time to bottle, but I have cloudy beer

[gregfreemyer]

I did a maibock recipe about 5 weeks ago. I racked it from primary to secondary about 4 weeks ago.

It's still cloudy, so I'm wondering what to do.

I read one option is to put a 5-gallon paint strainer in my bottling bucket, then rack to it. Then slowly remove the paint strainer. I'm willing to try that but my guess is the cloudy substance in the beer will go straight through the strainer.

I also read about cold crashing, but a video I watched made me nervous about maintaining sanitized conditions as the air in the head space compresses due to cooling. It looks that would draw air in.

Thanks
Greg

 

[Valtyr]

Some people have had luck using different types of finings, like gelatain. I've never used anything besides Irish moss, but that's added during the boil. I don't know much about other types, or when they can be used.

Many, if not most, people on here cold crash. It doesn't sound like they've had any problems with it. I've never had the ability to cold crash, but I plan on doing it as soon as I'm able to.

 

[gromitdj]

Cold crashing is how the majority of us do it, I believe. I wouldn't be too concerned about sanitation. Cold crashing is the only method I've used with my Mr. Beer "Little Brown Keg" and have never had a problem. It doesn't have an airlock, and would be a worse case scenario as far letting air back in is concerned.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Bottle the beer and let it carbonate. Then, after a week or so move it to a fridge and get it really cold. Most of that cloudiness will end up in a little pile of debris in the bottoms of the bottles. Pour carefully and leave that pile in the bottom of the bottle.

After a couple batches of beer are under your belt you might give some thought to using fining agents. But for now I'd suggest you just see how it looks when you serve it as it is. You may be very pleasantly surprised at how clear it pours after a week or so.

 

[BigFloyd]

Buy an S airlock. Fill it 1/3 of the way on each side with StarSan. Cold crash that Maibock for a week in the mid-30s. Suck back won't be a problem.

Are you planning to cold lager that beer at some point?

 

[gregfreemyer]

Buy an S airlock. Fill it 1/3 of the way on each side with StarSan. Cold crash that Maibock for a week in the mid-30s. Suck back won't be a problem.

Are you planning to cold lager that beer at some point?

This is my 9th batch, so I'm definitely still learning but I have a decent idea what I'm doing.

This particular batch was brewed to serve at a party about 7 weeks from now, so I can do whatever is best.

My original plan was to bottle it March 15, then bottle condition until May 1, then put in fridge (cold lager) for a couple weeks before the party.

This is the first time the beer has been so cloudy at bottling time, so I gave it 2 more weeks in the carboy. It is still cloudy, so i was looking for a way to resolve that.

I can get a s airlock easy enough.

Greg

 

[Puddlethumper]

You might want to consider adding gelatin as a fining. If you haven't done this before it is pretty simple and will probably solve your problem before you bottle. Here's a link to a good page that explains the process:

http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/06/how-to-clear-your-beer-with-gelatin.html

Cheers!

 

[tootal]

I agree with the cold crashing idea. Any air drawn in will still be above a blanket of CO2 so no worries there. I put mine at 30 degrees and it does a great job of clarifying.

 

[chickypad]

If you've still got all that time why don't you properly lager it? Put on an airlock and get it as cold as you can. Normally you would have started that as soon as fermentation finished +/- diacetyl rest, but you've still got some time to give it a good few wks. For the future, lagering a week for every 8-10 gravity pts is a good rule of thumb.

 

[gregfreemyer]

I put a S lock on the carbon and put it in the fridge. I have 6 1/2 weeks to the party I think, so I'll keep it there about 3 weeks to clarify and lager, then bottle. 2 weeks at 70, then 1 1/2 weeks back in the fridge.

Does all that sound right?

I've never intentionally lagered before. I assume I can lager in the carbon or in bottles?

Thanks

 

[Trox]

Depending on your ABV and how awake the yeast get after sitting in the fridge 2 weeks might not be long enough for them to get to the proper carb level. I recently had a brown ale 5.8% ABV that didn't get to the peak carb levels until 4 weeks in the bottle; actually thinking back the quickest any of my brews carbed up was about 2 1/2 weeks.

If it was me I would cold crash for about 3-5 days, bottle it up, let it sit, and then about 1-1 1/2 week before the party put them in the fridge.

 

[gregfreemyer]

Is maibock a particular cloudy beer that takes forever to clarify.

I could crashed for 4 days, racked to my bottling bucket, added finings and bottled last Saturday. I just checked a bottle and it is still as cloudy as can be.

I've read a couple maibock recipes that call for leaving in the secondary all winter long (ie. Months). I'm beginning to think that it just takes forever to clarify.

 

[BigFloyd]

Is maibock a particular cloudy beer that takes forever to clarify.

I could crashed for 4 days, racked to my bottling bucket, added finings and bottled last Saturday. I just checked a bottle and it is still as cloudy as can be.

I've read a couple maibock recipes that call for leaving in the secondary all winter long (ie. Months). I'm beginning to think that it just takes forever to clarify.

Lager yeast in general takes longer to floc out than ale yeast. I crash lagers for a week, minimum. They clarify even more during the several weeks of lagering in the keg.