Cloudy beer. Need help. Pilsner is very cloudy

[DahlonegaBrewer]

Just took my pilsner out to keg the beer and it is super cloudy. After the work was finished boiling it was crystal clear (I used an Irish Moss tablet) added yeast (WLP800) and let it sit at room temperature for about 12 hrs to Kickstart the yeast. I then placed it in a kegerator at 50 degrees. For about 3 days I had no visible fermentation.

I decided to pitch a Brewers best dry pilsner yeast because It's all I had on hand and I have been on a deadline with this brew (hoping to have it kegged for opening day for my Atlanta Braves). After pitching the second batch of yeast I had a very active fermentation for over a week and after it died down I placed it in a secondary fermenter to condition at 40 degrees for over a month.

I noticed it was very cloudy while conditioning but was hoping everything would settle. After kegging it tonight it's still very cloudy. Not sure what's up. OG was 1.050 my final is right at 1.020.

Any idea on how I can clean it up or suggestions or improvements for next time?

 

[DocScott]

Does it clear as it warms up in your glass? Could just be chill haze.

Could also just be the first few pints are cloudy if the beer continued to settle in the keg.

If it's a poor floc, you could fine it with gelatin in the keg. This would certainly clear it.

Btw, with lagering, I'd suggest getting it colder than 40 if you can. Will help to clear it for future batches. Also, you didn't mention a diacetyl rest.


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[aiptasia]

That's pretty malty for a pilsner. I'd say you had a stuck fermentation on that one. Next time around, add yeast nutrient, pitch the right amount of yeast and properly oxygenate the wort and you should break the 1.020 barrier.

Now, as to your haze. It's either chill haze from too many proteins in your beer or yeast haze. It's easy to tell the difference. If the beer is relatively clear at room temperature and then clouds up after you chill it down, it's chill haze. If it's cloudy all the time, it's yeast haze. Here's how you solve the problems:

1) Make sure that when you boil your wort you reach a hot break. That means, boil it hot so that the wort foams up for a few minutes and then eventually breaks and subsides. This causes a lot of proteins to settle out of solution.

2) Make sure you chill your wort quickly. This is easily achieved with a good wort chiller with cold water flowing through it. Add the wort chiller to your boil pot with 10 minutes left in the boil to sanitize it, then pump cold water through it at the end of the boil to bring the temperature of the wort down as quickly as possible. This also causes proteins to coagulate and settle out of the wort.

3) Use a fining agent such as isinglass or a whirlfloc tablet at 15 minutes left in the boil. I prefer whirlfloc because it's easier to work with but either one works. This will further cause protein to clump and settle out.

4) Use a post-fermentation fining agent. My favorite is KC finings. It's a two part liquid fining agent. One part is liquid ketosol (sp?) and the other is liquid chitosan. One's positively charged and one's negatively charged, and will cause haze to completely settle out. Gelatin also works well.

5) Cold crashing and patience works best for removing yeast haze. Chill the beer down to 35f and wait for the yeast to go dormant and settle out to the bottom. Rack the beer off the yeast and keg.

 

[TheBrewingBear]

Any idea on how I can clean it up or suggestions or improvements for next time?

Next time give yourself more time by brewing earlier. Leaving a keg to condition in the keezer is almost a surefire way to get clear beer.

The other advice on hot break and cold break are good. I also understand it helps to whirlpool your wort to keep the break out of the fermenter.