Sediment in beer

[BrewDan87]

Hello brew friends!

I've finished off my second batch of beer and got round to drinking a third of what I made. The result is good enough (for now) but I had two queries.

Firstly - there is quite a bit of sediment at the bottom of each bottle. I only use one bucket for before I bottle my beer. If I transfer to a second bucket before bottling will I see a decrease in the excess residule?

Secondly - while I'm happy with the taste of my beer there is still quite a strong yeast taste to it. Could this be because of just using one fermenting bucket or could it be the cause of something else?

Thanks

 

[Gerryjo]

Hello brew friends!

I've finished off my second batch of beer and got round to drinking a third of what I made. The result is good enough (for now) but I had two queries.

Firstly - there is quite a bit of sediment at the bottom of each bottle. I only use one bucket for before I bottle my beer. If I transfer to a second bucket before bottling will I see a decrease in the excess residule?

Secondly - while I'm happy with the taste of my beer there is still quite a strong yeast taste to it. Could this be because of just using one fermenting bucket or could it be the cause of something else?

Thanks

Transferring to secondary will definitely see a drop in residue as I certainly do though I leave in primary for 2,secondary for another then leave in the bottle for a further two so 2+2+2 = primary,secondary,bottle/keg.

There are quite a few people who use this method and there are those that don't but it is down to personal preference.

 

[Fil]

with a live straight to bottle beer some sediment is unavoidable, but with patience and acquired skills decanting/racking off the sediment once clear into bottles you will soon minimise the sediment. soon to follow if not already learnt is the glug free smooth pour in one into the glass minimising sediment disturbance and only leaving a cm or so with it in the bottle

for a truely brite bottle of sediment free conditioned beer, it can be done, but involves an investment.. you need to look at kegging in cornies or sankey kegs chilling right down and bottleing from the keg with a counter pressure bottle filler or pegas bottle filling tap

the yeast taste may not be yeast but the beer revealing its 'green flavour' most brews especially kits do benefit from a period of maturity not to be confused with the upto 2 weeks you condition the beer, maturing is best done cool at the ideal serving temp for the beer, its a matter of personal taste and preference but i would suggest most kits benefit from at least 4 weeks maturing.. its a detail left out of the kits instructions mainly as they are part of the advertising to get you to buy in the first place, promising beer with a rapid turn around , often in days.. yes the beer can be drunk in 21 days or so but it probably wont be at its best for a few more weeks sat in the cool.

imho its always wise to stash a few bottles for a christmass 'pot luck' which also reveals how the beer matures over the year and could see you laying brews down for months..

the exception is the brews with heavy aroma and dry hop additions as these will mask the beers green flavours and disipate rapidly if left too long before quaffing..

a very rough rule of thumb is lighter less complex malt bills mature quicker while complex darker heavier beers benefit from longer maturing the extreme being the imperial stouts which are best matured in bulk for a year or more..

 

[The Idiot]

I've done beers with only a primary and had very little sediment. It sounds like you might be bottling too early. How long do you leave it in the primary before bottling?

 

[terrym]

@BrewDan87
The simplest way to significantly reduce the amount of yeast carried forward at packaging time is to leave the brew in the FV until it is clear or nearly clear. For 'normal' beers this is a minimum of two weeks, often nearing three. Some beers may take longer due to a slow fermentation or the yeast used, typically for kits the Youngs AIPA.
However although visually 'clear' the beer will still have enough yeast in suspension to carb up, it may just take a little longer.
And if you want to help things along racking off into a second FV is useful although some on here will argue you risk an 'infection'. Personally I rack off most of my beers except for stouts.
By way of example I bottled a brew into PET five days ago which was nearly clear, and it is now carbing up well, but the quantity of yeast on the base of the bottle is only a very thin film.

 

[bomberns127]

once your brew has properly fermented out, leave it for another week in the 1st fv, then rack off into another fv for another week then bottle, you will have a tiny scrape of sediment in your bottle, simples!

 

[Poochops]

I agree with the others, the more you drop out in the FV the less you'll get in the bottle. I tend to leave in the FV two weeks minimum but often 3 or longer, only because I'm in no rush because I've got plenty in stock.
I transfer to my bottling bucket and if it's not clear or I pick up a bit more of the yeast cake than I'd like then I'll leave for a couple of days more not that this happens a lot. I'll let it condition indoors for at least two weeks or longer then throw it in the garage with the rest for a fortnight before I'd even bother tasting it, the sediment is minimal but does vary.
I find though that the plastic bottles from Wilkos hold on to the yeast better than glass, something to do with the crimped base, they're really good. Even though I prefer glass I do use plastic for my high turnover brews, the low turnover stuff in glass benefits from even longer in the bottle to compact the yeast that way too.

 

[Dutto]

One of these minimises the amount of trub carried over when syphoning the FV into a PB or a Bottling Bucket.

I got the little filter from here ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M74BJW3/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The use of a copper tube means that the tube can be pushed into the FV very slowly to minimise disturbance of the trub.

I have sawn a small "V" into the business end of the copper tube so that the beer will still flow with the tube resting on the bottom of the filter.

If you carbonate using sugar and secondary fermentation you will always finish up with a small layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle. The yeast will become more stable (and less likely to flow out of the bottle) the longer you leave the bottle to condition.

e.g. Bottled on the 3rd February this year, I can now pour 99% of my Bitter from the bottle without disturbing the yeast on the bottom. There is also zero "yeasty" taste! :thumb:

 

[Gerryjo]

One of these minimises the amount of trub carried over when syphoning the FV into a PB or a Bottling Bucket.

I got the little filter from here ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M74BJW3/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The use of a copper tube means that the tube can be pushed into the FV very slowly to minimise disturbance of the trub.

I have sawn a small "V" into the business end of the copper tube so that the beer will still flow with the tube resting on the bottom of the filter.

If you carbonate using sugar and secondary fermentation you will always finish up with a small layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle. The yeast will become more stable (and less likely to flow out of the bottle) the longer you leave the bottle to condition.

e.g. Bottled on the 3rd February this year, I can now pour 99% of my Bitter from the bottle without disturbing the yeast on the bottom. There is also zero "yeasty" taste! :thumb:

I pour 100% from mine yeast or no yeast.[emoji481]

Gerry