Chill Haze

[JRockafellow]

I’m sure there are countless threads on this and I’m just too lazy to search them out. But I recently brewed up a clone of Fullers London Pride. I didn’t use any clarifying additives like I should have but ended up with some really clear wort. After three weeks in primary I transferred into my keg and force carbed. As the beer went in it was crystal clear. Now 3 additional weeks later and sitting in my freezer at 37 degrees I have a very hazy looking beer. It tastes great but looks more like a wheat beer than the super clear beer it has been to that point. The serving temp is supposed to be up around 50. So what has been the process for dealing with chill haze? How can I rid my brew of it and prevent it in the future?

 

[Smellyglove]

I’m sure there are countless threads on this and I’m just too lazy to search them out. But I recently brewed up a clone of Fullers London Pride. I didn’t use any clarifying additives like I should have but ended up with some really clear wort. After three weeks in primary I transferred into my keg and force carbed. As the beer went in it was crystal clear. Now 3 additional weeks later and sitting in my freezer at 37 degrees I have a very hazy looking beer. It tastes great but looks more like a wheat beer than the super clear beer it has been to that point. The serving temp is supposed to be up around 50. So what has been the process for dealing with chill haze? How can I rid my brew of it and prevent it in the future?

Was this your first pour from the keg? Sure you don't mistake yeast for chill haze? Chill Haze shouldn't make a beer look like a wheat, but just more "not super clear", that's the reason I ask.

 

[Smellyglove]

Haha! OG-wan Kenobi! Show yourself so I can like your nick.

 

[JRockafellow]

This is not the first pour. Although I have been letting the keg sit for a while hoping it will condition and clear up. This is what I’m looking at.

 

[auburntsts]

Not an expert by any stretch, but I'm thinking it's probably not going to clear sitting at 37deg without adding a fining agent. If you can get it cooler, say around 32-33 deg, and let sit then I think it will clear up on its own.

 

[TennBrewer]

auburntsts is right, only time and low temperature can clear this beer. That's a little more than just chill haze. What kind of yeast did you use? Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast is a high flocculation yeast which should settle right out in the primary. A slow flocculating yeast will remain in suspension for a bit longer but will eventually settle out if you cold crash it as close to freezing, 32F, as possible. If you want to use fining, unflavored gelatin is cheap and easy. Unfortunately in your case, the beer is already carb'd and fining may not be effective, in fact it will foam all over. Next time, throw in a whirlfloc or 5g Irish Moss into the last 15 minutes of the boil. If you need to clear it further, chill the serving keg very cold. Mix 1 tsp unflavored gelatin into 1 cup of 120-140F water (distilled). Stir until dissolved and pour it into the keg, no need to stir it in. Reseal, purge O2, and set to carb pressure. Wait at least 2 or 3 days to clear, longer if your beer needs to carb up. If there is chill haze in the beer (because the keg has been chilled), the gelatin should take care of it and force it to the bottom. When the gelatin settles out at the bottom of the keg, it sits in a cloudy haze and slightly gelatinous. Before you move the keg, reduce keg to serving pressure and pour off a couple of pints or until it starts running clear. I have found that the gelatin cloud at the bottom of the keg is very sensitive and if you try and pick up the keg and move it, the cloud will stir up and mix with the beer near the bottom and when you start pulling pints, it will take quite a few until everything settles down again. In the meantime, if this beer tastes good, enjoy it in an opaque glass or cup, there is no rule that says beer must be crystal clear.

 

[Grateful Dan]

I have been trying to fix my chill haze. I have read every post on here about it. All the threads seem to have people posting "I never have chill haze" "I have it sometimes and sometimes I don't " & "I don't care if my beer has chill haze" and don't cold crash or use finings. I have tried hard boil, soft boil, whirlfloc, I started using a immersion chiller that gets my wort cooled fast, I have tried different extract companies, I have left bottles in the fridge for weeks and they never clear. They all clear when they warm up though. If I put a bottle in the freezer and open it right when it gets cold enough to drink they are clear. I changed my water this time to see it helps. Will know in 3 weeks.

 

[Grateful Dan]

OP
Is this the only time you have had chill haze?

 

[JRockafellow]

I’ve had it before. This time I admittedly didn’t whirlfloc. But the liquid was clear as it went into the keg 10/28. I assume that I’ll always have some degree of chill haze and that it’ll settle out. And that my first few pours will be pushing sediment out. My thing is that it’s been several weeks and more than a few pours later.

 

[TennBrewer]

One thing I've been trying out lately is to use what's called a "settling tank". After the boil, I chill the wort into a clear plastic fermenter (I use Big Mouth Bubblers) and put it into a cold fridge or my fermentation chest freezer for several hours. I can see chunks floating in the wort but after awhile that all settles to the bottom of the "tank". I then siphon off the clear wort, aerate and pitch my yeast. When fermentation is complete, there is very little trub on the bottom.

 

[estricklin]

I have been trying to fix my chill haze. I have read every post on here about it. All the threads seem to have people posting "I never have chill haze" "I have it sometimes and sometimes I don't " & "I don't care if my beer has chill haze" and don't cold crash or use finings. I have tried hard boil, soft boil, whirlfloc, I started using a immersion chiller that gets my wort cooled fast, I have tried different extract companies, I have left bottles in the fridge for weeks and they never clear. They all clear when they warm up though. If I put a bottle in the freezer and open it right when it gets cold enough to drink they are clear. I changed my water this time to see it helps. Will know in 3 weeks.

Polyclar is amazing at reducing chill haze, and if you use it in combination with gelatin it's the equivalent of going "Godfather" on it. Commercial breweries use it, it's cheap, it works. I recommend it to people on this forum dealing with chill haze, most people never bother trying it.