained it into secondary:
http://s24.postimg.org/d4ijqdvmt/IMG_0375.jpg

The picture was taken 25 minutes after i strained it in there and i assume some of that will drop and clear up but i wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.


What temprature should I be using for secondary fermentation? I have heard that 34 degrees could help? SHould I put the carboy into the kegerator to cool it to 34 for 2 weeks?

Let me know what you think.

Also, I now know that I need to add whirlfloc during last 10 mins of boiling(which i did not do) and that I need to siphon instread of strain. I just want to salvage this beer. Is is salvagable?


Thanks in advance!!!

 

[mdindy]

theres nothing wrong with the beer, the cloudy look with NOT affect the flavor. the whitlfloc or irish moss will deff help with clarity in the future, but your beer is fine now. straining will not make a difference the cloudy look is from proteins and yeast floating around. cold crashing at a lower temp will help everything settle to the bottom but in the future using clarifying aids will make a big difference. that being said your beer is just fine.

 

[freisste]

Totally salvageable. Like you said, DON'T strain into secondary. You could cause oxidation that is good prior to fermentation, but BAD afterward.

Cold crashing will help (ie, getting it cold to clear it). Whirlfloc is not necessary, although it should help. Good hot and cold breaks will help with clarity (strong rolling boil that wants to foam over and then a quick chill from boiling). Time also helps with clarity.

Right now, you have a ton of yeast in suspension. It will clear with time, faster at cold temps.

Also keep in mind that IPAs are often a bit hazy due to the hops.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Why did you choose to do a secondary on this batch, and why did you transfer the beer while it was still cloudy? How long was the beer in primary before you transferred it?

Pouring beer through a strainer exposes it to a lot of oxygen, which will stale the beer prematurely.

You can add finings like gelatin, isinglass, or SuperKleer to the batch to help settle the yeast out, but before you do that, it's important to assure that the beer is indeed ready to be fined.

 

[freisste]

P.S. Secondary is your choice, but is certainly not necessary (strictly speaking). I personally would NOT secondary an IPA (or Hef or anything else that is best fresh), but I have been known to occasionally secondary other brews.

 

[jlatusek]

theres nothing wrong with the beer, the cloudy look with NOT affect the flavor. the whitlfloc or irish moss will deff help with clarity in the future, but your beer is fine now. straining will not make a difference the cloudy look is from proteins and yeast floating around. cold crashing at a lower temp will help everything settle to the bottom but in the future using clarifying aids will make a big difference. that being said your beer is just fine.

Thanks for the reply. Is there anything you would suggest to clarify it as much as possible? What temp should I use for the 2 week secoindary fermentation stage?

Thanks.

 

[1977Brewer]

So you poured it from your primary into secondary? Not good. You don't want to aerate fermented beer. Luckily, with a Heady clone you have a ton of hop flavor to cover up the oxidation.

Heady is super cloudy anyway. Totally to style for an IPA to be cloudy. Don't sweat that. Stop straining your wort, it does absolutely nothing for the clarity of your beer. Anything the strainer can catch is going to settle out anyway.

 

[hunter_le five]

1) You probably oxidized the crap out of it by straining instead of siphoning

2) How long was the beer in primary before you transferred? Was it even finished fermenting (verified by hydrometer reading)?

3) It looks like you still have a lot of yeast and sediment in suspension. Give it time. It will eventually settle out. Cold storage and gelatin finings can help, but don't do this until you have reached your FG.

 

[jlatusek]

1) You probably oxidized the crap out of it by straining instead of siphoning

2) How long was the beer in primary before you transferred? Was it even finished fermenting (verified by hydrometer reading)?

3) It looks like you still have a lot of yeast and sediment in suspension. Give it time. It will eventually settle out. Cold storage and gelatin finings can help, but don't do this until you have reached your FG.

It was in primary for 7 days. the bubbling in airlock slowed down substantially but I did not check the gravity. Should I put it into cold storage now or check the gravity reading and when I'm at the FG i need then put it into fridge? or wait two weeks in secondary then put it into fridge for a few days?

Thanks again guys.

 

[mdindy]

35 degrees should be fine as long as the yeast is done doing its job. both irish moss and whirlfloc work very well. using a wort chiller and cooling faster also makes a huge difference if you have the money to invest. when you use those everything will settle at the bottom and leave a large amount of sediment in your primary, siphon from the top to bottom avoiding the stuff at the bottom so when you transfer to secondary you leave it all behind. after a while in the secondary you will see the same affect. by the time you bottle you will have removed almost all of the stuff you see floating around in this batch and end up with very clear beer. it also depends of your yeast, using highly flocculent yeast will also give you better clarity.

 

[hunter_le five]

It was in primary for 7 days. the bubbling in airlock slowed down substantially but I did not check the gravity. Should I put it into cold storage now or check the gravity reading and when I'm at the FG i need then put it into fridge? or wait two weeks in secondary then put it into fridge for a few days?

Thanks again guys.

Take a gravity reading before you do anything. Never judge by the airlock, it will mislead you.

 

[jlatusek]

35 degrees should be fine as long as the yeast is done doing its job. both irish moss and whirlfloc work very well. using a wort chiller and cooling faster also makes a huge difference if you have the money to invest. when you use those everything will settle at the bottom and leave a large amount of sediment in your primary, siphon from the top to bottom avoiding the stuff at the bottom so when you transfer to secondary you leave it all behind. after a while in the secondary you will see the same affect. by the time you bottle you will have removed almost all of the stuff you see floating around in this batch and end up with very clear beer. it also depends of your yeast, using highly flocculent yeast will also give you better clarity.

Okay so I will then let it sit at room temp for a few more days to let the yeast finish doing what its doing. Then check the gravity, if I'm at what my FG should be ill then out it into the fridge for the remaining 2 weeks. Then I'll siphoin from the top down out of the carboy into the keg.

Does this sound like the best plan?

 

[ArcaneXor]

It was in primary for 7 days. the bubbling in airlock slowed down substantially but I did not check the gravity. Should I put it into cold storage now or check the gravity reading and when I'm at the FG i need then put it into fridge? or wait two weeks in secondary then put it into fridge for a few days?

Thanks again guys.

Who taught you how to brew? You should slap them!

As a beginning brewer, this kind of beer probably should have been left in the primary for 2-3 weeks before doing anything to it (dry-hopping possibly excluded). What you may have done it oxidize the beer and reduced the odds of getting full attenuation out of the yeast.

 

[jlatusek]

Who taught you how to brew? You should slap them!

As a beginning brewer, this kind of beer probably should have been left in the primary for 2-3 weeks before doing anything to it (dry-hopping possibly excluded). What you may have done it oxidize the beer and reduced the odds of getting full attenuation out of the yeast.

I just followed the directions which said to transfer to secondary after 7 days.

I figured no reason not to strain. I had no idea I would oxidize it!

 

[peterj]

Just leave it alone at room temperature for 2 weeks. Most of that should settle out in that time. Then siphon off of what has settled to the bottom. Cold crashing is not necessary especially if you are kegging it. The time it spends in the keg will be like an extended cold crash.

And next time skip the secondary and just dry hop in the primary.

 

[peterj]

I just followed the directions which said to transfer to secondary after 7 days.

I figured no reason not to strain. I had no idea I would oxidize it!

Also, never follow any recipe kit instructions. They're almost all outdated and worthless.

 

[mdindy]

that will be your best plan, even without cold crashing it will settle on its own, you do not have to use a secondary but I have noticed a difference with better clarity by using one.

 

[Rolsom]

Looks like the nut brown ale I had to put into secondary (there was an equipment reason). I inadvertently added some air and trub.
Hoping a week will settle things.

 

[Yooper]

Okay so I will then let it sit at room temp for a few more days to let the yeast finish doing what its doing. Then check the gravity, if I'm at what my FG should be ill then out it into the fridge for the remaining 2 weeks. Then I'll siphoin from the top down out of the carboy into the keg.

Does this sound like the best plan?

I'd bottle it sooner, rather than later. In two weeks, it may be pretty well on its way to being undrinkable due to oxidation. I'd check the gravity right now. Check it again in two days. Dryhop if you are doing that, and bottle it in 7 days at the latest if the gravity is stable. It wasn't done in the first picture, nor in the second, so it may or may not be done in another few days but it certainly should be done within another week.

This beer will get worse with age, but if it tastes great now, bottling it as soon as it is done is probably the only way to save it at all.

Next time, remember to use a siphon and "quietly" transfer any beer that you are moving via the siphon and avoid any chance of splashing or otherwise allowing oxygen to contact your beer to the greatest extent possible.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Okay so I will then let it sit at room temp for a few more days to let the yeast finish doing what its doing. Then check the gravity, if I'm at what my FG should be ill then out it into the fridge for the remaining 2 weeks. Then I'll siphoin from the top down out of the carboy into the keg.

Does this sound like the best plan?

Once you have stable gravity, move it to the keg with some gelatin, drop the temp and carbonate. Here is a good video on using gelatin - you can use any unflavored gelatin from the grocery store (Knox is one name brand).
https://youtu.be/cYaVaCyT2yY