WLP810 experience? Please help!!!

[NegFerret]

Hi,

It's my first time using WLP810 San Francisco Common, and I'm not sure if I'm on the right track. Any help would be appreciated.

I've brewed a Steam Ale recipe from Brewsmith, and after four weeks the beer is still in the fermenter and still cloudy.

I started off at 15c for two weeks getting down to 1018. I tasted what I thought was diacetyl so performed a rest at 18c for 48 hours, I haven't done this before but it seemed to reduce the buttery flavour (or maybe I was imagining it!).

I then reduced the temp down to 10c and it's been there for the past week. My sg is currently 1015.

I used irish moss, and everywhere I read they say this one clears out nicely, but for some reason it hasn't at all. Anyone have any experience with this one?

Unbelievably, this is AG#23!

Thanks

 

[BigYin]

I've never used that yeast, or done a proper lager, but I wonder if there's anything on the official white labs page that may help?

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp810.html

As for your FG being 1.015 - I've bottled plenty of beers at that SG or more - albeit I do ales and stouts rather than lagers - the Guinness I kegged on Monday was 1.016 - sampled it last night and it's got a proper bitter bite to it :drink:

If I were you I'd keg/bottle it and move onto the next brew while the lager conditions :

 

[NegFerret]

Thanks for the reply Big Yin.

I checked that page before bothering this forum with a post, unfortunately everything in there seems to point to a yeast which clears out well...

It's now four weeks in, and the brew is still cloudy, and the strong sweet smell and taste of diacetyl is back. This is my second brew that has gone like this, both using new yeast strains I hadn't tried before (the last was a burton ale yeast).

I'd rather not waste time bottling, when I could spend that time brewing something else. I'll improve my sanitisation and check the bin for scratches. Sad times, this one was for SWMBO :cry:

Edit: I decided to bring the temp down to 5c for the final week to see if that clears it...maybe the low temps have kept it cloudy? I've posted on the Brewsmith forums as maybe someone there has followed these instruictions. I'll update here if it works in case anyone has the same problem in future.

 

[BigYin]

at those low temps, could that be more of a chill haze? Have you put finings in to see if that clears it?

If you bottle it and stick it away somewhere out the road for a good few months, chances are that by the time you come back to it, it'll have come good* :thumb:


* or is that just the Yorkshire heritage coming out in me, and not being willing to throw anything away :lol:

 

[NegFerret]

Haha, quite possibly! I'm going to try it though. I did think it might be a chill haze, but there is stuff swirling around in it, if you know what I mean. Like a cloud, like something in suspension. I'm going to test the chill haze theory out by bringing a sample indoors to warm up. I'm also marking the fermenting bin with a big X in case I get any more issues...I'll see if that bin is a factor.

I've just drank a commercial beer (Hobsons, if you're interested) and I think my fears about the flavour are just me being paranoid because of the cloudyness. So, my only issue is really the cloudyness.

Would a poor boil cause cloudy beer? I have noticed by electric boiler is a bit shabby recently.

 

[Good Ed]

not sure what the reason might be NF, I've used this yeast a good few times, never had a problem with clarity, I bottle and it sticks to the bottom very well. I ferment at 15C for 7 days then gradually increase up to 18C for the next 7 days coofor a few days and then bottle. Average attenuation 78%.

 

[NegFerret]

Thanks for the feedback. I've decided to whack some gelatin in. I'll leave it for a few days now and see how it looks.

 

[DirtyCaner]

BigYin,

When your bottling at higher gravities like that do you still prime?

DC

 

[BigYin]

Yep, just a bit less than I usually might - and of course most of my beer goes into cornies, so no need to prime anyway.

For my bottles I usually only add around a half a teaspoon of sugar per bottle, for beers that have ended a tad high, if I'm bottling 6, I maybe only use the equivalent of 2 teaspoons between all 6 bottles :thumb:

 

[DirtyCaner]

Ok mate, thanks for sharing :thumb:

 

[BigYin]

be warned, I don't like beers too gassy - so others might find my beers to be under-carbonated for their tastes :lol: :whistle:

This is, of course, one of the great joys of homebrewing - being able to craft the beer to suite your own, personal, preferences :mrgreen:

 

[NegFerret]

Sooo, it turned out a poor boil was causing haze. It happened to the beer that followed also.

I managed to sort my Buffalo boiler and it's now performing well, poor maintenance was the issue! Always give your buffalo boiler a good scrub to take off all the caramelisation after each brew, and be sure to stir every 5 mins while boiling!