My Chill Haze problem

[AdamLucko]

Ok. I have read a lot about chill haze on this awesome forum.

This is my problem.

After fermentation I let me brews sit until all the klausen has fallen. I test it with my hydrometer and it is in the right range. Except for the stuff at the bottom it is crystal clear. I give it a taste and it tastes great. I then put it into a secondary with gelatin and wait around 2 days. its even more crystal clear. I then put it in my primed bottles. I wait around a 2 weeks for the carb process to finish. it looks really really clear except a little sediment at the bottom from the reactivated yeast. I put it in the fridge. after 3 hrs. still clear. after 4 its hazy.

Whats my problem and if I let it sit longer will this go away?

and if I keg it instead of using dextrose to prime will it be the same outcome?

It is soooooooo clear until it get refrigerated. and this is for IPA, my Amber ALe, My Pilsner, and my Munich.

If I drink it at room temp (which I don't really like...Honestly I love a cold beer) its clear.

what are my options. also I do use whirlfloc.

 

[CBMbrewer]

Well, your priming sugar shouldn't have anything to do with it. I have not used gelatin before but I seem to remember reading that it is good to use finnings when the beer is cold crashing, since more solids will come out of solution and get 'grabbed' by the finning agent. Do you brew all grain, biab, partial mash or extract? If you steep or do biab, do you squeeze the grain to get out the last of the wort? This can extract some haze forming substances. Time can be a really good thing for clearing some hazes. Others are permanent. Water chemistry can also have an impact on clarity.

 

[FLOutlander]

Leave it in the fridge for at least 3 days. Itll clear right up.

 

[AdamLucko]

I put my grains in a mashtun. I never squeeze out anything. and I read that its best to putt he gelatin in during the secondary. Everything is great util it goes in the fridge.. I will wait a few days and see what happens.

What bout when kegging? temps and would be 3.3C

 

[CBMbrewer]

These guys do some great write ups.
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/02/how-to-fix-and-prevent-chill-haze.html
This particular one is pretty cut and dry but it is a good start, at least for future reference. I can't remember what it is that I am thinking of but I know there are compounds that can cause permanent chill haze when present in the water. Tap? Bottled? I will try and find the reference I am thinking of but I would certainly do a little looking into water chemistry. You said that this has happened on several beers but do you tend to hop your beers heavily? My hoppy beers can take a few weeks to clear in the keg.

 

[JimRausch]

Adam- have you checked your beers after a couple days of chilling? Have they cleared up again? If so, then it's chill haze which is cosmetic(although I agree a pain).
If you are adding your gelatin at room temperature, then basically you aren't getting your best use of it. Try to get that beer chilled below 45* to get those chillhaze proteins starting to settle out, then hit it with gelatin to crash them. In the cold season(I was going to say winter, but this year I'm thinking we might have a 9 month cold season) I set the bucket out in my cold garage for 24-48 hours before using gelatin. When it's warm, I use a swamp cooler bucket with frozen soda bottles.

 

[unionrdr]

Chill haze is caused by dissolved proteins in the wort. Chilling the hot wort down to pitch temp in 20 minutes or less will help by way of a good cold break. also,using some form of Irish moss toward the end of the boil gives the same effect. Come fridge time,that 3-4 hours you mentioned is just enough time for the bottles to cool off & allow any chill haze to form. giving them a week of fridge time usually is enough to allow any chill haze to form & settle out like fog. This also compacts the trub & yeast on the bottom of the bottle,allowing for a cleaner pour.

 

[Croyzen]

Whats my problem and if I let it sit longer will this go away?

If I drink it at room temp (which I don't really like...Honestly I love a cold beer) its clear.

what are my options. also I do use whirlfloc.

Yes if you let them sit longer they will clear. I notice most of my beers start to clear nicely after about 4-6 weeks sitting in the bottle BEFORE going in the fridge. If you have a pipeline of beer, it becomes easy to let beers age.

I have experienced the exact same problem with using whirlfloc and putting beer into the fridge young after it being crystal clear in the bottle at room temp. Problem = lack of patience.

Whirlfloc will take a beer from decently clear to high-def clear if you do everything else right. I generally don't use it and get decently clear beer. If you want clear beer, in addition to doing everything else correctly on brew day, get a good hot break/strong boil, a good cold break, transfer the beer carefully between vessels, rack into the bottling bucket carefully, and wait wait wait for a good 4-6 weeks in the bottle before chilling. Then let the now bottle conditioned beer cold condition for a week or two, the longer it sits in the fridge, the clearer it will get.

If you can't wait that long, brew more and get a pipeline established.

***The whole idea is to use both hot temps and cold temps to drop proteins out of the beer along with your optional fining agent.***

 

[AdamLucko]

These guys do some great write ups.
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/02/how-to-fix-and-prevent-chill-haze.html
This particular one is pretty cut and dry but it is a good start, at least for future reference. I can't remember what it is that I am thinking of but I know there are compounds that can cause permanent chill haze when present in the water. Tap? Bottled? I will try and find the reference I am thinking of but I would certainly do a little looking into water chemistry. You said that this has happened on several beers but do you tend to hop your beers heavily? My hoppy beers can take a few weeks to clear in the keg.

Good info. Especially making the chill haze on purpose. to fine it out later.

Thanks.

 

[jnacey]

I've started using ClarityFerm in all of my beers that should have more clarity. Its a small little vial you pitch at the same time as you pitch the yeast. I don't have the ability to cold crash and this little vial works wonders.

I think you can pick up a 5-pack for around $12. It also has the added benefitting of making your beer gluten-free, if that's something you care about.

 

[CBMbrewer]

Chill haze is caused by dissolved proteins in the wort. Chilling the hot wort down to pitch temp in 20 minutes or less will help by way of a good cold break. also,using some form of Irish moss toward the end of the boil gives the same effect. Come fridge time,that 3-4 hours you mentioned is just enough time for the bottles to cool off & allow any chill haze to form. giving them a week of fridge time usually is enough to allow any chill haze to form & settle out like fog. This also compacts the trub & yeast on the bottom of the bottle,allowing for a cleaner pour.

Spot on! Always plenty of good info from this guy

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks. I try to be accurate from my own experiences.

 

[AdamLucko]

I've started using ClarityFerm in all of my beers that should have more clarity. Its a small little vial you pitch at the same time as you pitch the yeast. I don't have the ability to cold crash and this little vial works wonders.

I think you can pick up a 5-pack for around $12. It also has the added benefitting of making your beer gluten-free, if that's something you care about.

how on earth does it make it gluten free?