Bottled, looks like smoke inside!

[Iknow]

Hello, everybody. I am new to brewing and my first batch of IPA is about ready to drink. Now, my questions:

I just finished my first brew! I have waited for sugar carbonation for a week and the bottles are hard but there is no bubbles. It this okay? Also, there is this stuff that looks like smoke floating around...is it yeast? Why wont it settle!?

Here are some other random questions I have. Please fill me in if ya can!


1) If 1 week waiting for carbonation is "good enough" to try, how long should I cool it before drinking?

2) How is warm Conditioning different from waiting for carbonation? Does warm Conditiong at say 70degrees mean to just keep waiting?

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[Axegod]

If the bottles are hard (and its been a week) -go ahead and try it!
And yes, it does sound like yeast. The carbonation varies for different styles and is sometimes hard to actually see bubbles. If its not as clear as you want..you could wait an see what its like in another week or two. However nothing in there will kill you. Some styles (wheat) actually are supposed to have the yeast suspended in the beer. Again, try it, and if the beer tastes fine and is carbonated enough for you to enjoy, drink it in a dark mug. Even the most experienced brewers make beers that sometimes do not fully settle.


Let us know what it tastes like. And congrats on your first brew.

Enjoy !

 

[andre the giant]

I've found that 1 week isn't near enough to get good carbonation most of the time. I'd let it set for 3 weeks or more before drinking.

If you open one and taste it, you can tell if it needs more carbonation time if the beer is flat and slightly sweet.

Once carbonation is done, you can chill the beer or store it at temps up to the 70's. The longer you let it set, or condition, the better the beer will taste. (Although I think IPA's are better when they're pretty fresh.)

The longer the beer conditions, the clearer it will usually get. But don't sweat the clarity of the beer. Plenty of mine have chill haze or cloudiness to them.

Enjoy

 

[Turricaine]

Are u kidding, I hate drinking beer that has a 'haze'.

 

[Fatabbot]

Are u kidding, I hate drinking beer that has a 'haze'.

Why? It doesn't change the taste. There are more important issues for home brewers to worry about

Clarity is great, but is really only aesthetic.

 

[Turricaine]

Why? It doesn't change the taste.

Im in disagreement wiht you on that. For me, clarity is a massive issue. Part of the reason for me continuing with this hobby is that I have had crystal clear batches in the past. However everytime I get a cloudy batch it seriously annoys me, leading me to drink less beer and to turn to other beverages such as wine and rum instead.

 

[Fatabbot]

Im in disagreement wiht you on that. For me, clarity is a massive issue. Part of the reason for me continuing with this hobby is that I have had crystal clear batches in the past. However everytime I get a cloudy batch it seriously annoys me, leading me to drink less beer and to turn to other beverages such as wine and rum instead.

Sounds like a personal issue more than a practical one.

 

[sirsloop]

Just start brewing dark stouts, then you dont have to worry about the beer being clear! HAH!!

I dont know what kind of containers you are using... maybe plastic 2L bottles or something? The beer will form another yeast cake at the bottom, and if the container is moved it will never settle. You have to let it sit still for at least a week for it to clear out. I think it will effect the taste. If you ever tasted the yeast cake at the bottom of a bottle? Its got sorta a sweet taste to it. I purposly swirl my bottle of dunkelwiezen to get the beer cloudy, but if you want to keep the brew clear just pour slow and toss the last bit.

 

[dougjones31]

Hold up.....When you talk about haze and yeast in Wheat beers...you are talking about a totally different animal.

Wheat beers are accepted as being hazy. You also have a totally different yeast that is very beneficial to flavor. So swirling the yeast into suspension in a wheat beer is commonplace because the yeast tastes good. But this is not always the case in other types of beer where the yeast being in suspension or even on the bottle of the bottle in large amounts can make the beer bitter with Yeast Bite.

If a normal beer is cloudy, it may or may not be a bad thing. The beer may tast good or it may taste bad. Taste it and see....Homebrewers do have bigger problems to deal with but having a good clear brew is a goal that you should strive for because it eliminates one possible cause of a not-so-good beer.

 

[Fatabbot]

Homebrewers do have bigger problems to deal with but having a good clear brew is a goal that you should strive for because it eliminates one possible cause of a not-so-good beer.

My point is that most of the time, cloudiness will not effect the taste of the beer. To not drink a beer that tastes completely normal just because it's cloudy just seems a little OCD to me.

 

[dougjones31]

I agree. Hell, If it tastes good then it does not matter if it is purple....I will drink it.