Too much sediment in beer - can I re bottle?

[Bayern1987]

I tried my first Hefeweizen today and there is a ridiculous amount of trub / hop sediment in the bottles. It makes the beer look brown and clearly affects the taste. I tried straining it through a biab bag and when it went into the glass it looked clearer and tasted the way I imagined it would however this is inconvenient and kills the head / carbonation. I have 30 bottles left... is there anyway to transfer each bottle to a bottling bucket and re bottle whilst minimising oxidation?

Thanks

 

[RPh_Guy]

You should be able to avoid putting "trub" into the bottles. Your bottling process needs some adjustment.

Here's my last hefe that I bottled straight from the fermenter.

I would not re-bottle it, because it will definitely oxidize if it hasn't already.

 

[Bayern1987]

You should be able to avoid putting "trub" into the bottles. Your bottling process needs some adjustment.

Here's my last hefe that I bottled straight from the fermenter.
View attachment 682134

I would not re-bottle it, because it will definitely oxidize if it hasn't already.

That Hefe looks perfect just what I wanted mine to look like. There is mine look how much hop sediment there is... I think I know what to do for bottling next time but what about the 30 bottles I have now any ideas? Cheers

 

[Bayern1987]

That Hefe looks perfect just what I wanted mine to look like. There is mine look how much hop sediment there is... I think I know what to do for bottling next time but what about the 30 bottles I have now any ideas? Cheers

 

[RPh_Guy]

what about the 30 bottles I have now any ideas?

Try leaving them in the fridge for a couple weeks so the sediment can compact.

 

[Bayern1987]

Try leaving them in the fridge for a couple weeks so the sediment can compact.

Nice one thank you I'll give it a try. Will that compact and stay at the bottom? I tried pouring it really slowly and this is the result... slightly better this time

 

[RPh_Guy]

When it's had time to compact, sediment will mostly stay at the bottom if you pour carefully.

 

[Velnerj]

The only time I've had beer that murky was when I either had over carbed beer and the beer gushed out when I opened it, mixing everything up inside. Or when I didn't know how to pour from the bottle.

I'm not sure what your problem is there. If you're not having gushers you should be able to pour your beer carefully enough not to spill all that crud in your glass. You can achieve this by doing one continuous careful pour that leaves all that trub in the bottle. Mind you will have to leave some beer in the bottle but it's the price to pay at this point.

I would not recommend rebottling.

 

[Bayern1987]

Some of them are gushing when I open them... is there a big danger of bottle bombs??

 

[Velnerj]

Gushers are caused by three common mistakes.
1) you bottled your beer before it hit final gravity.
2) you added too much priming sugar
3) You have an infected beer

Bottle bombs can occur from any one of these. It depends how severe the error is and the thickness of your bottles.

Pouring them all down the drain is one way to ensure no bottle bombs. If you are against that idea you can store them in a secluded place with some covering over them (towels/blankets) and be very careful when opening them... At your own risk!

If you have gushers then it's too late to fix your murky beer issue. Live and learn and do better next time.

 

[jrgtr42]

The first thing is also to limit the trub that goes into your bottles.
Did you rack (transfer) to a bottling bucket and then into the bottles, or bottled straight from the fermenter? How did you prime? mixing sugar into the bucket or straight to bottle?
When fermenting, did you allow time after things were complete to settle down? How about the racking? did you put the wand straight down to the bottom or did you hover it a bit?

 

[SFC Rudy]

Drink it the German way; stop pouring when there is about one inch of beer left in the bottle, swirl it and pour it in your beer. Mmmmm, Hefe Weizen!

 

[Bayern1987]

I always drink nothing but the best and true to tradition Thanks for the advice everyone. It is definitely a gusher everytime I open it.

I bottled after 10 days in primary never checked gravity.

I was drunk when bottling very good chance of over priming.

The beers have only been conditioning for 5 days I needed to checknincasenof bottle bombs.

After carefully pouring and letting trub settle they are getting better with every bottle in the fridge... very hazy... not as much green sediment... more true hefeweizen style

I am going to drink them all one by one and not let it go to waste...

By the way apart from the gushing and trub spoiler this is tasting a lot better than I ever expected a bit like one of my favourites the old Franziskaner.

Could be onto something... I have got about 10 bottles all sealed up in a cardboard box with towels in the cupboard... I will let them settle out for a couple of weeks see how they go... this one is going down a treat like a true German Hefeweizen.

Cheers

 

[Bayern1987]

The first thing is also to limit the trub that goes into your bottles.
Did you rack (transfer) to a bottling bucket and then into the bottles, or bottled straight from the fermenter? How did you prime? mixing sugar into the bucket or straight to bottle?
When fermenting, did you allow time after things were complete to settle down? How about the racking? did you put the wand straight down to the bottom or did you hover it a bit?

I transferred into a bottling bucket however added some more dry malt extract on top.of my calculated priming sugar as I had been drinking all day. I put the wan straight down and filled as much as I could... and now got the gear over bottling bombs. The primary fermentstion was around 10 days which I understand to be adequate for a hefe... I broke my hydrometer and got impatient. A couple of days later this is actually starting to taste really good. Looks very hazy like a true hefe and I tink although they were gushes that that trub has started to settle down. Regardless I definitely need to up my bottling and filtering game in the future I reckon

 

[RPh_Guy]

Don't drink and rack

 

[Kickass]

DME = sugar + priming sugar = TOO much sugar.

 

[CantWinThisGame]

Short times too- 10 days from primary to bottle is a little quick. Patience! For me personally, primary is 2 weeks, and secondary is two weeks minimum. If you get multiple fermentation buckets (or Big Mouth Bubblers), and brew assembly-line fashion, you'll have a continuous supply of beer, so there's no need to rush. I use big mouth bubblers to make it super easy to rack from stage to stage (they each have a spigot at the bottom so it's way easier than using an auto-siphon). And I keg, which eliminates the bottle bomb problem entirely. When I want to bottle, I do that directly from the keg using a Blichmann Beer Gun. Works way better than priming, and I have had zero bottle bombs, and bottled beers that last months un-refrigerated.

 

[fermbreezy]

I was drunk when bottling very good chance of over priming.

That's awesome! It's really the only way to do it, though.

The most practical route is going to be letting the sediment compact over time like RPh said.

For the sake of discussion, though! I do think it would be possible to do while minimizing oxidation. I've re-bottled wine before and though I didn't have carbonation to worry about but even still. The way I would do it is by getting a sanitized bucket and filling with CO2. Either dry ice or gas could be the source. Use this calculator (Winemaking Calculations) to estimate a 50 ppm sulfite addition based on the gallonage, or ouncage heh, of beer you're rebottling and prepare a solution of the sulfite and lukewarm water. Add that to the bucket. Slowly pour your beers through your biab or a strainer of some sort while slightly tipping the bucket and pouring down the side. Recalculate your priming sugar addition, subtracting your estimated remaining sugar added during a drunken bottling and add. Gently mix. Re-bottle. Wait a month for re-carbonation, settling, and flavor development.

...or... as I often say to myself when I goof. Better luck next time

 

[bracconiere]

That's awesome! It's really the only way to do it, though.

The most practical route is going to be letting the sediment compact over time like RPh said.

For the sake of discussion, though! I do think it would be possible to do while minimizing oxidation. I've re-bottled wine before and though I didn't have carbonation to worry about but even still. The way I would do it is by getting a sanitized bucket and filling with CO2. Either dry ice or gas could be the source. Use this calculator (Winemaking Calculations) to estimate a 50 ppm sulfite addition based on the gallonage, or ouncage heh, of beer you're rebottling and prepare a solution of the sulfite and lukewarm water. Add that to the bucket. Slowly pour your beers through your biab or a strainer of some sort while slightly tipping the bucket and pouring down the side. Recalculate your priming sugar addition, subtracting your estimated remaining sugar added during a drunken bottling and add. Gently mix. Re-bottle. Wait a month for re-carbonation, settling, and flavor development.

...or... as I often say to myself when I goof. Better luck next time

i honestly have no idea what you said...but the inclusion of dry ice sounds cool, or "ice cold", lol! i don't think sulfites are needed for beer though? never used them for it myself.....

 

[fermbreezy]

Hah! I've never used sulfites in my brews. Wait no.. I have once to stop fermentation early. But asides from that I think I've read somewhere that brewers use it to remove chlorine or some chlorine compound from the water before brewing. Don't quite remember.

But! Potassium Metabisulfite is a powerful antioxidant. Sooo.. since it was for the sake of discussion, if one were trying to counteract oxidation while re-bottling something, I would think it would help. 50ppm is a pretty common addition to wine before bottling to reduce oxidation. I would think it works the same in beer

 

[RPh_Guy]

Hah! I've never used sulfites in my brews. Wait no.. I have once to stop fermentation early. But asides from that I think I've read somewhere that brewers use it to remove chlorine or some chlorine compound from the water before brewing. Don't quite remember.

But! Potassium Metabisulfite is a powerful antioxidant. Sooo.. since it was for the sake of discussion, if one were trying to counteract oxidation while re-bottling something, I would think it would help. 50ppm is a pretty common addition to wine before bottling to reduce oxidation. I would think it works the same in beer

1. Sulfite generally does NOT have anti-microbial properties in beer.
2. Beer yeast is much more prone to creating hydrogen sulfide in the presence of sulfite.

I do not recommend its use at bottling.

 

[fermbreezy]

It depends on the pH of the brew. I didn't have any H2S issues with the one I stopped early. Never personally used it for beer prior to bottling with oxygen scavenging in mind..

But Bayern was asking about RE-bottling and reducing oxidation. All I did was propose a wonderfully impractical way of doing it still think it would work hehe

 

[RPh_Guy]

It depends on the pH of the brew.

Exactly. Since we're discussing beer, the pH is too high for it to be anti-microbial.

I didn't have any H2S issues with the one I stopped early. Never personally used it for beer prior to bottling with oxygen scavenging in mind..

As I mentioned, beer yeast strains are different, more prone to producing H2S. Furthermore, unlike wine, home brew beer is not separated from the yeast as thoroughly, so more yeast is present.

But Bayern was asking about RE-bottling and reducing oxidation. All I did was propose a wonderfully impractical way of doing it still think it would work hehe

2 extra transfers will cause more problems than it will solve... Oxidation, risk of contamination, and loss of carbonation.
Sulfite might possibly help with the oxidation issue but there's also a significant risk of creating a different off flavor by using it.

 

[fermbreezy]

Pure genius. You're very knowledgable.

@Bayern1987 hope you enjoy those bottles you have left over. Sounds like they're getting better with a little time!

 

[ncbrewer]

I have got about 10 bottles all sealed up in a cardboard box with towels in the cupboard... I will let them settle out for a couple of weeks see how they go

IMO your biggest problem now is potential bottle bombs. Letting them sit longer could result in more pressure in the bottles. If it was me, I would store them covered in a plastic bin while warm, put them in the fridge ASAP (protected with towels, etc.), and drink them right away. Wear protective gear when handling them, especially when opening them. I've read accounts of bottles exploding when being opened, apparently due to the extra stress.

 

[Bayern1987]

IMO your biggest problem now is potential bottle bombs. Letting them sit longer could result in more pressure in the bottles. If it was me, I would store them covered in a plastic bin while warm, put them in the fridge ASAP (protected with towels, etc.), and drink them right away. Wear protective gear when handling them, especially when opening them. I've read accounts of bottles exploding when being opened, apparently due to the extra stress.

I've tried one or two a day and they are getting a lot better with time...

I was all kitted out sunglasses leather gloves and construction jacket... and if I stick them in th freezer for half an hour the old sediment issue disappears...

This beer is actually better than Franziskaner... great German Hefe...

All German ingredients... made in Glasgow ... I'm definitely onto a winner and it is a lesson in changing my process in the future
....

You are all great people thanks for helping is out bit keep talking about it and sharing the knowledge this is a great place... in fact that weissbier is strong lol

 

[Bayern1987]

IMO your biggest problem now is potential bottle bombs. Letting them sit longer could result in more pressure in the bottles. If it was me, I would store them covered in a plastic bin while warm, put them in the fridge ASAP (protected with towels, etc.), and drink them right away. Wear protective gear when handling them, especially when opening them. I've read accounts of bottles exploding when being opened, apparently due to the extra stress.

When being opened... an exploding? I did wonder actually at the same point thinking I was out of the woodwork a part of me actually did fear... anyway all good fellow brewing friends... freezer chilling is kinda like cold crashing int it....

This is the best beer I have drank since my last Weihenstephan and I am not biased I'm my own worst critic... Life's Good

Thanks lads and ladettes

 

[fermbreezy]

Looks beautiful