Protein and Grainfather

[wardy]

Well you can try fining it with gelatine or when you present it to others call it "Craft" beer.

Thanks, I'll try gelatine and if that fails I'll be serving craft beer in pewter pots [WINKING FACE]

[Matt in Birdham]

In answer to the original question, cold break or hop material in the fermentor will categorically not affect the clarity of the finished beer - in fact, cold break in the FV is thought to be good for yeast health during fermentation (IMHO homebrewers worry about this side of things much too much).

It's hard to say from your photo what is going on, but US05 is not the most flocculant yeast and 5C isn't really that cold for a "cold crash" - although I would probably expect it to be a little clearer than that after 3 weeks (exactly how cloudy is it?).

If you want really bright beer within a reasonable time-frame, then you really need to fine it. As a matter of course, I fine all of my beers with gelatin (I rack straight from primary into a keg with a cup of dissolved gelatin in it). Beers fined like this are normally fairly clear within a few days, and bright within 7-10 days. If I want a really bright beer I fine with polyclar a few days after kegging (i.e. I fine with gelatin, leave for a few days and then fine again with polyclar). Polyclar 730 contains both PVVP and silica gel and works on differently charged particles than gelatin does - the results are quite spectacular. Even so, unless it's a very light beer or one I plan on trying to impress some guests with, I normally don't bother.

[wardy]

In answer to the original question, cold break or hop material in the fermentor will categorically not affect the clarity of the finished beer - in fact, cold break in the FV is thought to be good for yeast health during fermentation (IMHO homebrewers worry about this side of things much too much).

It's hard to say from your photo what is going on, but US05 is not the most flocculant yeast and 5C isn't really that cold for a "cold crash" - although I would probably expect it to be a little clearer than that after 3 weeks (exactly how cloudy is it?).

If you want really bright beer within a reasonable time-frame, then you really need to fine it. As a matter of course, I fine all of my beers with gelatin (I rack straight from primary into a keg with a cup of dissolved gelatin in it). Beers fined like this are normally fairly clear within a few days, and bright within 7-10 days. If I want a really bright beer I fine with polyclar a few days after kegging (i.e. I fine with gelatin, leave for a few days and then fine again with polyclar). Polyclar 730 contains both PVVP and silica gel and works on differently charged particles than gelatin does - the results are quite spectacular. Even so, unless it's a very light beer or one I plan on trying to impress some guests with, I normally don't bother.

Thanks Matt, that's brilliant information. The beer is so cloudy that a torch shone on the other side of the FV has no distinct point viewed from the other side, it is just hazy light that is brighter as you get closer to the centre.
I'm happy to drink the cloudy beer if that doesn't give anyone the runs but I will try your methods on the one that's just gone outside. It's already 3 C outside so it will be interesting to see if that clears. I'll give it until next Tuesday which will also give me time to buy the stuff to clear it and maybe I will start to use that when doing brews for parties.

[bellebouche]

most commercial breweries(tbh all the ones ive ever seen!) use a plate chiller, ergo the cold break ends up in the F.V.. I seriously doubt if this is the problem ive brewed over a thousand times(including work!)in the few occasions ive encountered similar its been down to a cock up with copper fining or a very poor or short boil

Critch, need to lean on your experience here if I may!

I'd always assumed that brewing on a commercial scale and using a big plate chiller meant that all of the cold-break material that forms and enters the FV got dumped sometime after xfer into the FV - one of the benefits of a conical with a take-off. Can you expand and elaborate on your process/timings a bit please?