Help me reduce bottling yeast in beer!

[cannman]

I love brewing beer.

Actually, I love the finished product and satisfaction of making a good beer... (The brewing process is actually a pain in the ass).

There is nothing that is bothering me more today than that layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle.

It seems that even after a secondary and cold crash, I still get a layer of yeast after conditioning.

Sometimes I pour aggressively and ruin a good beer because I got some of the yeast later into my mug.
Help me reduce this please? I know that filtering the beer would solve this but lets talk about everything besides filtering the beer. Help me, what are some tips to making bottled beer yeastless (or as yeastless as possible?).

Thanks.

 

[MagicMatt]

If the brewing process is a PITA, then you've got to be doing something wrong. Or at least inefficiently. What parts particularly annoy you?

Since you're bottling, I assume you are naturally carbing with priming sugar? You need yeast in the bottle for this to work.

Even still, pouring the small amount of yeast from the bottle into a glass will not "ruin a good beer". It may alter the taste slightly, but hardly enough for most people to notice.

Can you describe your cold crashing and aging methods (prior to bottling)?

What it really sounds like is that you want to start kegging!

 

[cannman]

If the brewing process is a PITA, then you've got to be doing something wrong. Or at least inefficiently. What parts particularly annoy you?

Drink great beer vs labor? nm must be too late. But don't fool yourself, not everyone on here enjoys the labor of brewing... It is a labor of love.

Since you're bottling, I assume you are naturally carbing with priming sugar? You need yeast in the bottle for this to work.

Yes, but there is a difference in having yeast for priming and an entire flippin' ring at the bottom... Unless the yeast multiplying at priming is what is causing such cake... you may be onto something...

Even still, pouring the small amount of yeast from the bottle into a glass will not "ruin a good beer". It may alter the taste slightly, but hardly enough for most people to notice.

This is relative to the beer drinker, and since I'm drinking it, I view this as an imperfection and see to improve the quality of my beers.

Can you describe your cold crashing and aging methods (prior to bottling)?

Sure. Primary, 6gal. 3 piece air lock replaced with 1 way silicon bung. Program STc-1000 to about 35f with 2.5f variance allowed in the ferm chamber. 2-3 days here. Co2 transfer to 5gal secondary, return to ferm temps. Dry hop here if necessary (almost all my batches are). 5 day hop then crash again 2-3 days. Co2 transfer to bottle bucket. Bottle. 2 week condition before drinking, admire yeast cake here.

What it really sounds like is that you want to start kegging!

I already keg. This is an attempt to reduce the yeast cake in the bottle when bottle conditioning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to look further into the yeast cake developing due to priming sugar multiplication... thanks for stimulating my brain and driving out potential answers!

 

[Hoppity]

Bottle from the keg.

 

[cannman]

Bottle from the keg.

Cheating!

 

[ol-hazza]

Use gelatin finings, i think they glue the sediment to the bottom of the bottle nicely and reduce yeast in the glass.

 

[cannman]

Use gelatin finings, i think they glue the sediment to the bottom of the bottle nicely and reduce yeast in the glass.

Gelatin is one thing I haven't tried.... But then my beer won't be vegan ^_^ j/k

Your comment about "sticking to the bottle" intrigues me... I just might try that.

 

[JINKS]

I love brewing beer.

Actually, I love the finished product and satisfaction of making a good beer... (The brewing process is actually a pain in the ass).

There is nothing that is bothering me more today than that layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle.

It seems that even after a secondary and cold crash, I still get a layer of yeast after conditioning.

Sometimes I pour aggressively and ruin a good beer because I got some of the yeast later into my mug.
Help me reduce this please? I know that filtering the beer would solve this but lets talk about everything besides filtering the beer. Help me, what are some tips to making bottled beer yeastless (or as yeastless as possible?).

Thanks.

Cold crash at 35 for a month before bottling. All my lager beers have very little yeast on the bottom, and what yeast is present stays fairly attached.

 

[cannman]

Cold crash at 35 for a month before bottling. All my lager beers have very little yeast on the bottom, and what yeast is present stays fairly attached.

A assume you mean once in secondary right? A month on the trub sounds :cross:

Thanks, I might try that one day...

 

[beerme70]

If you bottle condition, you will have yeast on the bottom of the bottle, period. There is no way around it. Most, if not all, of the great breweries, Schlafly's comes to mind immediately, will have yeast on the bottom, because they bottle condition. I have a crystal clear Belgian Wit, and there is a 1/8" thick layer on the bottom of the bottles. Pour slowly, the yeast stays in the bottle. Option #2, as others have already stated, start kegging.

 

[flars]

The amount of yeast that makes it to your glass will depend upon the pour, the yeast, and your racking technique.

Rough movement of the fermentor just before racking will resuspend some of the yeast. Having the siphon down into the yeast will result in more yeast going into the bottle.

Even with great care though, it is the strain of yeast, which to me, is the main factor. When using a highly flocculant yeast, less yeast will make it to your glass, with a careful pour, than a less flocculant yeast. It has been my experience, a yeast like WY 1084 will stick in the bottle while WY 3711 and WY 1056, and other medium to low flocculant yeasts, will readily pour out.

 

[whoaru99]

Yes, but there is a difference in having yeast for priming and an entire flippin' ring at the bottom... Unless the yeast multiplying at priming is what is causing such cake... you may be onto something...

There isn't any need to do a bunch of research. That is part of it, no different than yeast multiplying during the main fermentation. Bottle priming is simply another mini-fermentation, but with the CO2 locked in the sealed bottle to carbonate the beer.

 

[JINKS]

A assume you mean once in secondary right? A month on the trub sounds :cross:

Thanks, I might try that one day...

I don't rack out of primary at all. Usually 4 weeks in primary at around 63 degrees then I have the controller set up to cold crash to 35 for another month.

The 2 best beers I've made so far.

 

[brewcat]

I'd primary longer. More yeast would be settled when either you secondary or go direct to the bottle. I have a bottle conditioned maibock going that you can poor the whole bottle without issue.

 

[FourSeasonAngler]

Longer cold crash or gelatin fining.

I've had really good results with gelatin fining. After primary & dry hop, cold crash 3 days. After 3 days I mix up 1 tsp of gelatin in 1/4 cup of 150°F distilled (or clean as you can get) water. Stir for 2 minutes (very important to make sure all of the gelatin "blooms"), you will see that all the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Add this 1/4 cup solution directly to your cold crashed beer and swirl gently to evenly distribute the gelatin solution. Allow 2 to 3 days for the sediment to drop out.

You will still have some yeast in suspension but your beer will be much clearer once conditioning is complete and there will be less sediment in your bottles.

Also, once your 3 weeks of conditioning has completed, cold crash your bottles for at least a week before drinking. I found that 3 weeks to carb and 3 weeks at 34°F was perfect for my beers. Lots of sediment drops out and hard packs onto the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

So, three beers into the day and it only being 12:45 p.m., I was going to post something about learning how to pour, but the alcohol interlock on my keyboard wouldn't let me post it. So, instead, some serious advice:
1) Gelatin in the fermenter will help drop the yeast (and chill haze) to a minimum, especially if you cold crash it.
2) Cold conditioning for as long as you can stand it will drop more yeast (and proteins) out.
3) Bottle conditioning always created more yeast, so you can't avoid it.
4) Keeping your bottle conditioned beers as cold as possible once they are carbonated will help drop the yeast (and proteins) and keep it caked to the bottom.
5) Every yeast strain has a different ability to condition and then floc hard. Find the strains that work best. Hint: Sierra Nevada bottle conditions, what yeast do they use?
6) And <oh sh*t, here it comes> learn how to pour bottle conditioned beer. (How did that get past the interlock?!?)

Seriously, though, ignore those who espouse kegging. They have found their path, we have ours...

 

[flars]

Do you have your secondary tilted, several days before racking to bottling bucket, so you can see the tip of the auto siphon, and then be able to hold it above the yeast/trub layer?

Run on sentence.