Cloudy sedimenty beer

[bradsss]

Hey all, I'm on my first batch . It's fermenting for 7 days. Gravity reading was 1.015 and it tasted pretty good. But it looks like heavily cloudy cider and even had sediment swirling around. Will this go away after bottling?

 

[RM-MN]

You seem to think that all batches take the same time but this time your yeast wants to work a little slower. This particular batch probably needs another week at least and another 2 weeks might be better yet. Your swirling sediment means the yeast are still working and if you bottle it now your bottles will explode from too much pressure. Wait until the swirling goes away and the cloudiness subsides, then take your hydrometer readings, 2 or three days apart. If those reading match, you can bottle.

 

[wahmbush]

What ^ said. Relax don't worry and have a beer (first batch so you don't have a homebrew). Let it go another week or 2. I know the excitement, but wait 2-3 weeks. It will do nothing but help your beer to wait a few weeks before bottling.

 

[bradsss]

Patience hasn't always been my strong suit. I make efforts and expect immediate results. If making beer can teach me anything, it will be to learn how to wait and relax for good things to come instead of rushing through it.

 

[unionrdr]

Beer is something you can't rush. Learning patience is a must in this hobby. When the rapid bubbling slows or stops, only initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly, uneventfully creep down to FG. Then give it another 3-7 days to clean up any by-products of fermentation & settle out clear or slightly misty before packaging. And FG 1.015 is usually a couple points high for an average gravity ale.

 

[RM-MN]

Now would be a good time to start looking at another fermenter and what other beer kits are available. It's so much easier to wait when you have another batch to watch.

 

[Bobcatbrewing42]

bradsss You will figure it out with practice. I'd give the ferment at least 14 days to clarify and then reduce the temp when your yeast stops working. Most beginners mess with their brew too much, taking gravity readings and other potentially contaminating openings. I like to give it a good cold crash before bottling and have the fermenter sit for a day or two undisturbed where it is going to be racked from when you bottle or keg. Mine sits on a table in the garage where it is cold most of the year. No jiggling, swirling or carrying the fermenter before bottling/kegging.

 

[bradsss]

Ended up brewing two more batches. I can't seem to stop, I am trying to get as much as exposure and experience I can. I tend to check on the beer too much. Not sure where I will put of all this and how I will find all the bottles for this but looks like I have a couple weeks headstart.

@Bobcat - So no carrying or swirling the fermenter before bottling is prevent oxidation, so you bottle in the garage or wherever it has been cooling?

 

[DocScott]

Ended up brewing two more batches. I can't seem to stop, I am trying to get as much as exposure and experience I can. I tend to check on the beer too much. Not sure where I will put of all this and how I will find all the bottles for this but looks like I have a couple weeks headstart.

@Bobcat - So no carrying or swirling the fermenter before bottling is prevent oxidation, so you bottle in the garage or wherever it has been cooling?

Check out your local recycling center or bottle shop for empties. I pay the guy at my local shop $0.05 per bottle (deposit) and can pick up as many as I want. I used to do this all the time when I used to bottle a lot.

As far as carrying or swirling - it isn't oxidation you're concerned about really. There is basically no oxygen in your fermentor/carboy because the yeast produce CO2 during fermentation and that fills the headspace. The reason you don't want to carry or swirl it too much prior to bottling is that you'll kick up the trub that floccs to the bottom once fermentation is over. This is not a problem if it happens, just may lead to slightly cloudy beer or a bit more sediment in the bottle.

 

[unionrdr]

That's why I re-purposed this old printer stand into a fermenter stand. No more moving it all over the place looking for a spot to bottle. All done between the floor & top of the stand;

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

One other consideration to look is your yeast. Some are highly floculant and some are very low. I've had some that took weeks to clear. Wheat malt and flaked grains will also contribute to haze. Still, it's beer and that's never (or at least rarely) a bad thing.

 

[bradsss]

The beer is currently in my closet upstairs where it is between 66-72 degrees. If I am to cool it down in my garage as bobcat suggested, it will have to be moved at some point.