Keen amateur

[Danfrombarnsley]

Hi everyone
Been brewing for a year or so and tried a few kits. Only done a primary into bottles but have had quite good success . Last one was an attempt at a Hophouse clone by adding some citrus hops....worked quite well I reckon.

I'm interested in progressing and would welcome opinions on how to get a clear product with the system I'm using.. Read a bit about filings (gelatine etc ). Would adding that to my primary 2/3 days before bottling have any benefit..??

Cheers everyone
Dan

 

[steveinUS]

Greetings! Many things can contribute to hazy beer. Assuming your recipes don't have haze-producing ingredients such as wheat, you can start by assuring a rigorous boil with the use of Irish moss during the last 15 minutes, then chilling as quickly as possible thereafter, and whirlpooling after chilling. These procedures encourage the clumping and settlement of proteins and other solids which can cause haze. Then rack or decant the clear wort off of the trub into your fermenter.

When bottling (as opposed to kegging), I have never used post-boil finings such as gelatin or isinglass for fear of stripping out yeast needed to carbonate the beer (though many brewers use them with success). Instead, I do primary fermentation of 5-7 days (a couple days longer for really big beers), then racking to a clean carboy for a week of secondary fermentation. The wort's movement during racking also encourages suspended particles to settle out. There is always plenty of viable yeast still in suspension to carbonate the beer for bottling.

Chilling the fermenter after primary fermentation will also encourage settlement and clarification, but can also make yeast go dormant, so it's not a great option for bottling.

 

[Harbey]

And in typical contrary advice (sorry), I never bother with secondary fermentation. Give it a couple of weeks in primary; cold crash for a couple of days if you have facility to do so (especially if dry hopping); bottle and add sugar then a couple of weeks in the warm to carbonate; finally, a couple of weeks somewhere cool to condition during which it should clear quite nicely. Having the patience to wait is probably the biggest variable.

I've never had a problem getting beers to carbonate following a cold crash, and I used to use secondary fermentation but I honestly find no difference and it's just another faff which can introduce more oxygen and chance of infection (in my opinion).

Just my own method. Have a go at a couple of options to find what works for you. And at the end of the day, hazy beer is pretty good too

 

[Danfrombarnsley]

Thanks guys...much appreciated...

It's not the clarity I'm too fussed about as I've never had a batch turn out without body or a good head on it....I've always had a slight yeast taste (only slight and never enough to spoil the bottle)..but I attributed this to the lack of clarity and whatever proteins or yeast remnants were still suspended after bottling...hence my question about filings...

I guess a progression would be a boiled mash etc rather than a kit in a tin....just looking to keep it interesting and love learning new techniques

 

[Harbey]

I think you're maybe needing to go the all grain route buddy.