Bottling advice, reading Dave Lines big book of beer

[macleanb]

Hi Guys

sorry this is a semi duplicate of a previous post. I have been reading Daves lines big book of beer, and I notice his technique for bottling where he fully clarifies the beer in seconday, then kruasens it and then bottles. His beer is clear the next day! Mine is clear in about a week or more!

Now I have used the 10 (ish) days primary and then straight to bottle with good results, but what I would be interested in hearing is your opinion on whether his more elaborate technique has produced superior results for you.

A particular point of interest is the keeping qualities, previously I have been living hand to mouth, so none of my beer has been around long, but I am building a bit of a beer bank (not on the scale of Martin the Fish) but enough so that I can keep some bottles a good number of months.

cheers & tfn benm

[Martin the fish]

Whats krausening?

[Aleman]

Adding a qty of fermenting wort to the finished beer. The wort provides the condition, and the fresh yeast ensure that it does condition. Also adding a krausen wort can also ensure that anything left behind by the original yeast (like diacetyl) gets mopped up during conditioning.

[macleanb]

Hi Aleman

Do you have any comment re the results of this method?


cheers & ttfn benm

[Aleman]

Do you have any comment re the results of this method?

Its a useful method, of say clearing up a beer that has a diacetyl problem through production not infection. Ideally you need to use a similar wort to the original and (rough rule of thumb here I would need to check it up) about 10% of the final batch volume (depending on wort strength of course).

The German brewers use it a lot to allow them to naturally carbonate without adding sugar, getting around the reinheitsgebot. Also when you've lagered for a long time it adds fresh yeast to the beer to allow it to properly carbonate when served Vom Fass.

Better used in the commercial area where there is availability of a 'standard' wort

[Aleman]

It's worth noting that leaving the beer a little longer on the yeast also cleans up diacetyl without going to the trouble of storing wort and collecting and adding yeast for bottling.

True, It is a useful technique though when that doesn't happen, and I have found it conditions the beer well (lagers after a long time lagering) . . . . Without having a regular supply of similar wort though it is a bit of a faff

[macleanb]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the info. In the Dave Lines book he actually doesnt use wort, but rather creams some lager yeast with sugar & water and adds this to the "star bright" wort he is going to bottle, and then primes in the normal way.

Admittedly having to get together some additional wort sounds a pain, his way didnt seem so bad.

I am a little dissapointed/worried re my first AG (windosor yeast) as it was not that clear after 9 1/2 days when I bottled it, and theres a good 2mm of sediment in the bottle. Also only top of bottles have cleared so far after 1 week warm & 2 days cold (~13c).


ttfn benm