Clear vs Cloudy Beer

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JillC25

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I have my first batch in the secondary carboy... it's been there for 5 days @ 72 degrees F. Used Irish moss as a clarifier in the boil.

My question is how do you know if your beer is clearing up? It is hard to tell with beer spanning over a foot wide. It looks cloudy to me, but I don't have any point of reference to determine how "clear" it should look. It is an ale, and is a brown-ceadary color. I shinned a flashlight through it, and it does look murky. Any suggestions on how to gauge the clearness more acurately?

Thanks!

Jill :cool:
 
Not to sound like a jerk--but who cares if its clear? :D

Really--the floaties will eventually work thier way to the bottom. You can try racking it again. Patience is key.

You probably won't ever get crystal clear beer like the stuff you buyin a store without buying an expensive filter system, so letting the floaties settle and re-racking to another container is the easiest way.

Everything thats in it is healthy for you so my philosophy is not to worry about clarity all that much. Taste is what counts. ;)
 
hey Jill, orrelse is right. i'd let it sit for about 10 day's in the secondary then bottle/keg. as it ages it will get even clearer. i have an American Pale Ale that's been on tap for 3 weeks, and it's cyrstal clear. i didn't even use irish moss. even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes!

don't worry, it'll be great......
 
I don't neccesarily care if the brew is a little cloudy (i'd like it clear just for athstetic reasons), but i was more interested in what clear beer looked like in a carboy. I know... that sounds silly. I've had mine in there, like I said, for 5 days and have not seen improvement/change...

I'll just have to be patient- or start brewing Beer #2 (Munich Helles "Lite"- from annapolishomebrew.com GREAT service!)
 
The echo some of the previous comments...leave it in the secondary for about 10-14 days.

Don't worry....it is clearing. I know it's hard to tell sometimes.

As for the flashlight...stop that! A waste of time. I actually have a Bock I made that on a REALLY bright day you can't see any trace of the faintest light from the sun through it.

Additionally, it will get more clear the longer it is in the bottle and in the fridge.
 
well, in that case, you'll probably never see a "clear" beer in the carboy. it always is lighter and clear when poured up.

also use good racking techniques from kettle to primary, primary to secondary, secondary to bottling. that's one of the best ways to clear your beers!
and yes, START BREWING #2!!!!! :~)
 
I echo the sentiment... Start brewing #2 immediately. Doing a few rapid fire batches gives you the opportunity to reinforce good brewing behaviours and habits.

My beer usually ends up a bit cloudy when I bottle it. Most of that will settle out during conditioning. Then when you chill the beer, sometimes chill haze will form. It doesn't affect the taste of your beer, but it does affect the appearance. I get chill haze in some of my batches. But I don't care. Its the taste that really makes a difference to me.
 
I used to brew beer from the kits quite a bit and have done several batches in this way before switching to AG. Obviously beer always leaves the fermenter cloudy. And then somewhere over the next 2-3 weeks the beer becomes CRYSTAL CLEAR. I was just wondering since my first batch of AG did not clear up like I was hoping it would do. I must admit I will be disappointed if everybatch comes out cloudy or at least not as clear as I would like.
 
all grain will be more cloudy usually because you have much more protiens and amino acids and other goodies in there from the actual grain and husks etc... you don't get this with extract so much...

fermentor temps play a big roll in cloudiness/clarity, as do kwick chill times from the end of the boil to the pitching of yeast. you want to precipitate a quick cold break asap so these haze forming protiens can settle out in the kettle.

but it don't really matter likes been said, as long as you enjoy it, and clarity isn't being judged :)
 
SilvaRizla said:
I always thought that if you drank beer thats not clear it will give a bad stomach, is that not true?

No, Silva, quantity will give a bad stomach. Not clarity. :D
 
SilvaRizla said:
I always thought that if you drank beer thats not clear it will give a bad stomach, is that not true?

did someone from from the BIG 3 tell you that? :D
nope, it will not make you sick. they filter for pure appearance. some will even argue that it's better for you because of the B Complex vitamin that is in the suspended yeast that doesn't get filtered out!
 
Obviously the clarity of the beer improves with time. With the tins my primary fermentation would last one week and then i'd keg it. If I start allowing my AG batches 3 weeks (like what it says in the e-book) before carbonating ~ another 2-3 weeks. Surely this increases the chances of getting the desired results.
 
Hi All,

I recently started homebrew from a kit, with amazing results, Muntons IPA (UK). So I thought I would try a kit which involved adding the dried malt and the hops too to get a better flavour. The second batch was a "Way to Amarillo" kit with American hops and yeast.After fermentation, I put it in a pressure barrel with priming sugar and went on holiday for two weeks.

When I returned I was so disappointed that the brew came out so cloudy. I was advised on my initial brew to relase the pressue within the barrel to allow the beer to flow from the pressure barrel smoothly, then re-apply CO2 afterwards.

This time when I released the CO2 from the barrel, the whole brew sounden like it was revving up to shoot out of the top, like a shaken bottle of Coke. I suspect that by releasing the CO2, I have stirred up all of the yeast sediment in the barrel after the secondary fermentation.

Can anyone advise please, as I dont want to waste the batch
 
A few days ago I read some blog post about how you should never accept cloudy beer at a pub, because it's a sign that they didn't use enough finings.


I'm sure to be the first to complain when there's not enough fish in my Guinness.
 
Clarity is about process: proper mash, proper sparge, lots of patience and storing your beer cold for (sometimes very) extended periods. Even then, it may crystal clear at room temp but hazy at serving temps. A 0.5 micron filter is reputedly able to get rid of even chill haze, but in my experience filtering can have negative consequences for flavour if not adjusted for.

Making beer that is crystal clear at any temperature takes time and careful attention to detail, but is eminently achievable.
 
all grain will be more cloudy usually because you have much more protiens and amino acids and other goodies in there from the actual grain and husks etc... you don't get this with extract so much...

fermentor temps play a big roll in cloudiness/clarity, as do kwick chill times from the end of the boil to the pitching of yeast. you want to precipitate a quick cold break asap so these haze forming protiens can settle out in the kettle.

but it don't really matter likes been said, as long as you enjoy it, and clarity isn't being judged :)

Interesting. What if it IS being judged?
 
I'm curious about this, if someone can chime in.

I'm allergic to Brewers and Bakers yeasts. (It sucks I know)

I'm curious that if the beer is more clear than cloudy, if the majority of what is making the beer cloudy is yeast? Or is it generally other things. I am going to start filtering my beer with a 5 micron filter (Yeast cells diameter are between 4-12 microns) and am wondering if it might help me with my allergies.

I wont die, just get stomach aches the next day if I drink too much.
 
Sorry for re-opening this thread but I got a weird problem too! so after fermentation. I put it in a secondary and then I use gelatin to clear it out. This works. I put it through my filter and now it seems hazy again. It was 5micron. Could it get cloudy getting sloshed around in the tubes and stuff? and do you think I filtered out the gelatin and now it wont settle again now that its in the keg. and will it clear out if its carbing?
 
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