Bottle sediment

[MikeW]

As I newbie to this site I have been reading as many articles as possible. With regards to fermentation I have always aimed to bottle the following day that my SG readings are correct.
Reading various posts, am I correct in thinking that I can bottle many days later or even weeks after fermentation has finished?
Would this delay help with reducing the residue of sediment I always have in my bottles?

Thanks, Mike

 

[The Baron]

You can bottle it as you have suggested but the common practice especially for Newbies until you find a process that suits you is to wait 14 days from start to finish this entails
7 days as a average fermentation period
3 days for the yeast to clean up any impurities created during fermentation
2 to 4 days to add finings if you are doing that with a cold crash included
so a total of 14 days (cold crash is putting in a cold place could be a garage or fridge so that the yeast etc can drop out of suspension for a clearer beer)
This process usually takes 14 days from start to finish entirely upto you but it is good practice to do this until you find out what you are doing

 

[foxy]

As I newbie to this site I have been reading as many articles as possible. With regards to fermentation I have always aimed to bottle the following day that my SG readings are correct.
Reading various posts, am I correct in thinking that I can bottle many days later or even weeks after fermentation has finished?
Would this delay help with reducing the residue of sediment I always have in my bottles?

Thanks, Mike

Yes it would, I leave mine for a week sometimes two then cold crash at -1 C for 24 to 48 hours that drops everything out leaving a clear beer to bottle. You can also let time drop out everything. But you will always get some sediment it is unavoidable.

 

[hoppyscotty]

If you’re bottle conditioning you’ll get sediment but when I force carbonate and bottle with a counter pressure bottle filler I get no sediment provided I’ve cleaned up the beer well beforehand. Usually protofloc in the boil and a good 3-5 days cold crash is good enough for an ale. I am usually not aiming for a totally crystal clear ale so so long as any solids are not present a bit of haze is good, and if your using oats or wheat it’s unavoidable. I’ve done one lager so far abs used gelatin when kegging and it came out absolutely crystal clear.

but when bottle conditioning I’ll leave in fermenter for a good two weeks, cold crash, batch prime and bottle then condition for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Beer always turns out great but always get a bit of sediment settling out in the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Awfers]

To get rid of the residue brought on by bottle conditioning, you might want to look into a home brewing counter pressure filler (requires pre-carbonated beer from a keg or other source, and a special filler setup). There are quite a few videos on Youtube that show how some people do it.

 

[MikeW]

Thanks everyone for the valuable info. I am not as yet brave enough to use anything but kits (cans). My plan moving forward is to transfer the FV to the garage and use a water heater, then when fermentation has finished turn off the heating element and leave for a few days in the colder ambient surroundings to allow things to clear.
I now see the importance of using a sealed lid with airlock ( to keep bugs and bacteria out? ) Never used one while brewing indoors, perhaps I was lucky.
Cheers everyone.

 

[An Ankoù]

As I newbie to this site I have been reading as many articles as possible. With regards to fermentation I have always aimed to bottle the following day that my SG readings are correct.
Reading various posts, am I correct in thinking that I can bottle many days later or even weeks after fermentation has finished?
Would this delay help with reducing the residue of sediment I always have in my bottles?

Thanks, Mike

What do you mean when you mention your SG readings being correct?

Yes you can bottle many days after fermentation has finished and many lagers (not to mention other beers) bottle after a period of conditioning. You need to prevent oxygen getting into the FV or conditioning vessel though.

Something to think about is letting the beer drop clear and then adding your priming sugar with a bit of specialist bottling yeast like F-2. I don't see this talked about much on UK forums, but it's not uncommon in France and Belgium. This yeast is completely neutral, won't ferment trioses and higher sugars and sticks like glue to the bottom of the bottle.

Here's a link. There may be others. F2 Yeast Carbonating

 

[MikeW]

My SG readings have been around a stable 1008, so happy with those.
I asked the question purely in connection with the fermentation time as I thought there may be a reduction in sediment if I left it longer before bottling.
The sediment is not excessive, it just seems a shame to loose the last few drops from the bottle

 

[moto748]

What I would say (if it's not stating the obvious!) that the clearer your beer at bottling stage, the less sediment you are going to have! if you bottle condition, as I do, then you are going to have to put up with some. But I find these days that I get much less sediment than I used to. In clear glass bottles, I used to get clear beer eventually, but a very visible layer of sediment in the bottom of the bottle maybe 3 or 4 mm deep. But I think you should be aiming for 'just a dusting' in the bottom of the bottle, and I am nearer to achieving that now. Primarily by leaving the wort in the boiler for a while to settle before pouring it into the bucket, thus leaving the worst of the sediment in the bottom of the boiler. And following the excellent suggestion by another poster here, then pouring that residue into a jug. Leave that for another half-hour, and there more clear (ish) beer you can add to the bucket. I just pour it through a coffee strainer. End of the day, that's the best part of an extra litre of beer!

 

[ecirpian]

What I would say (if it's not stating the obvious!) that the clearer your beer at bottling stage, the less sediment you are going to have! if you bottle condition, as I do, then you are going to have to put up with some. But I find these days that I get much less sediment than I used to. In clear glass bottles, I used to get clear beer eventually, but a very visible layer of sediment in the bottom of the bottle maybe 3 or 4 mm deep. But I think you should be aiming for 'just a dusting' in the bottom of the bottle, and I am nearer to achieving that now. Primarily by leaving the wort in the boiler for a while to settle before pouring it into the bucket, thus leaving the worst of the sediment in the bottom of the boiler. And following the excellent suggestion by another poster here, then pouring that residue into a jug. Leave that for another half-hour, and there more clear (ish) beer you can add to the bucket. I just pour it through a coffee strainer. End of the day, that's the best part of an extra litre of beer!

I have been leaving the wort in the boiler to settle for longer recently and only transferring clear in to my fermenter. Last brew I had 5ltr of cloudy wort! I have fermented it in a small bucket instead of letting settle and pouring into FV so it has all the trub in from the boil too. I took a peak at it this morning (day 12) and have a load of rafts floating on top, which I’m assuming is mostly protein. Whilst that in the FZ has almost reached FG and is cleaning up. It will be interesting to see the difference in clarity i n the finished beer