Clearing beer kits

[NickW]

Hi all,

Due t o be making a lager and an Australian bitter kit soon.

I was just wondering if they clear OK themselves or is it worth force clearing them?

:

 

[Rukula]

If the lager kit is using proper lager yeast, it should be fermented at low temperature, over quite some time. It will clear nicely by itself..

The bitter should have ale yast, so it wont clear that fast. Just tap it in the bottles as normal, and leave it for a while. The sediments should drop, and it will clear fine by it self.

But then again, why care about clearing beer. Haze doesn't effect the taste in a negative way, quite allot of people agrees that cloudy beer has more flavor. When you get into craft beer, you realize that all the greats has quite allot of haze, and a somewhat thick layer of sediments in the bottle. If you want to impress people by the way the beer looks, why not try to spend some time making a great bottle design (label, cap, real glass bottles instead of PET. etc...) ?

 

[NickW]

If the lager kit is using proper lager yeast, it should be fermented at low temperature, over quite some time. It will clear nicely by itself..

The bitter should have ale yast, so it wont clear that fast. Just tap it in the bottles as normal, and leave it for a while. The sediments should drop, and it will clear fine by it self.

But then again, why care about clearing beer. Haze doesn't effect the taste in a negative way, quite allot of people agrees that cloudy beer has more flavor. When you get into craft beer, you realize that all the greats has quite allot of haze, and a somewhat thick layer of sediments in the bottle. If you want to impress people by the way the beer looks, why not try to spend some time making a great bottle design (label, cap, real glass bottles instead of PET. etc...) ?

That is sound advice :)

Would it be recommended to prime ale when it goes into bottles?

 

[PD]

you always have to prime your beers if putting into bottles...
Lagers more than Ales.


and if you want clear sparkly beer..give it TIME

 

[Rukula]

That is sound advice :)
Would it be recommended to prime ale when it goes into bottles?

If you like your beer flat, don't prime it (you don't like it flat)

Priming is what gives the beer its fizz. There are these two typical ways of doing it; Sugar into the bottles, or sugar into the fermenter, before bottling (batch priming, google it!)

I don't brew Lager (Don't like it), but for my ales i tend to put in 6 grams of sugar, per liter of beer.
Is this your first time brewing mate?

 

[NickW]

I've done turbo cider a few times, and wines. I have a corny keg I use But I don't want to put the Coopers Australian Bitter into it, as when the corny is full, anything thats in it disappears in a week! I wouldn't be able to let the beer age!

I'm collecting 500ml ale bottles now so I will prime them... how many grams of sugar? I find it hard to judge when using a teaspoon as half the sugar goes all over the place as the opening to the bottle is smaller than a teaspoon.

I've heard that this Australian bitter kit is quite like a lager? I'm using it with the recommended light malt extract.

 

[fbsf]

...or sugar into the fermenter, before bottling

Well, that is one way but can disturb the trub at the bottom of the fermenter. Most batch primers tend to dissolve the sugar in a little boiling water, add this to a 2nd fermenter (ideally fitted with a tap and "Little Bottler") and syphon the beer onto the sugar mix, which means it gets well distributed in the beer.

I do this, and given 6-8 weeks normally have lovely clear beer in the bottles. Only ever once used finings (Wilko's beer finings) and it didn't work at all well!!

The little bottler is a godsend by the way.

 

[ushills]

I find it hard to judge when using a teaspoon as half the sugar goes all over the place as the opening to the bottle is smaller than a teaspoon.

Use a funnel, either buy one or make a temporary one out of foil.

 

[NickW]

Fantastic I will do this. Oh have an FV with a tap on, and a little bottler !

But, does adding this water dilute the taste of the beer somewhat?

 

[rpt]

When bottling about 23l I dissolve 100g of sugar in 200ml of water. So I'm diluting it by less than 1%. I boil the solution for 15 minutes before adding to the bottling bucket so there is some evaporation so the dilution is even less. So I doubt if it affects the flavour.

 

[NickW]

Cheers rpt :thumb:

What is the benefit of making and boiling a syrup? Why not Just add the sugar dry and give it a mix with the syphoned brew?

 

[rpt]

You can just add sugar to the bucket and syphon on top, but making and boiling a syrup has 2 advantages. Firstly, it ensures the sugar is fully dissolved. Secondly, it ensures it is sterile.

 

[NickW]

Thanks mate.

Would it matter If I used granulated sugar? It would you recommend brewing sugar for this?

 

[rpt]

Ordinary granulated sugar is fine.

 

[NickW]

Cheers!

After aging, does the deposit in the bottle tend to stick there? Or will it rise when the bottle is moved or opened?

 

[rpt]

It depends on the yeast. Some are very good at compacting at the bottom of the bottle and some are more fluffy and will dislodge easily. As it's a kit you may not know what yeast you have.

 

[NickW]

Cheers fella. I'll see how it goes.