Sediment

[robhodge3]

I have just bottled my second batch and I have noticed that in both batches that I have brewed that there has been a considerable amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottles. Is this how it is supposed to be? I haven't been able to find any information on the topic anywhere. If it's not something that I should be happy about, what are some reasons for this happening and how can it be avoided in the future? Thanks...

-Rob

 

[Dude]

This is normal with bottle conditioned beers, and is completely healthy for both beer and self.

The sediment you see is yeast, which either came out of suspension or multiplied slightly when you primed your beer with sugar prior to bottling.

 

[Sasquatch]

Maybe define "considerable" for us?

There IS going to be some sediment in bottles of homebrew. But possibly if you are seeing a large amount, then any number of things could be changed... are you leaving the last inch or two when you rack out of your primary and secondary? Are you leaving the beer in secondary long enough to clear? Possibly don't add as much sawdust to the batch next time??

 

[Doug]

It could be the difference between using a secondary too. More yeast will settle out at that point, so if you are not already doing so, a secondary might be a good idea. Also, aren't there some sort of additives you can use during the boil to decrease the sediment (Irish moss, etc.)? Or does that just make a more clear beer? How many people use such things?

- Doug

 

[Sasquatch]

Isinglass, from fish bladders, is one additive... I understand there's a plastic "dust" that you can add which collects debris and then sits down as sediment.

For myself, I don't care if my beer is clear. If it tastes good, I'm happy. If I want crystal clear beer, I'll buy Sol.

 

[tucker713]

I had the same problem then I used a secondary carboy....I keep it in the primary for one week. Then I carefully siphon into a secondary trying not to get any sediment into the secondary then I leave it in that for three weeks...The beer comes out clean and with very little sediment in the bottles.

 

[andre the giant]

My last two batches sat in the secondary for a couple weeks after the fermentation had ended. They are bottle conditioning now and are clearing up very nicely. There's always some sediment in the bottom of the bottles, but if it's more than, say, 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch, you need to take more care in siphoning.

 

[robhodge3]

Yeah, I would say there is somewhere around 1/8 of an inch, maybe less. I am only doing single-stage fermenting now. I'll try moving over to two-stage when I do my next batch. Thanks guys.

-Rob

 

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

I have never gotten more than a film on the bottom of my bottles... I can pour out every bit of liquid and not get any junk in my beer. I do pri for a week and sec for two weeks... I then move my carboy into position and let it settle for a couple hours as I get all of my bottles cleaned, sanitized and ready. I then siphon to the bottling bucket while adding priming sugars and let this sit for about another hour.