Chill Haze - Possible Solution (one for TheRedDarren)

[MyQul]

I've been investigating the lagering (cold conditioning) partof pseudo lagering this morning and discussing it on another forum.

The point of lagering it seems is to precipitate out solids from the beer. This also apparently includes chill haze. Chill haze protiens only form of course when you put your beer in the cold/fridge, however, if you leave it there for a week or so the haze protiens that have formed in your beer then precipitate/crash out. Much the same as yeast does when you cold crash. Leaving you with clear beer

I'm having in a go at this at the mo. I've put some bottles in the fridge and will open one after 1 week then one at 2 weeks to see if it works

 

[Leon103]

It does work. I usually fill my fridge with beer every couple of weeks and notice those in longer are much clearer. Might be the fact that the garage where the main batch is kept is cold at the moment

 

[MyQul]

It does work. I usually fill my fridge with beer every couple of weeks and notice those in longer are much clearer. Might be the fact that the garage where the main batch is kept is cold at the moment

Tbh I quite often don't bother to chill my beer and drink it at room temp.

 

[geetee]

Following fermentation and diacetyl rest get the temperature down as low as possible and leave until the beer is clear. Once you have precipitated the proteins that cause chill haze they will not come back if you then move to a slightly higher, room or fridge, temperature.
I find that this gives me very clear beer and once bottled and initial 2ndary is complete it will clear again at a cold temperature in 2-3 days.

 

[TheRedDarren]

I've been investigating the lagering (cold conditioning) partof pseudo lagering this morning and discussing it on another forum.

The point of lagering it seems is to precipitate out solids from the beer. This also apparently includes chill haze. Chill haze protiens only form of course when you put your beer in the cold/fridge, however, if you leave it there for a week or so the haze protiens that have formed in your beer then precipitate/crash out. Much the same as yeast does when you cold crash. Leaving you with clear beer

I'm having in a go at this at the mo. I've put some bottles in the fridge and will open one after 1 week then one at 2 weeks to see if it works

Thats very kind of you MyQul, thanks mate.
You know what, I can confirm this technique works a treat!
Since cold crashing after primary has finished plus about 5/7 days diacetyl rest I now have crystal clear beer from my beer fridge (which is set to 12*) and I mean crystal, clearer than some commercial beers, and of course a lot less sediment in the bottle.
My fermentation routine goes like this now...
Primary (however long that takes) then a diacetyl rest for 5/7 days, then cold crash to 0.5 degrees (I just adjust the STC in one hit, no slowly chilling down over a few days) for a week, then batch prime and bottle while its still cold, then all the bottles go back into the FC so I can control secondary fermentation temps for 2 weeks. Since I've been doing this I've had the cleanest tasting and the clearest beer ever, really happy with the technique.

It's odd though, I don't mind hop haze, I don't mind yeast in suspension, I don't mind sediment. But for some reason I hate the sight of chill haze!

 

[MyQul]

Glad to see you've got your chill haze problem sorted out.

As an experiment I'm going to leave one of the bottles I put in my fridge yesterday there for about 4 months to see what happens

 

[TheRedDarren]

Glad to see you've got your chill haze problem sorted out.

As an experiment I'm going to leave one of the bottles I put in my fridge yesterday there for about 4 months to see what happens

That's essentially a four month cold crash? I reckon that would clear Guinness!

 

[Dutto]

That's essentially a four month cold crash? I reckon that would clear Guinness!

You mean Guinness isn't clear? :shock:

No wonder I don't like it!

 

[TheRedDarren]

Here's a pic of my boon doggle from a few weeks back. Please feel free to rotate photo, they always come out sideways from my phone.

Edit - done - CT :thumb:

 

[MyQul]

That's essentially a four month cold crash? I reckon that would clear Guinness!

Yup. However, I've discovered lagering/cold conditioning does more stuff than just cold crashing

"When the beer is conditioned at low temperatures various processes take place that lead to the smooth character which is expected from a lager:

• Proteins and polyphenols (tannins) form agglomerations (basically bind with each other to form larger molecules) which become insoluble and precipitate out of solution. [Nguyen 2007]
• Hop polyphenols will drop out leading to milder hop bitterness
• Yeast sediment which cleans up the beer and removes the yeasty smell and taste associated with young beer
• Some of the alcohols and acids form esters in the beer which leads to new flavor compounds. This process is very slow and becomes only significant after more than 12 weeks [Narziss 2005].
• Some yeast activity may be present which leads to further clean-up and extract reduction of the beer. I oftentimes see another extract drop of 0.1 - 0.2 Plato over the course of a few weeks."

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fermenting_Lagers#lagering.2Fcold_conditioning

 

[krispn]

So I'm right in thinking once the fermentation stops in my FV (1gal Carbon) I should move it to a cold temp environment for 2 weeks before bottling. Once in bottle keep in a warm room to aide carbonation for a week then get the bottles back in the cold then enjoy at my leisure.

I've had hazy beer before and noticed the difference having used Irish Moss on these brews. Hoping to have nice clear brews from these two batches.

 

[TheRedDarren]

So I'm right in thinking once the fermentation stops in my FV (1gal Carbon) I should move it to a cold temp environment for 2 weeks before bottling. Once in bottle keep in a warm room to aide carbonation for a week then get the bottles back in the cold then enjoy at my leisure.

I've had hazy beer before and noticed the difference having used Irish Moss on these brews. Hoping to have nice clear brews from these two batches.

Yup, correct! At least that's what I do.

 

[MyQul]

Well it definately works. Just opened the bottle that I left in the fridge for 2 weeks and it was very clear. No chill haze. I don't think it was quite as clear as a commercial beer perhaps 80%-90% as but I think if I had left it there longer it would have been.

 

[krispn]

Just to add to this thread from my original post

I followed the steps I outlined above (and added Irish Moss 15 min before flame out) and the beers were very clear and I'd say my best brews to date.

Unfortunately I've moved to a new flat and think I'm gonna struggle to have the same consistant fermentation temp - my old place had a cupbord which sat at 19 degrees bang on and a warmer larder in the kitchen which was about 22degrees. However a bit of cunning and guile should mean I can keep things bubbling along at a reasonable temp to not have a negative impact on my future fermenting brews.