Separating solids from older bottled beer

[morbster]

Hello everyone, I have a couple bottles of westvleteren 12 from a few years back that has unfortunately not been stored in perfect conditions. It wasn't exposed to major temp fluctuations, but it was around 72F at all times.

When I look at the bottle, it has a pretty significant amount of yeast and other floaties in suspension (much more than I remember originally arriving with the bottle). While I don't care about the solids now, I would like some advice on dealing with them when I serve them (probably in the next few weeks).

I'm currently toying with two options (or maybe both):

1. Chill bottles to 34F for a week or two before serving to compact yeast and other stuff.

2. After pouring most of the beer, swirl bottle and mix the solids and pour out (similar to hefeweizens). I don't know if this one will work since the solid material has formed fairly large clumps.

Any thoughts on how to handle this? For what it's worth, I drank a bottle a few years back that did not have this problem, so I am pretty certain this is not the "intent" of the beer.

 

[doomy86]

Its probably not yeast but proteins floating in your beer. So cooling it down will not work. I sometimes get that in beer stored to warm.

If crash cooling does not work, you would have to try to filter it.

 

[IslandLizard]

Shouldn't those chunks sink to the bottom if left upright in the fridge? Handle the bottles carefully so you don't disturb the sediment. Then just slowly and carefully tilt the bottle and pour off. When you see the sediment coming through tilt back. You could use one of those fine mesh nylon or metal strainers to filter, so you'll get more beer and even less sediment in the glass.

I've had a Westvleteren 12 from 2013 and 2014 (side by side) and they were clear as a bell. They had also been transported right before (straight up of course). I guess the sediment had compacted to a solid cake over the years. Time fixes a lot of things.

 

[morbster]

Shouldn't those chunks sink to the bottom if left upright in the fridge? Handle the bottles carefully so you don't disturb the sediment. Then just slowly and carefully tilt the bottle and pour off. When you see the sediment coming through tilt back. You could use one of those fine mesh nylon or metal strainers to filter, so you'll get more beer and even less sediment in the glass.

I've had a Westvleteren 12 from 2013 and 2014 (side by side) and they were clear as a bell. They had also been transported right before (straight up of course). I guess the sediment had compacted to a solid cake over the years. Time fixes a lot of things.

They do sink to the bottom over time, but they do not compact into a cake. As soon as the bottle is opened, the carbonation stirs the sediment up. I've also had it happen once with a fruit beer I made, and it never would settle out after opening.

These bottles are from 2012, and I think it was the warmer storage conditions that prompted this.

Do you think using a mesh bag or a finer strainer would work out, or would that cause the beer to go completely flat? I have never filtered carbonated beer before.

 

[IslandLizard]

They do sink to the bottom over time, but they do not compact into a cake. As soon as the bottle is opened, the carbonation stirs the sediment up. I've also had it happen once with a fruit beer I made, and it never would settle out after opening.

These bottles are from 2012, and I think it was the warmer storage conditions that prompted this.

Do you think using a mesh bag or a finer strainer would work out, or would that cause the beer to go completely flat? I have never filtered carbonated beer before.

I guess when the particles are fine they settle out into a firm cake. Once dislodged into larger chunks, there's no "mortar" to glue 'em back together on the bottom. I had a bunch of bottles of aged homebrew Saison that also had the chunkyness, but after pouring they luckily sank to the bottom of the glass rapidly.

One of those little cup sized "tea" hand strainers with the plastic mesh should hold most back. Or lay a piece of fine mesh hop bag into a coarser one. It shouldn't kill the carbonation. That 2012 beer will be something very special to enjoy.

The 2013 was quite amazing, alas a year older, much better than the 2014. The 3rd brew in that lineup was a few years aged homebrew clone of Westvleteren 12. Although a respectable beer by itself, it just didn't have anywhere near the complexity and finesse the real one has. Makes one wonder each time: How do they do that?