Why was my malt cloudy?

[Questor]

I made a batch of the following:

10.58 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter
0.55 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt
0.44 lb Carafoam
0.33 lb Chocolate Malt

I kept adding 160 F water, but the mash temp seemed always to be between 130-140. After an hour, I really flooded it with 160 F water and let sit for 20 min.

Though early iodine tests showed starch, it seemed to me that a final test was good.

Nevertheless, the malt was very muddy looking. A stiff boil and moss did not clear it.

An OG reading on the dregs from the boil came up 1.090.

13 hours after fermentation start, it was rocking. Now, almost 48 hours after fermentation start it seems to be tapering off.

Would you say that:

1) We did not properly convert the starches?
2) We were too aggressive on smashing the malt out of the mash?
3) This is natural considering the grains
4) RDWHAHB

?

 

[RICLARK]

How long did it take you to cool to pitching temp?

 

[PintOfBitter]

regarding 2), If you're saying that you squeezed the grain bed after sparging - there's your problem.

 

[Questor]

It cooled in about 30 min because I poured it onto ice that I had carefully frozen in a sanitized container, and then topped off with cold water.

And yeah, we squeezed the grain to get "every last drop"

 

[PintOfBitter]

AFAIK squeezing grains is a big no-no. you're basically wringing out all the stuff you painstakingly filtered out in the sparge... Never heard it advocated.

 

[jonbrout]

I never remember ever hearing anything positive about squeezing grains. Extraction of Tannins comes to mind--which produce puckering offflavors--not that this has anything to do with cloudy malt.

Edit: I type too slow

 

[Questor]

If this is the case, what happens from here?

 

[PintOfBitter]

use finings (like gelatin) in secondary and hope for the best. You might expect some astringency (tannins) but it may be the best beer you've ever had. let us know.