Small particles floating.. why?

[beauvafr]

I got small particles floating in my last 2 brews. They are thin, looks like tiny pieces of paper, almost translucent. Probably hops residus but who knows. It's not sexy! They take a while to settle after pouring beer from the bottle but they do settle.

I cold-crashed these last 2 brews. One of them were given gelatin to improve clarity. I did not use whirfloc or irish mosh.

Beer have not much haze and look clear. Appart from the particles!

Can this be related to cold crashing? I did not have this problem before.

 

[Dovage]

I just had the same thing in my bottles. I read that it is just yeast floating, due to the surface tension of the beer. Try tipping them back and forth to break the tension and then check them the next morning. Mine all settled out.

 

[beauvafr]

Try tipping them back and forth to break the tension and then check them the next morning.

You mean the bottle? How do you do that?

 

[boydster]

If they look like small pieces of almost-clear paper, I'd be willing to be it is just hop particles. I had this is an IPA once with a fair amount of dry hops, and some got siphoned accidentally into the bottling bucket.

 

[beauvafr]

How can I make sure to avoid it the next time?

 

[richlong8020]

U can use a filter during different aspects of the brewing day. U can boil hops in a bag. U can pitch wort from pot to fermenter through a strainer or a fine mesh bag. Lastly when you auto siphon to the bottling bucket u can wrap your siphon in a small fine mesh bag, sanitize it, siphon it. No floaters at all.

 

[unionrdr]

If it looks like ice pack breaking up,it's not hop particles. It's an infection. You see that on top of the beer in primary mainly in many threads on here.

 

[Dovage]

You mean the bottle? How do you do that?

I'm assuming your beer has been bottled. If so just flip them upside down, and then right side up. Then let them sit for a day. If it is yeast it will settle out.

 

[beauvafr]

If it looks like ice pack breaking up,it's not hop particles. It's an infection. You see that on top of the beer in primary mainly in many threads on here.

Duh? Does an infection always come with smell and putrid signs ? I don't have any.

Got pictures?

 

[unionrdr]

I don't have any personal pics,but a search should turn up at least a few on here. hop residue beyond the grainy pellet stuff looks like oil on water. If it's more white & looks like ice pack breaking up,it's infection. That simple.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

AG or Extract? Could be small grain particles if your not setting the grain bed properly.

Unions got it. If it looks like an oil slick up top then you did a great job dry hopping, if its furry, white, any color for the matter you have an infection.
1 brew after the other with the same outcomes, I would be leaning towards an infection. Make sure you properly clean and sanitize.

 

[beauvafr]

@Johnnyhitch1

I sanitize like h*ll. So almost no chance. I did not dry hopped this time, but last time yes.

I'ts not furry. Look like thin paper. About 2mm x 1mm. I'll post a picture soon.

Any picture of what you are talking about?

 

[beauvafr]

I poured another one today. No sign of these particules this time.

But well, I have to admit you guys got me worried I bit. How comes a beer can be infected and taste good, showing no sign of putrification anywhere.

I also had taken the yeast cake and made a starter. No sign of infection yet.

Should I still be worried? How ca I be sure?

 

[unionrdr]

Racking out from underneath it,you'd maybe get some bottles with it visible. Just not developed very much in a low oxygen environment. Not to mention,not all infections smell rotten or the like. There are subtleties to learn here. But they need o2 to propogate generally.

 

[beauvafr]

Here it is. Not furry, greenish maybe.. looks like hops residue. No dry hopping tough.

What do you think?

 

[richlong8020]

Oooooooh that's the sediment from the bottom of the bottle. No worries. But be careful cause some people don't do well swallowing that stuff. Makes ya gassy lol

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,looking at it this way,I'd have to agree. It's yeast/trub/settlings from the bottom of the bottle. In my experiences,they don't always compact well on the bottom after fridge time. Especially if it's just a thin dusting.

 

[beauvafr]

How can I avoid that.. again. Seems it's there only when I cold crash.

 

[unionrdr]

No way to really avoid it completely when carbonating naturally in the bottles. About all you can do is rack beer to the bottling bucket that's settle out clear or slightly misty.

 

[beauvafr]

I have been bottling directly from cold crash bucket. I will definitely try to rack to bottling bucket first.

 

[unionrdr]

that should keep the final settlings out.

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

Here is a video from Craigtube about eliminating sediment from bottles.

[ame]http://youtu.be/B2PPBmJZFd0[/ame]

And here is the website to the product:

http://sedexbrewing.com//

That's one way to get rid of sediment, but if you're taking care by not agitating the bottles and decanting them carefully then I'm not sure what you can do besides cold crashing and just overall waiting. Another possibility is to do secondary in a carboy and see if it gets rid of most of that sediment.