Extract+grain ESB | Cloudiness Experiment 1

[iancraig]

Hi All,

I've done a couple of extract-plus-steeped-grain brews by now, but I tend to make cloudy beer.

Following a post or two here, and other reading around, I have a list of suspected causes. They are: (i) no hot break due to a flimsy boil on electric hob, (ii) no cold break due to not having a wort chiller, and (iii) insufficient filtering of wort when going from the stock pot to the FV (I use a sieve, but it is not particularly fine).

I found a recipe I like (the ESB in John Palmer's book) and my plan is to do a series of almost identical brews which look at each suspected cause in turn.

Today, I'm halving the boil volume (to ~5l, I only make 10l batches anyway) to see if I can get a better boil. In practice, this means adding half the LME before the boil, and half after. This was suggested on the forum, and is also what Palmer suggests anyway.

Fingers crossed. I'll let you know how it goes.

Any thoughts, comments, or other cloudiness-theories greatly appreciated :thumb:

Ian

 

[iancraig]

I'm starting to wonder if it's the hops causing the cloudiness.

My first few brews were with whole hops, and I never had a problem. Since I've been using pellets and my beers have tended to be cloudy.

Tonight I noticed a thick green ring of hop residue around the stock pot. It seems that the pellets are disintegrating?

Could this hop material be the cause of the cloudiness? Does anyone have similar experiences .. ?

All the best,

Ian

 

[brewtim]

Hi All,

I've done a couple of extract-plus-steeped-grain brews by now, but I tend to make cloudy beer.

Following a post or two here, and other reading around, I have a list of suspected causes. They are: (i) no hot break due to a flimsy boil on electric hob, (ii) no cold break due to not having a wort chiller, and (iii) insufficient filtering of wort when going from the stock pot to the FV (I use a sieve, but it is not particularly fine).

I found a recipe I like (the ESB in John Palmer's book) and my plan is to do a series of almost identical brews which look at each suspected cause in turn.

Today, I'm halving the boil volume (to ~5l, I only make 10l batches anyway) to see if I can get a better boil. In practice, this means adding half the LME before the boil, and half after. This was suggested on the forum, and is also what Palmer suggests anyway.

Fingers crossed. I'll let you know how it goes.

Any thoughts, comments, or other cloudiness-theories greatly appreciated :thumb:

Ian

From my reading and listening to podcast experts on the subject of haze this is a complex area, ranging from water chemistry to malt types to mash PH, to the areas you are looking at (fast wort chilling being one that seems to stand out) to kettle and fermenter finings to processes, to yeast and finally temperature, chilling, racking and aging.

Let us know how your experiments go, I'm sure it will be enjoyable :drink:

 

[iancraig]

One question I have is whether I should expect to get any hot break from LME and steeped grains (14% by weight)?

I see some specks of white coagulated **** around the rim of my stock pot. Is that it?

Thanks!

Ian

 

[pittsy]

you won't get a true hot break (i think) from extract , it usually looks a bit funky floating around then sinking .

 

[iancraig]

Thanks Pittsy, good to read something that fits with with my experience.

Regarding the cloudiness experiment, the wort is as cloudy as ever. Lots of small particles floating around. My gut feeling is that it is the hop pellets.

I'll post again after fermentation.

All the best,

Ian