Cloudy Beer Causes

[Munich_Mouser]

I just did an extract/steeping grain Dubbel that has turned out pretty great from a flavor standpoint. However this is my 6th or so batch and is just totally cloudy, with an abnormal (in my experience) amount of yeast in the bottles. This isn't chill haze either, it's lcloudy I'm trying to figure out the root causes of this in order to adjust my process and thought I'd reach out to the forum. I've narrowed it down to a few issues.

1. Yeast / fermentation. It's the first time I've used a starter and did it with WLP-500. Chilled to about 68* and put in my basement, where the ambient temp was about 65*. It took three days to get going and then went crazy for about a full day. I left in the primary for four weeks prior to bottling. My hunch is that even with the long time my fermentation was too cold, which didn't give the yeast the time to fall out. The flavor is great however.

2. Steeping grains. I steeped them too hot (165+) then squeezed the hell out of the bag. This doesn't seems like a likely cause.

3. Solids. I didn't strain into the primary and had evaporated so much liquid that I had to dump basically the whole kettle, solids and all into the primary. Could this be part of the cause?

Again, the flavor is good, but the amount of yeast and cloudiness is huge. As in the second glass out of a bomber bottle has its flavor affected by it. Not chill haze as it's cloudy at room temp. Anyway, just curious if anyone has experience with the above.

 

[giraffe]

Cloudiness can be from 3 things, yeast in suspension, protiens/tannins/starch, or infection.

Some yeast strains take longer to clear. Belgian strains such as wlp500 are low floculators. Put the carbonated bottles in the fridge as close as you can to freezing for 2 weeks. Then pour carefully and dont shake the bottles. The yeast will fall out.

Protien is usually from poor mashing. Which isnt too relevant in extract. It could also be from tannins, which can be formed from getting the grains too hot (but usually thats chill haze.) It can also be unbroken down starches, if you steeped something like base malt, and it didnt convert.

Infection is always a possibility, but youd probably taste it.

 

[Patrick87]

Did you use any biscuit malt in it? The last few times I've used Victory malt (which I hear is pretty similar to biscuit malt) I've got a little bit of starch haze. Some folks say that it needs to be mashed, and I've just been steeping it in the full volume of water. I believe they're right.

 

[Munich_Mouser]

Now that's pretty interesting. My steeping grains were 2 lb Victory, 1 lb Munich 30, 1 lb caramunich. Steeped all of it in full volume. Maybe that's part of it.

 

[sboyajian]

I seem to get cloudy beers whenever I use wheat. My blonde ale had a little red wheat and it's the cloudiest beer I've ever made.

 

[Saboral]

Using wheat can naturally produce some haziness. I always do a protein rest on my wheat beers and mash all the grains. I can't think of any that have been hazey, other than when the yeast hadn't fully flocculated.

 

[sboyajian]

Using wheat can naturally produce some haziness. I always do a protein rest on my wheat beers and mash all the grains. I can't think of any that have been hazey, other than when the yeast hadn't fully flocculated.

Hazy may be a better descriptor for mine than cloudy.