Advice after 1st time brew came out cloudy

[rickbert]

Hi guys

I've just finished my first 40 pint keg brew using a Ballihoo 25L vat and pressure keg kit.

I went with a Woodforde's Wherry 40 pint starter kit.
Born on 22/06/13
OG 1040
Primary fermentation for 12 days
FG 1014
Transferred to keg 4th July
Added around 80g demerera sugar
Left about 2L at the bottom of the vat where it was sludgy and full of yeast leftovers.
Left indoors @ 22 degrees for about 2.5 days
Then moved keg to dark garage (not sure of temperature, but it was during the recent hot spell) - probably 20-22.

I took my first taste on 19th July (after 15 days second stage) - the very first pour had quite visible sediment floating in it but still tasted OK. Came out with a decent head on it, too.

The problem is, every pint since then has been quite cloudy. It hasn't gotten any clearer, and the head/bubbles vanish quite quickly.

It tastes good, but I prefer my ale to be nice and clear and slightly more carbonated (not like a lager, but with some bubbles, y'know?).

So my question to you is, did I do anything wrong? What can I do to ensure the ale comes out clearer and with a bit more fizz?

Thanks in advance

 

[winelight]

What I would have done after the initial fermentation is finished is leave it in the warm a few more days, and then move into the cold for another week. Difficult without a brewfridge. Then, it should be already clear when you keg it. Some would transfer it to a secondary FV for the cold bit but mine come out clear without that step.

As for the carbonation, that's why I bottle rather than keg mostly.

 

[Rolfster]

For a bit more fizz add a bit more sugar. 100g

Did you add finings to help it clear?

 

[PD]

well I'm a believer in using a secondary fermenter, after the brew has finished fermenting in the primary. I give a good 2 weeks warm and 1 week cool, before I then move on to priming kegging or bottling.
Minimal sediment gets carried across.

 

[graysalchemy]

+1 for using secondary. The more yeast you can get to drop before you transfer the better it should be crystal clear going into the keg or bottle. :thumb:

Hey PD watch out for the non secondary brigade to wade in :lol: :lol:

Hard hat on. :whistle: :whistle:

 

[NickW]

Lack of head and fizziness would be down to the keg, I tried a few kits with the keg but they struggle to keep carbonation. Bottling would be better I would think, I'm new to bottling myself though.

I'm due to bottle a beer soon, I have a spare fridge that I can crank up to the Max. I plan to age in primary for a couple of weeks so don't really plan on doing secondary. But would a crash cool in an ice cold fridge for 24 hours make a noticeable dent in clearing the 23l of beer before bottling ?

 

[PD]

:hat: hard hat firmly on !

However each to his own. I can only go on the results I get. I have no rush to make my beers as I have plenty of stock to drink. My beers get a good 10 days ( or more ) in the primary, cooling of the last couple of days its syphoned to a sanitised secondary fermenter where its left for a further week or so, longer if I'm not waiting on space and vessels.
My beer then gets put direct into corny's or its bulk primed into another vessel for direct bottling.
If you are vigorous with your sanitisation methods there is little likelyhood of infection.
The amount of sediment that drops out into the secondary vessel is considerable ( easily enough to drop out later in bottles and cloud your beer in time )
On a light colored beer I MAY add a sheet of getatine as it goes into secondary vessel, although thats not really necessary.

As said each brewer to his own method, I find it works very well for me and I have very very little sediment left in the bottle when the beer is poured.

This does not help with chill hazes of course and other methods during the brewing have to be employed for that

Doing it this way ensures that I give the beer ample time " resting" in vessels for sediment/yeast to drop out.

Time in the bucket...time in the bottle is a good maxim......... Forget this beer in a coupe of weeks mentality If your going to make beer...make the best you can.

 

[rickbert]

Thanks for the replies. I have a few questions...

* What are finings? How do I use them?

* Is it normal to leave a fairly large amount of sediment behind in the primary VAT after siphoning into the pressure keg?

* Will adding more sugar to achieve a bit more fizz have an impact on flavour?

* Not sure I understand the timings... are you suggesting 2 weeks warm AND 1 week cool with the beer still in the primary vat?
Then 2 weeks+ cool after transferring to the pressure keg?

* Is the basic rule that the colder the beer is stored, the clearer it will be?

 

[PD]

got a 1 week cool too many in primary...lol 2 weeks warm to fully ferment, then I move to secondary for 2 weeks warm and 1 week cool.

Most sediment will be left in primary when you move it. and there can be quite an amount.

Priming sugar is added to get your fizz. half a cooks teaspoon to 1 cooks tea spoon per litre, depending on the amount of fzz you want. Will not alter flavour.

To a certain extent yes the cooler a beer is stored, the clearer it will be, as the yeasts are more likely to go to sleep and be dormant.

Finings are agents used to help drag the sediment out of suspension. Sheet gelatine is one such agent. They are not normally needed and a beer will clean itself naturally ( usually ) given time. They are added a couple of days before you bottle/keg and the clear beer syphoned off.

sorry for my error.

 

[anthonyUK]

I have also found the yeast supplied with the Wherry kits very slow to clear. Sometimes it can take 6 weeks.
An alternative yeast such as S-04 will drop quicker and solid so little chance of disturbing it when siphoning.

Regarding carbonation - If there is pressure in the barrel to dispense then that is about all you'll get.
The budget barrels which the Ballihoo one looks to be tend to have pressure relief valves to protect them from splitting.
If your Wherry isn't gushing out all foamy when you open the tap a little too far then you have a leak somewhere.

Vaseline on all the seals

 

[Rolfster]

Finings help clear the beer by attracting the protein molecules. They clump together, and fall out of solution to the bottom of vessel. You can get them in little sachets ready to add to beer from homebrew shops, wilkinsons ect.. or use gelatine

R

 

[rickbert]

I have also found the yeast supplied with the Wherry kits very slow to clear. Sometimes it can take 6 weeks.
An alternative yeast such as S-04 will drop quicker and solid so little chance of disturbing it when siphoning.

Regarding carbonation - If there is pressure in the barrel to dispense then that is about all you'll get.
The budget barrels which the Ballihoo one looks to be tend to have pressure relief valves to protect them from splitting.
If your Wherry isn't gushing out all foamy when you open the tap a little too far then you have a leak somewhere.

Vaseline on all the seals

Interesting, thanks Anthony. The pressure in the barrel seemed fine - I used plumbers tape on all the seals. It was coming out fast and foamy until I got down to the last 25% of the contents, when the bottom tap slowed to a dribble. I thought there was a blockage but couldn't clear it. I had to loosen the top seal of the keg a little, which got things flowing again.

In hindsight, was that a mistake? Is it a bad idea to let air into the top of the keg while it's stored?

Cheers for the tip about the wherry yeast. Maybe I'll try a different yeast next time and add some finings.