Wilko Light Golden Lager - Cloudy!

[Sherlock]

Hello fellow homebrewers,

I have referred to this forum since I started brewing a few years ago and found it incredibly useful, so thanks for sharing all the great tips. I'm still a complete newbie really, only on my 5th kit brew. The 1st was rancid but everything else has been great...so far.

I was recently bought a Wilko Light Golden Lager kit by a friend, and thought I'd give it a go. I went through the normal process of sterilizing, adding the malt extract and sugar, testing temperature and pitching yeast etc. All as per instructions, only I left it in my fermentation bucket for 2 weeks as I normally do. I treated it exactly like all my other brews in that once I have pitched it, I leave it in a dark place, undisturbed for 2 weeks at average room temp. I know you're supposed to be more technical with lager but frankly, I can't be bovriled...I have very very basic equiptment and next to no space. Nor the inclination. Soz.

Smelt fine, looked fine...decided to bottle instead of keg, so I could have icey cold lager in the sun in a few weeks. Had a little taste and it's definitely lager-y, no off flavours I can tell of.

However, and this is my question, why is it so goddam cloudy? Kinda like a cloudy apple juice or something. Normally after 2 weeks my ales are more or less clear before going in to my keg.

I added about 3/4 teaspoon of brewing sugar to each bottle to prime, and have stored a few in the fridge and the others in a dark cupboard. I hope they'll clear out soon, but wondered if anyone knew how long it'd take, if there's any danger of bottle bombs due to the cloudy brew with added sugar etc? Have I bottled too soon, added too much sugar, or done any other newbie mistakes?

I have read the forum for tips and found some useful things, but I guess I'm still a new and slightly anxious brewer, so hoping for some advice on my specific brew.

Any comments greatly appreciated! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Slid]

Hello fellow homebrewers,

I have referred to this forum since I started brewing a few years ago and found it incredibly useful, so thanks for sharing all the great tips. I'm still a complete newbie really, only on my 5th kit brew. The 1st was rancid but everything else has been great...so far.

I was recently bought a Wilko Light Golden Lager kit by a friend, and thought I'd give it a go. I went through the normal process of sterilizing, adding the malt extract and sugar, testing temperature and pitching yeast etc. All as per instructions, only I left it in my fermentation bucket for 2 weeks as I normally do. I treated it exactly like all my other brews in that once I have pitched it, I leave it in a dark place, undisturbed for 2 weeks at average room temp. I know you're supposed to be more technical with lager but frankly, I can't be bovriled...I have very very basic equiptment and next to no space. Nor the inclination. Soz.

Smelt fine, looked fine...decided to bottle instead of keg, so I could have icey cold lager in the sun in a few weeks. Had a little taste and it's definitely lager-y, no off flavours I can tell of.

However, and this is my question, why is it so goddam cloudy? Kinda like a cloudy apple juice or something. Normally after 2 weeks my ales are more or less clear before going in to my keg.

I added about 3/4 teaspoon of brewing sugar to each bottle to prime, and have stored a few in the fridge and the others in a dark cupboard. I hope they'll clear out soon, but wondered if anyone knew how long it'd take, if there's any danger of bottle bombs due to the cloudy brew with added sugar etc? Have I bottled too soon, added too much sugar, or done any other newbie mistakes?

I have read the forum for tips and found some useful things, but I guess I'm still a new and slightly anxious brewer, so hoping for some advice on my specific brew.

Any comments greatly appreciated! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

The Wilko "Lagers" are actually pale ales, They use the Muntons yeast and whilst there is nothing particularly wrong with this yeast, it is not the most flocculent, so it may well just drop out after a few weeks. In my experience, one brew can differ from another for reasons I can't immediately see, but patience will be your best friend.

 

[Sherlock]

Thanks for the reply Slid. I didn't realise it was a pale ale, thanks for the info. I assume the Muntons yeast is the same or similar therefore, to the yeasts I have used in previous kits? (I have so far only made a few coopers & woodfordes). If so, I don't understand why my previous kits have all been much less cloudy at this stage.
Should the cloudiness cause any concern of over carbonation?

 

[Slid]

Thanks for the reply Slid. I didn't realise it was a pale ale, thanks for the info. I assume the Muntons yeast is the same or similar therefore, to the yeasts I have used in previous kits? (I have so far only made a few coopers & woodfordes). If so, I don't understand why my previous kits have all been much less cloudy at this stage.
Should the cloudiness cause any concern of over carbonation?

Woodfordes are kits made by Muntons and have the same yeast as this Wilko kit (many of the kits sold in the UK under various labels are made by Muntons.

Coopers yeast is quite different and after 2 weeks, very rarely gives any problems. Great yeast, IMHO.