Barfly Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Not sure if I have a problem or not ..... My brew looks VERY cloudy, and doesn't appear to have any real body to it. Brew Date: 22/2/2005 Brew Type: Coopers Lager (Original Series) Water Added: 23 Litres Can Best By: 9/12/2006 Yeast Best By: 30/11/2006 Fermentables: Brew Enhancer 1 Temp @ Pitch: 26oC OG: 1.039 SG 28/2/2005: 1.018 SG 1/3/2005: 1.014 There have been some very big temperature variations with this particular batch of brew. I have a brewers heat pad under my fermenter which is thermostated at 25oC. However we have had some hot days and keeping the wort cool has been a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 it sounds simple, but have you got the tap opening on the inside of the fermenter facing up? It figured to me that maybe you're just sucking yeastcake off the bottom of your fermenter? From your SG readings it looks like its still brewing.. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barfly Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 Yes Keiran. The tap is pointing the right way. I thought of that too - lol. I was just surprised at the pale & sickly colour more than anything. I don't wanna waste my time (and carb drops) bottling it if its gonna be crap. I'd rather start again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 :lol: well the colour looks about right.. considering there's so much yeast in there, the lager my housemate did looked a little more golden (vb colour, etc) than yours, probably because it was clearer. maybe just rack it, give it a week or two to settle, then bottle. Taste after a couple of weeks, and if its a bit yeasty let it sit for a while to let it mellow out perhaps?? It looks like it has a fairly high OD (ie. >1) which means there's a ton of yeast in suspension (or bugs - what does it smell like), so when you do rack it, try to get it cool to get the yeast to drop out of solution.. some of the crew on here might have better suggestions than mine. but that's about all the help I can offer. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barfly Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 Thanx for the advice Keiran, but I am totally clueless about "racking". The brew smells ok really does look very watery. This is my regular brew recipe and it usually comes out looking about Carlton Cold color. You're welcome to come over and have a look and show me how to rack it if you want. Of course, we might have to sample some of the previous batches first! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Your sample looks normal for an Original Series Lager with Brew Enhancer 1. Lager can be very light if it is fresh product. The cloudiness may also be due to the maltodextrin in the BE#1. Kieran has given you some good advice...if it smells okay and tastes alright, bottle it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barfly Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 Will it hurt to leave it a few more days before bottling? How long is too long to leave it in the fermenter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 The cloudiness may also be due to the maltodextrin in the BE#1. Just a quick question on the maltodextrin Paul, I was under the impression that it wont be fermented (alteast not in preference to glucose, sucrose or maltose) by the yeast and was mainly used to enhance head retention, but at the same time I also wonder why it would make the beer cloudy like this during fermentation? Is it because it hasn't properly disolved in the solution, or is it something to do with the fermentation of dextrose in BE1 into alcohol causing the maltodextrin to precipitate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Kieren, I just looked up your profile, yes I can see you are indeed a scientist :-) Personally I'd blame the full moon a few days back. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Thanx for the advice Keiran, but I am totally clueless about "racking". The brew smells ok really does look very watery. This is my regular brew recipe and it usually comes out looking about Carlton Cold color. You're welcome to come over and have a look and show me how to rack it if you want. Of course, we might have to sample some of the previous batches first! I can show you, no worries. :) You'll need a second fermenter to rack your beer. Its a fairly simple process where you carefully empty the contents of your primary fermenter into the racking fermenter using a hose, leaving behind 90%+ of the yeast cake. You then leave your brew to sit for a while in a cool environment (that helps the yeast drop out of solution), then you move on to your bottling (as normal). If you want to start getting fancy, you can even start dry hopping in the secondary to add a bit of added aroma to your beers. So yeah, it basically is a series of decanting steps to remove the bulk of yeast sediment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Kieren, I just looked up your profile, yes I can see you are indeed a scientist :-) Personally I'd blame the full moon a few days back. Will Sometimes its more of a curse Will! I cant just shrug my shoulders and go "oh well, just is" my bloody mind is always ticking over looking for the real problem. (or an answer to it!) ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Taste it. If it's OK, let it settle for a couple more days and bottle the bugger! (Don't forget that at this age it won't taste fantastic as it hasn't matured, but should be all right.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Kieran, good question! Here is some attempt at an answer...this is not something that I can consult our master brewers about because they have no experience with maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is a complex sugar normally in the form of a white powder, virtually odourless, tastless and not very sweet. Maltodextrins can vary in their level of fermentability (the percentage of fermentable sugars - sucrose, fructose, dextrose and maltose) - I think this is normally expressed as the DE (dextrose equivalent) but don't quote me on that! Its use as a homebrewing adjunct - better head retention, more body and fuller mouthfeel. Our maltodextrin has no sucrose or fructose and appox 83% polysaccharides - which are not fermentable. Brew Enhancer 1 has 60% dextrose and 40% maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is soluble in cold water. Normally a brew with a yeast count of 1 million cells per millilitre will appear clear but - this next bit is only my theory - the addition of maltodextrin in the brew means that the yeast count needs to be lower before the brew will look clear. The brew will clear in the bottle over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Unless there is a dead rat floating in your ferment always bottle, it is not that much effort or cost to waste on what will (in most cases) turn out all right after a couple of weeks in the bottle. Give the fermenter another week or so, then bottle, and try around ANZAC day. Cheers, Greg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wort Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Can't you strain the rat out? Do you really think it should be thrown out? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Cooper's Lager with hint of rat. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 or force the rat into one of the bottle - sort of like the Agave worm in a bottle of Tequila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John1525228445 Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 It's no use trying to rescue the rats_ they keep climbing back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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