I am "attempting" to make Birra Moretti. Here's my process so far. Left it the primary fermenter for 2 weeks to ensure all yeast activity was done. Move it to a secondary then slowly reduced the temp from 65 degrees down to 34 degrees over two weeks in a empty refrigerator. then let it sit at 34 degrees for a week. The final gravity was 1.028. Being close to the approved final gravity I let it slowly brought it back to 68 degrees to make sure all fermentation was complete. There was a good day and a half of activity before it subsided down to nothing. Took another gravity reading and was still at 1.028. Along with being pretty cloudy. Whats the best way to clear up this beer?????
Cloudy Lager
- Thread starter wegchef
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nebben
Well-Known Member
Umm...you're doing it wrong 
All yeast activity was probably not done at the 14 day mark. 1.028 is way too high for a finished lager. The cloudiness might be yeast, but could be something else depending on your recipe. By the way- could you post the recipe you used?
Common lager recipes will ferment at a cool temperature for a few weeks (depending on the yeast), usually around 50F. At the end of this, it is common to raise the temperature to the 60's for diacetyl rest for a few days, then rack to another container for lagering. Lagering, which is just cold aging, happens after all fermentation is complete. The gravity should be much less than 1.028 before lagering even takes place.
Keep the beer warm, in the 60F range, and check it in a few days to see if anything has changed. Also, are you using your hydrometer correctly? Make sure you are using ~60F beer and reading at the surface level below the meniscus.
All yeast activity was probably not done at the 14 day mark. 1.028 is way too high for a finished lager. The cloudiness might be yeast, but could be something else depending on your recipe. By the way- could you post the recipe you used?
Common lager recipes will ferment at a cool temperature for a few weeks (depending on the yeast), usually around 50F. At the end of this, it is common to raise the temperature to the 60's for diacetyl rest for a few days, then rack to another container for lagering. Lagering, which is just cold aging, happens after all fermentation is complete. The gravity should be much less than 1.028 before lagering even takes place.
Keep the beer warm, in the 60F range, and check it in a few days to see if anything has changed. Also, are you using your hydrometer correctly? Make sure you are using ~60F beer and reading at the surface level below the meniscus.
Nebben, thanks for the advice. I go the recipe out of the 2nd edition clone brews book. Here's a link : http://books.google.com/books?id=IlPBcoQZEo0C&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=birra+moretti+clone&source=bl&ots=F2gN1NnJiz&sig=Epoejm5-eRoex6TtzhI8oab2giw&hl=en&ei=QDM_TJbcHsKC8gayxvm5Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
Its on page 132 and 133. Thanks for the help, i'll keep you posted on the progress.
Its on page 132 and 133. Thanks for the help, i'll keep you posted on the progress.
I can't "see" the recipe. But depending on the ingredients, you may be a very long way from finished. 1.028 is too high, especially for a lager.
I won't slam that book, but all of the "Clone Brews" editions I've seen (I bought one) do NOT have good instructions, techniques, or recipes. If you post your recipe, we can probably help you finish it up.
What was the recipe? We can take a look at that and see where you should be.
Also, what were your fermentation temperatures, and the yeast strain you used?
We can get you fixed up, don't worry!
Alright heres the recipe:
steep; german crystal, german dark munich and choc malt 30 mins
add 9lbs extra light DME, maltodextrin and styrian goldings (bittering) 45 mins
added more styrian hops (flavor) and irish moss 10 mins
added more styrian hops (aroma) 5 mins
Yeast was Wyeasts 2308 Munich Lager yeast liquid yeast
Fermented for 14 days at 50'F then up to 60'F u until fermentation stopped, took about another ten days. Then I racked it out of the primary bucket and into a 5 gal carboy I didnt check the final gravity, (yes im a meat head for not checking that)and lagered it at 40'F for about 2 weeks.
As a side note, how do I add my recipes to my HBT account for others to see????
steep; german crystal, german dark munich and choc malt 30 mins
add 9lbs extra light DME, maltodextrin and styrian goldings (bittering) 45 mins
added more styrian hops (flavor) and irish moss 10 mins
added more styrian hops (aroma) 5 mins
Yeast was Wyeasts 2308 Munich Lager yeast liquid yeast
Fermented for 14 days at 50'F then up to 60'F u until fermentation stopped, took about another ten days. Then I racked it out of the primary bucket and into a 5 gal carboy I didnt check the final gravity, (yes im a meat head for not checking that)and lagered it at 40'F for about 2 weeks.
As a side note, how do I add my recipes to my HBT account for others to see????
Munich needs to be mashed; dark Munich has barely enough enzymes to convert itself under ideal circumstances. If you only gave it 30 minutes and did not lock the temp into a conversion range, the unconverted starch may be contributing to the turbidity.
Alright, its been 5 days and Ive got a flat airlock(meaning there is no pressure against itand yes there is a good seal). Gravity is still at 1.026 for this Moretti Lager. Is it okay to rack into a 5 gal cornie and lager it for a month or so and what is a recommended temp???? When I do so I should make sure I purge it with CO2 to rid the O2 right????
nebben
Well-Known Member
What was your original gravity?
The starting gravity was 1.082, and the gravity reading I got 5 days ago was 1.028. The current gravity is 1.026.
giligson
Well-Known Member
Do you like the flavor?
If its too sweet for your taste you might be able to rescue it with the addition of an attenuative yeast like Wyeast 1056 from a 1L starter at high krausen. Ferment at 16-19 Celsius. But it won't be a lager.
If its too sweet for your taste you might be able to rescue it with the addition of an attenuative yeast like Wyeast 1056 from a 1L starter at high krausen. Ferment at 16-19 Celsius. But it won't be a lager.
Rhoobarb
Well-Known Member
The recipe in the book is a Doppelbock calling out an OG of 1.082 and a FG of 1.022-1.023. Yeast is either WY2308 or WY2124 and they've spec'd fermentation temps appropriate for those strains (47oF-52oF) with a diacetyl rest after 14 days. So, yours is close to being ready. What will clear it up? Long, cold conditioning. Give it a month at as cold a temp as possible, then maybe add some gelatin 2-4 days before bottling/kegging. Nothing clears a beer like long, cold conditioning.
nebben
Well-Known Member
I'd go ahead and rack, then lager. You're probably about as close as it'll get at this point. Good luck!
nebben
Well-Known Member
Post a pic when it's all done a month or two from now! 
Post a pic when it's all done a month or two from now!
Can I still post pics and recipes even though I am still riding out the free subscription to this site???? If so how do I do that??
