New malt, hazy beer

[kingmatt]

I recently won a 55# sack of malt from a local malt house at a competition. The sack was hand labeled as their 'pale' so I assumed it was ordinary 2 row.

I brewed a standard IPA using this malt as the base but the beer ended up super cloudy (didn't use wheat or any other haze inducing adjuncts) and overly bitter. I attributed this to a new yeast strain I was trying out.

Today I brewed another IPA and used the same base malt with just a little crystal and carapils and my efficiency was low (62 compared to my normal 72) and the wort going into the fermenter looked like milk.

I did some digging on the base malt I won and it turns out it is actually 6 row, not 2 row like I thought. I haven't used 6 row before but have read that it has higher levels of protein and can cause starch haze if conversion is not complete.

Anyone think this could be the issue or have any other ideas? I wasn't a fan of the last IPA I made and am worried this one will be a dud as well...

 

[cswis86]

I think you're on the right track with the protein being an issue. Maybe it would benefit from doing a protein rest/step mash? I imagine your efficiency is lower since 6 row doesn't have as high of a starch content as 2 row.

 

[kingmatt]

Maybe I'll give the step mash a shot since I have 20+ lbs left and would hate to waste it...

I'm wondering if the protein haze would also affect the flavor? The last IPA I made was excessively bitter (way more than the estimated IBUs would suggest) and the sample I took for my OG on today's brew was also very bitter.

I will add gelatin when I keg but I have low expectations on its effectiveness in this case.

 

[cswis86]

This link has some info you might find useful:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/zymurgy/zymurgy-extra-2-row-vs-6-row-barley/

It looks like 6 row has more polyphenols which add astringency to beer. Maybe this is the bitterness you're detecting in your beers? It might be best to substitute out a couple pounds of 2 row for 6 row instead of brewing entirely with 6 row. It seems like they work best in combination. May do an 80/20 split of 2/6 row. I know you have a lot to get rid of but I'd rather throw out bad malt instead of brewing bad beer.

 

[Chanoc]

If you are fuzzed about hazeand don't mind using gelatin
You could brew and fine with it.
A little easier and only adds a day or two to fermentation which doesn't hurt either.
HTH