Brew Day Questions

[Doingatun]

Hi all - help please - First All Grain - Grolsch - after 16 days in primary fv at 12-15c ended at SG 1010 - 12 days in secondary to clear as I thought, racked to Corny and 4 litre bottles. Wasn't until I bottled I realised it wasn’t clear , uniformly dull looking rather than cloudy and remains so to the very top despite a few days in the bottle, no deposit forming either.

Question - how do you tell if it’s a protein haze or yeast should I have used Finings being AG? All my kits have been brilliantly clear.

Cheers

[Doingatun]

Hi all.

Thanks Daab for the advice and link – I’ve waited a little longer but still not clearing no change , so it’s not a yeast haze, tried Iodine starch test negative, protein haze test bought a pack of Caustic Soda stirred in a few granules and ping brilliantly clear.

Cold break? Could this be the Cause?

My boil was in 30L boiler/bucket with a single 2.4kw element no stat, gave a reasonable 90min rolling boil with Irish Moss last 15 mins, the only thing I can blame is that my immersion cooler rested on the element being low in the bucket cooled the lower part of the wort the top remaining hot after 3/4hr I drained down into FV slowly hoping that as the level dropped all would be cooled ending up at 17c but this could have been a mix of cooler wort and warmer wort in the FV.

Is it wise to use finings on all AG brews i.e. Gelatine or Isinglass and Auxiliary Finings?

Cheers

[tubby_shaw]

I've just treated myself to their MIDAS TOUCH golden ale and after reading the instructions, I am seeking help..

Muntons recommend fermenting for 2 to 3 days then transferring to another fermenter under airlock until fermentation ends.

They say this eliminates 'yeast bite'.

Does it? Or can I just ferment for 10 days in my bin (under airlock) then transfer to barrel as i have always done.?

They say nothing about skimming the head after 2 to 3 days. Would this work just as well?

I thought I had this beer lark sussed out, now this!

Thanks in advance,

Dave.

Having a bad day DaaB

[Andy]

[Scooby]

[Frothy]

To lager literally means to "cold store"
With the yeast in try keeping it in the bottles/ keg @ 2-4oc for 4-6 weeks. This allows the yeast to slowly condition your beer by reclaiming some of the products of fermentation, this conditioning produces the characteristic lager flavour.

Frothy

[Doingatun]

Many thanks - Daabs, Frothy. Comments noted.

Cheers.

[mysterio]

Yes, keeping the bottles somewhere cold (the fridge) after they have carbonated will help with the haze. The haze won't affect the flavour, though.

[SteveD]

if space is a little tight you could always remove some of the grist and heat that on the stove.

Decoction mashing by Jove! In Blighty!? Whatever next!!

Well done on your first AG....from this point forward you're on familiar ground again....apart from the fact that the beer will almost certainly taste better than that from a kit. Welcome to the dark side

Off topic: There is a notion that sparging too hot extracts tannins and other undesirables from the mash that pester the beer later on. If that's the case, explain the use of decoction mashing on that basis.....boiling a third of the mash?? How much beedin' hotter can you get??! And yet to my knowledge nobody complains about excess tannins, phenols, and dextrins, in traditional continental lagers.

...is it rubbish then?

[SteveD]

Its not just the temperature thats inreases the chances of tannin extraction Steve, it's the increasing PH towards the end of the lautering opp also which is why it is usefull to lower the ph of your sparge liquer.

Yes, that's true, but they are often discussed seperately. My point was why no problems with the decoction mash if temperature was a factor. Could it be that temperature isn't so much but PH is...

[tubby_shaw]

Could it also be a fact that the vast majority of these beers are either fined or indeed filtered and lets not forget the effect of the actual lagering process itself