How to identify and clear a kegged and carbed beer

[kyt]

Hey guys, I've got an American Amber that looked fine when I transferred it to the keg, but for some reason it got VERY cloudy and has yet to settle out.

I thought maybe it was chill haze, but it is my understanding that chill haze would disappear when the beer warms up, so I left a glass out on the counter for a couple hours. It stayed exactly the same.
I have noticed that whatever the stuff is, settles out in the beer line.
When I get a pint, I'll take a second cup to empty the line in; it gets a blast of beigey/light-brown, then runs more clear-ish.
You cannot see anything through this first glass, but you can see faint shadows in the second glass. In all the batches I've brewed, I've not had one do this. I've got a kolsch I'm about to cold crash, and I really hope it doesn't turn out the say way.

The fridge is kept at ~4°C, and the yeast I used was White Labs WLP004.

I ran out of irish moss, so this batch didn't get any.

Do you think I could clear this up with some gelatin?
Is it too late to use gelatin now that it's carbonated?

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I'd try gelatin. It won't hurt. It should bond to whatever is floating around.

 

[BierMuncher]

You can use gelatin on a carbonated beer.

Sounds like you have some protein solids that just don’t want to come out of suspension. The gelatin should help, but there are other factors that drive a clear beer:

• Rolling boil to achieve a good hot break
• Quick chilling to achieve a good cold break.
• Whirfloc tablets (or Irish Moss, but I find Whirfloc to be superior in my shop)
• Adequate time in the fermenter to allow yeast to settle out.
• Racking from just above the yeast cake in your ferment (you should have nearly crystal beer flowing into your keg)
• Gelatin dissolved in cool water, then brought to near boiling and cooled again…added to keg.
• Adequate time in the chiller.

The recipe / style can also play a part:

• Heavily wheat based beers – not so clear
• Heavily flaked barley based beers – not so clear
• Dry hopped ales – not so clear (although not impossible)

The last thing might be your dip tube length. All of my kegs have the dip tube either bent slightly sharper, or in the case of straight dip tubes, have been cut down by a ¼ inch. This lifts the tube just off the bottom of the residual yeast cake which is ever present in kegged beers. Some don’t agree with this method for reasons of extracting the extra 2-4 ounces of beer off the bottom. I brew enough that I’m not worried about losing a few ounces in exchange for crystal pours on my initial draws.

 

[kyt]

No wheat or flakes in this batch.
I can't remember if I had my immersion chiller yet when I made it.
I'll try the gelatin, see how it goes.
My dip tubes are full length, will they clog with the gelatin sediment? Or just pour and dump a pint or two?

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Pour and dump.

 

[kyt]

oh yea so here's another question.
How do I get the keg open without ruining the beer?

I would imagine, if I released the pressure very very slowly, I could get it open without foaming the beer up?
I have all pin lock kegs, and one of those gas side depressurizing cap things.
Like this:

 

[JonM]

Sounds like yeast/etc. settling in the keg and nothing to worry about. If it was me, I'd just finish the keg and try Whirlifloc/cold crashing/ etc. for the next batch. Use one of those cool non-transparent stone beer stein/mugs in the meantime.

EDIT: A shortened dip tube might help too.

 

[kyt]

Sounds like yeast/etc. settling in the keg and nothing to worry about. If it was me, I'd just finish the keg and try Whirlifloc/cold crashing/ etc. for the next batch. Use one of those cool non-transparent stone beer stein/mugs in the meantime.

EDIT: A shortened dip tube might help too.

If I can't fix it, that's what will end up happening, over an extended period of time. All the, whatever it is, that is suspended makes the beer not taste real good, so I don't really want to drink it. It's not just chill haze, it's something with a flavor-ish. It doesn't taste bad, but I can tell it doesn't taste right.