Clearing my brews

[Cosmo2450]

I did a quick search on this and couldn't find much out there. But the last three or four beers I've brewed have been really cloudy and not clear at all. Now I'm not talking CRYSTAL CLEAR beers, I'm talking you know, clear like a coopers stubby or can. My brews are...on another level and it is kind of off putting for me. I switched to all grain about 6 brews ago, and the first couple where good, they were actually clear. Nothing has really changed except of course the recipes. The last brew I just kegged was cold crashed for over a week. I usually only cold crash for 3-4 days... my next option is to filter. I use whirl floc at 15mins to go in the boil.

Im thinking i can narrow it down to the amount of hops that I dry hop commando style. Its usually no more than 60g, but i could be wrong would value what other people think of this. And I not doing my mash correctly? Do I have to protein rest? How do I do that? 

 

The two beers compared here is a coopers XPA poured carefully, and my recently kegged galaxy XPA

[Titan]

And the recipe for the last one was?

[Aussiekraut]

9 minutes ago, Cosmo2450 said:

I did a quick search on this and couldn't find much out there. But the last three or four beers I've brewed have been really cloudy and not clear at all. Now I'm not talking CRYSTAL CLEAR beers, I'm talking you know, clear like a coopers stubby or can. My brews are...on another level and it is kind of off putting for me. I switched to all grain about 6 brews ago, and the first couple where good, they were actually clear. Nothing has really changed except of course the recipes. The last brew I just kegged was cold crashed for over a week. I usually only cold crash for 3-4 days... my next option is to filter. I use whirl floc at 15mins to go in the boil.

Im thinking i can narrow it down to the amount of hops that I dry hop commando style. Its usually no more than 60g, but i could be wrong would value what other people think of this. And I not doing my mash correctly? Do I have to protein rest? How do I do that? 

 

The two beers compared here is a coopers XPA poured carefully, and my recently kegged galaxy XPA

It's chill haze I suspect. Most of my beers are crystal clear in the bottle in the cupboard but when poured, they get cloudy to varying degrees. You can try a 90 minute boil, which helps clear up and of course finings a day or two before bottling. That might help. If you're kegging and force carbonating, then a filter might be an idea. 

[Cosmo2450]

I’m trying to avoid the filter, just another thing to clean and risk of infections and blockages but if it comes to it than I will. I just don’t know why my first couple of brews turned out better than this. 

[Cosmo2450]

13 minutes ago, Titan said:

And the recipe for the last one was?

But I only did 60g dry hop. And to 20 litres. 

[Titan]

4 minutes ago, Cosmo2450 said:

But I only did 60g dry hop. And to 20 litres. 

 

Is the wheat an addition you have made that wasn't in your first couple of brews?

[Cosmo2450]

21 minutes ago, Titan said:

Is the wheat an addition you have made that wasn't in your first couple of brews?

Yes, even used 1KG of wheat in a previous brew which turned out just fine

 

[Titan]

Hmm, go back to your notes on brewday, check recipes, mash temperature, mash out if you do. Do you crush your own grains or does the lhbs do it? If you lhbs crushes have you change shops or have they changed mill setting. A myriad of things can contribute to this haze, even the yeast used. Anyway to be honest your last brew looks great and if it tastes great your wining. I used to be hung up on beer clarity. Not anymore, certainly a lager should be clear but a pale dont need to be.

[Cosmo2450]

Lhbs does the grains. And to be honest I am lazy with mash temps. I just mash in at 65 for everything. And it’s about 58-60 when the hour is up ( I still hit my OG). 

beer clarity doesn’t worry me if I’m brewing that style. I am still learning the all grain way, I’m just trying to hone in on the problem here. but it would be nice to have a clearer beer this summer

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

90 min boil + kettle fining + quick chill + cold crash with gelatine = crystal clear beer.

That regimen hasn't failed me but I only bother doing it with lagers. Ales, Belgians, saisons etc I'm not worried about clarity so I shorten or skip some steps.

[Cosmo2450]

34 minutes ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

90 min boil + kettle fining + quick chill + cold crash with gelatine = crystal clear beer.

That regimen hasn't failed me but I only bother doing it with lagers. Ales, Belgians, saisons etc I'm not worried about clarity so I shorten or skip some steps.

I cube chill. You reckon quick chilling makes a difference? Tell me more about the gelatine ? 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Cosmo2450

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

If you are no chilling you definitely need a fining regimen otherwise in my experience you will have chill haze. I have not found gelatine to be 100% effective on no chilled beers hence my change to a fast chill regimen for lagers. Others have found success with no chill and other findings such as isinglass and polycar. 

With gelatine cold crash for a day then put a teaspoon of regular gelatine in 100ml of boiling water. Dissolve it then put it in the fermenter and wait a 3 or 4 days before you bottle or keg.

[Cosmo2450]

10 hours ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

If you are no chilling you definitely need a fining regimen otherwise in my experience you will have chill haze. I have not found gelatine to be 100% effective on no chilled beers hence my change to a fast chill regimen for lagers. Others have found success with no chill and other findings such as isinglass and polycar. 

With gelatine cold crash for a day then put a teaspoon of regular gelatine in 100ml of boiling water. Dissolve it then put it in the fermenter and wait a 3 or 4 days before you bottle or keg.

Just to clarify, pour the gelatine solution in hot or let it cool down? Like I said before, i do use whirl floc with 15 mins to go in the boil. I suppose to one advantage of quick chill is you can ferment straight away

[Titan]

Check out this article, it may help identify your issue. https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/beer-haze-cloudy-homebrew/

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

13 hours ago, Cosmo2450 said:

Just to clarify, pour the gelatine solution in hot or let it cool down? Like I said before, i do use whirl floc with 15 mins to go in the boil. I suppose to one advantage of quick chill is you can ferment straight away

Just throw it in hot. 100ml of 90c water won't do much to 20 odd litres of 3c beer.

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

Just throw it in hot. 100ml of 90c water won't do much to 20 odd litres of 3c beer.

Raise it to 3.38°C.  I've got an app.

[MitchBastard]

If you want to rid your beer of chill haze you’ll need a PVPP stabilizer.  As greeny mentioned above, the polyclar. Gelatin will only work on yeast in suspension. They work well together though, as they target different things.  
Your chill haze is coming from proteins left over. Really the best way minimize those, is to chill your wort quickly after the boil. Not only does it help clarify, the less proteins/lipids in your wort, the longer the shelf life of your beer.
 

Some water profiles will also aid in flocculation. A harder water profile generally will produce a clearer beer, quicker. IPAs and pale ales will drop brighter, quicker than a Pilsner. 

Edited December 1, 2020 by MitchBastard

[Otto Von Blotto]

Do you use a kettle fining like whirlfloc or something? I've done a couple of batches without one, not by choice, and they were a lot more cloudy than normal. 

I also use cubes for the hot wort. During the cold crash after fermentation I usually throw in some isinglass and polyclar, to drop yeast and get rid of chill haze. It works pretty well. They're not always crystal clear when I first start drinking the keg but the longer they sit in the fridge the clearer they get.