Kegging Newb - Is My Brew Screwed?

[Slanty_Shanty]

So I'm new to kegging and I think I might have screwed myself (and my beer) over, royally. I brewed up a double IPA about a month and a half ago, and I finally racked it to my corny this weekend. I set the CO2 and let it sit a couple of days. I checked it tonight just to see how it was going, and it came out looking like the picture you see below (though right side up...I don't know what happened with the upload). Needless to say, I'm fairly devastated. I'm guessing that I somehow left too much sediment in the beer when I put it in the keg, it cold crashed, and now the draft line is pulling all the sediment in, making it look like...that. I should add that I had a dry hop bag in there for three - four days, but pulled it out tonight after pulling a glass like this, as it had fallen to the bottom and I was afraid it had split open and that was what was causing this. But nope...even post-dry-hop-bag, this is what my beer looks like.

Someone please give it to me straight...did I just lose an entire 5 gallon batch of delicious, wonderful Double IPA, or is there something I can do to salvage it? Is my brew screwed?

Thanks for any help, everyone.

 

[kh54s10]

Wait a little longer and draw off another couple of pints. Any sediment will be picked up by the dip tube, it should clear up after a couple of glasses.

 

[brew_ny]

here lets get it the right way first, let it sit in the keg for a bit

and it will clear

all the best

S_M

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

Ahhhhhhhhhh, many thanks to you both (and for the photo flip!). I was getting ready to despair. My daughter has a birthday party in two and a half weeks, and I was hoping to have this on tap. So I suppose I'll hold off on abandoning all hope. Instead, I'll RDWHAHB...just not that one, yet.

 

[kh54s10]

Some draw off a couple of pints and pour them down the drain. I drink them even if cloudy, I hate wasting beer. Though none have been as cloudy as that.

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

Yeah, I have a thing about wasting beer, too. I'll likely drink it as I hope for it to clear, too. But boy, I hope it does clear. If it's not clearer in a week or so, is there anything else I could do?

Although I suppose I can cross that bridge when I come to it...

 

[Cyclman]

It'll clear, it's just a question of how many pints will be clouded.

 

[PapaO]

After it settles don’t move the keg or you will stir up the sediment again.

 

[Psylocide]

Yeah, my first pint always looks like that... gelatin and yeast in my case.

Also, one time I bumped it pretty good and it clouded up until it settled out. It'll be fine once you pull a pint of sediment or so.

 

[judsonp]

Yes, but how does it taste?

Unless something weird has happened: if you don't move it, leave it cold, and let it settle, it will eventually clear up (after drawing out the sediment by pouring a few points). The question is just how long that'll take.

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

It tastes great, aside from the obvious sediment-y nature of it. Ha, that's kind of one of the major reasons I'm hoping it clears up - I'm super happy with the grapefruit and other citrus notes in it, and I don't want friends to be afraid to drink it because it looks like sludge! Although, that would mean I'd get to drink more of it....

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

Oh, and thanks for all the replies, folks! You've all certainly helped me relax a bit.

 

[huckbof]

Someone please give it to me straight...
Thanks for any help, everyone.

sell your kegging complexities and bottle in the future

 

[wysiwyg]

Serve it in red solo cups - no one will know it's cloudy and they'll focus on the great taste!

 

[normonster]

It tastes great,....

You're all good then. Next time use whirfloc and try not to get so much trub in the keg.

 

[wilserbrewer]

RDWHACHB, or "relax don't worry have a cloudy homebrew", it will clear beautifully in time.....

 

[pvpeacock]

sell your kegging complexities and bottle in the future

Are you on some kind of a mission from the beer bottle gods to trash kegging on every thread you can find? Were you maimed in a freak corny keg explosion as a child? Is your real name Cornelius and you hate your parents so much for giving you that name that you are taking it out on us? I'm just not understanding all the hate.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I did an Imperial IPA last fall that I had some issues with, and didn't get my full 5 gallons for my keg. So I tried to get too much out of the carboy and sucked too much trub.

The next beer I left a fair amount in the carboy

At least your dip tube isn't clogging with gunk! I bet you'll need to sacrifice a 4 or 5 pints, but I sure hope it clears for you!

 

[normonster]

Are you on some kind of a mission from the beer bottle gods to trash kegging on every thread you can find? Were you maimed in a freak corny keg explosion as a child? Is your real name Cornelius and you hate your parents so much for giving you that name that you are taking it out on us? I'm just not understanding all the hate.

Was wondering the same. I think you nailed it....his name is Cornelius and he's bitter about it.

STFU Cornelius. 😭

 

[Stealthcruiser]

sell your kegging complexities and bottle in the future

Dude, you have to be smarter than what you're working with, if you want to keg............

 

[PlexVector]

Dude, you have to be smarter than what you're working with, if you want to keg............

Done both, and I think bottles are more complicated.

Back to topic:
I had one that was cloudy, and tasted fine. It finally cleared on the last pint!

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

sell your kegging complexities and bottle in the future

Eh, I bottled for seven years, and grew very tired of it. Also, full disclosure, I kegged a chocolate-hazelnut porter before this IPA and it's flat-out wonderful. It's also nice to be able to have as much or as little of it in a sitting. My wife loves that she can sip on a half-pint as I have my pint or two. And come on...draft beer on the porch is just bad ass.

huck, I've noticed your anti-kegging posts around here before and, with all due respect, they're pretty hardcore. I've had bottling issues, too, so I suppose neither option is perfect. I'm enjoying the kegging thing, and I'm happily passing most of my bottles on to my new-to-brewing brother-in-law. I'll keep some for huge-beer aging, but for now, I think I'll work out the kegging kinks. But thanks for the input!

And the same goes for everyone else, too!

Drinking cloudy til it clears!

 

[PlexVector]

...Drinking cloudy til it clears!

"Drink'n cloudy til it clears!"

My new motto dude...:rockin:

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

Well, all, I am overjoyed to share this photo with you. Thank you to ALL of you who helped me relax and stop catastrophizing (sp?). I pulled this pint today (Tuesday), and not only is it a beautiful color, but the taste is everything I wanted it to be. It's got a ton of grapefruit and citrus, with a gentle sweetness that's never overpowering. It's frighteningly drinkable for a 10.3% Double IPA and is actually quite refreshing (especially for such a big beer). I'm already assuming I'll need to brew another batch of this in a couple of months, because I don't think this will stick around very long.

Again, thanks to all. Cheers. Beer is a wonderful thing.

 

[PlexVector]

Nice!

 

[jahdub]

Pulling pints is the easiest way, but suppose your dip tube was constantly getting clogged. You could always siphon the beer to another keg.

Congrats on everything turning out.

 

[NickTheGreat]

So you Relaxed, Didn't Worry, and Had a Homebrew.

 

[Gavin C]

Well, all, I am overjoyed to share this photo with you. Thank you to ALL of you who helped me relax and stop catastrophizing (sp?). I pulled this pint today (Tuesday), and not only is it a beautiful color, but the taste is everything I wanted it to be. It's got a ton of grapefruit and citrus, with a gentle sweetness that's never overpowering. It's frighteningly drinkable for a 10.3% Double IPA and is actually quite refreshing (especially for such a big beer). I'm already assuming I'll need to brew another batch of this in a couple of months, because I don't think this will stick around very long.

Again, thanks to all. Cheers. Beer is a wonderful thing.

fantastic picture. Mouthwatering stuff there. Delighted it all worked out well.

Something to consider if not already doing it if you have the facility do do it too of course is to cold crash the FV and after a few days add gelatin. A few more days and keg. There will always be some sediment in a first pour or two but not much. Anyway just throwing it out there.

Again, great picture and an IPA glass too no less. Very impressive.

 

[BierMuncher]

I opted to take all of my dip tubes and give them a bit sharper bend at the bottom to lift them out of the crud. It ends up getting the beer clearer faster. It's a personal preference. Nice job on your IPA by the way. :rockin:

 

[passedpawn]

It's frighteningly drinkable for a 10.3% Double IPA and is actually quite refreshing (especially for such a big beer).

Good job, looks great, I can almost taste it in that pic.

Not sure I'd serve a 10% beer on tap at my daughter's B'day party though. Just be careful.

 

[Slanty_Shanty]

Not sure I'd serve a 10% beer on tap at my daughter's B'day party though. Just be careful.

Haha, I understand your concern. But it's for the adults. She's turning three, and (along with one of the attending dads) is a brew buddy. She goes with me to my LHBS and helps get the ingredients and is always in the kitchen for a good portion of brew day. She also tends to our hops on the side of the house.

And most importantly, she knows not to touch the kegerator (we've been over this many times, and she has been surprisingly great about it thus far). In fact, she always pulls guests out to the porch to show them "her" beer, but tells them they can't touch it unless Dad says they can. Quite the kid.

Once again, thanks to EVERYONE. This is a great forum.