What is this dust in my beer?

[pelipen]

I have this cloud of dust floating through the beer in the primary. Is this dead yeast just kept in suspension, or bits of unsettled break material, or grain flour particles? They are discrete particles, not coagulating. Quite peaceful, except I don't want them there.

It's been in the primary for 9 days now, I was planning to bottle it until this weekend assuming the gravity has bottomed out. It's at 1.012 now, and it tastes great. I'm not worried about it being an infection. I can still see bubbles breaking on the surface, and the airlock burps once every few minutes, so something is still going on... like warming up. Maybe keeping this stuff floating.

I don't really want to bottle it this way, so what's the best way to clarify something like this?
Just let it sit in a secondary? Gelatin? Is that too much crap for gelatin to work on? I don't really have options for putting it in a refrigerator yet, so if you can tell me time heals all, great. If this fluff will never settle without chilling and gelatin... I'll have to convince the wife she doesn't need a shelf in the fridge for awhile. I left the hydrometer sample in the fridge to see if it does anything.

This is Ringwood Ale yeast, which I did at about 66 F, and is now at about 72 for clean-up. It's a high flocculation yeast, and my attenuation seems good coming down from 1.052. That yeast smells awesome, and the taste is brilliant.
I did a two step starter, and it took off in a few hours.

A couple variables I introduced in this batch since all prior:
-First batch with my new monster mill, set at .040 with feelers. (love it)
-First no-vorlauf batch sparge (based on reading and some videos suggesting it's not necessary)

Everything else was the same as before, and I used whirlfloc at 5 min. Normally by now it's clear.

Thanks.

 

[Kokopuff829]

To me it's looks green so I'm thinking it is hop matter. But I do have red green color deficiency so I might be wrong

 

[erikpete18]

Is this dead yeast just kept in suspension, or bits of unsettled break material, or grain flour particles?

Probably not dead yeast, but could certainly be live yeast, break material, hop particles, etc. The good point is that this is completely normal, and nothing to be worried about.

I don't really want to bottle it this way, so what's the best way to clarify something like this?

Well, frankly the best way to do it is what you guessed and to back away from the fermenter . Seriously, a little time and all that will settle out of solution on its own. Plus, while its settling out of solution, all the other yeast in there will go back and clean up your beer for you in case there's any off-flavors hanging out under the surface. If its only been 9 days (even if the gravity isn't dropping any more), I'd give it another week or two. Even my low-strength beers all spend at least 3 weeks and more often a month in primary, at which point everything settles down into a nice compact cake at the bottom. I know its hard to wait, but it will help!

To answer your question a little better, you could use something along the lines of gelatin to clear it up quicker if there was an emergency (like you were running out of home brew!), but I wouldn't worry about it if you've got the time to wait.

 

[Ravenshead]

Let it sit another couple weeks, then cold crash to drop the last floaties out. You'll have perfectly clear and well aged beer by then and you'll only need the fridge space overnight.

Your picture looks like a nice, healthy ferment.

 

[pelipen]

Thanks all. I really have high hopes for this one. This is the first one for which I've temperature controlled, milled myself, and used a purportedly finicky yeast strain.
First porter also. I would drink it with the fluff (and did) , I'm just not sure my friends would.

The hydrometer sample is already starting to settle out in the fridge, so cold crashing should definitely finish off whatever a couple more weeks doesn't.

Is this normal with highly flocculating yeast? They settle out before dragging the crap down with them maybe? All the other yeasts I've used so far are medium to low floccers. The low have been hazy, but not dusty. The medium have been clear as glass.

I'll just let it sit another couple weeks or so. Maybe go freezer shopping instead of brewing this weekend, because egads am I tired of bottling.