floaters

[amaurer]

My red ale... disaster... is now on week 4 in primary. This is the bucket that finished at 1.025 so I gave it 1.5 lbs or extra sugar, and some more yeast. Its now refinished at 1.020 and I'm ready to bottle...

... but it has lots of yeast balls suspended in it. 1/16" globules of crapola suspended throughout the volume.

What to do?

I'm experiencing a heat wave right now and have been unable to keep the temps down, I wondered if perhaps thats what causing the yeast to rise. Its about 72F in the bucket right now.

Would maybe cooling it down cause it to drop?

 

[BrewinHooligan]

If you can make room for it in the fridge for a few days, most everything in suspension will fall out and clear things up nice for bottling.

 

[RobbyBeer]

Agree..
Cold crash it then rack away.

 

[Genjin]

That is plenty of time in primary, what temp were you fermenting?

 

[amaurer]

That is plenty of time in primary, what temp were you fermenting?

I hadn't intended to keep it in that long... like I said, it got stuck and I had to add sugar.

 

[Gameface]

I had a brew with the same problem. I wasn't able to cold crash but after a month and a half the yeast balls were still floating around. That was pretty early in my brewing life and haven't had the problem since. I came here and asked about it and everyone said the balls would eventually fall out of suspension, but they never did. Haven't had a problem like that since. Not sure what the deal was.

 

[amaurer]

Should I rack first and then cold crash in the bottling bucket??

 

[RobbyBeer]

Should I rack first and then cold crash in the bottling bucket??

That would be just fine..
Either way works.
Just be weary of introducing oxygen..

 

[amaurer]

I had rigged up a cheesecloth filter on my racking hose, and bought some paint strainers because I decided I was bottling today come hell or high water.

I put the bucket in the coldest part of the house last night too.

... come this morning, zero floaters! I'll take it.

 

[RobbyBeer]

Nice how forgiving beer can be..
Cheers..