Bottling question

diesel · Mar 26, 2012

I brewed an American Pale Ale 3 weeks ago yesterday. I bottled last Sunday. The beer has been stored at a stable temp between 65 and 67 degs.

I was checking out the bottles last night and noticed some sediment in the bottles which I am not concerned about. However, when I held a bottle up to the light I saw what looked like sediment on the side of the bottle. I looked at several more bottles and they all seem to have this same thing going on. I cleaned and sanitized the bottles. I was a clean as possible when racking. I am storing the bottles upright that is why I didn't understand how it was on the side of the glass.

Thanks in advance!

I used a brew kit and have been following the directions.

raquette · Mar 26, 2012

I wouldn't worry about it, good thing is the yeast are active and doing the job of carbonating your brew. I would suspect that over time this sediment will fall to the bottom, could just be a slightly rougher surface on side which is catching some yeast, these are glass bottles? You may want to give them a twist after 2-3 weeks like they do with champagne to get sediment to settle.

diesel · Mar 26, 2012

Thanks Raquette! I needed a little reassurance on that one. It is really hard not to just crack one open and drink it.... I also have a Pilsner spending it's first night in a carboy. Can't wait.

alelover · Mar 27, 2012

It's just yeast that hasn't made it to the bottom yet. RDWHAHB.

diesel · Mar 27, 2012

I had to look up RDWHAHB. Glad I did. I have a pilsner that is fermenting now. Brewed it on Sunday. I think I am going to do a Belgian Blonde next. I never thought I would enjoy anything more than Q until now. I know I really like it 'cause the wife is already fussing about how much time I spend reading/talking about brewing.

alelover · Mar 27, 2012

I can't think of 2 better hobbies.

diesel · Mar 29, 2012

I checked my bottles last night and the sediment is almost gone from the sides. I will be chilling a few of the bottles on Saturday to taste my first home brew.

uechikid · Mar 29, 2012

Yep, brewing is a "hurry up and wait hobby". Sort of like smoking meat and both well worth it.

diesel · Mar 30, 2012

I opened a bottle of my brew last night. I think I need to wait a few more days or maybe another week. The carbonation was there but not as much as I would like.

lessons learned.

1. Use another water source or filter my water.

- My wife liked the beer but her feedback was that she could tell I used the tap water.

2. the beer is cloudy.

- I have read a few things on how to control this a little better.

Overall I think I did pretty well for the first batch. Besides, I have 26 more 22oz bottles of this stuff so I will have to be happy!

I have a pilsner brewing now and I plan on lagering. I will be picking up a fridge this weekend and I have a controller to regulate the temp. Fortunately, the weather has been cool enough to keep my current brewing temp within the limits of the lagering range.

I will also be switching to All Grain next time. I found a clone for Dogfish head 90 min. My favorite.

Thanks for all the input. and thanks for looking.

uechikid · Mar 30, 2012

After the fermentation has finished, and your beer has been in the fridge for a while (a week or so) the haze will go away and you should have clear beer. Enjoy!!!

alelover · Mar 30, 2012

Do you use irish moss or whirlfloc in the boil? You can add gelatin or polyclar in the secondary to clear the beer as well. I always filter my water and boil it the night before if I have time.

big casino · Mar 30, 2012

Any time you are re-using bottles, you need to get them as fresh as possible and clean them well, it is better if you empty them yourself, so you can rinse them asap. but if beer is allowed to dry inside the bottles even if it is store bought beer, sometimes it can leave a film on the inside of the bottle which is extremely hard to remove, and it can lead to bottling problems and bacteria in your beer, look for a ring deposited on the necks of your bottles in question, that is a sure sign of some sort bacteria contamination.

if your beer looks cloudy all the time it is possible you could have some type of contamination, either during your fermentation or during your bottling, if it only looks cloudy after it has been chilled it is usually from specialty grains like crystal malts, which leave a high amount of starches behind in your wort and when you chill it it creates a haze, which they call a chill haze, sometimes boiling any type of specialty grains can also pull out tannins and starches from the husks of the barley and can also lead to chill haze

I see you have a homebrewer's book there, if your like me, you will probably buy a few more, and if you don't have it already I highly recommend Charlie Papazian's book "The New complete Joy of Home Brewing" I find it easy to read easy to follow and extremely informational

Good luck and good brewing!

Harry

diesel · Mar 30, 2012

Big Casino,

Awesome stuff. I am sure I will be doing this on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. I will be picking that book up soon. All grain is next.

alelover · Apr 2, 2012

John Palmer's "How to Brew" is also an excellent book.

processhead · May 3, 2012

When it comes to brewing, the waiting is the hardest part. As a brewer, time is your friend, and improves almost every aspect of home brew quality.

I have read that the bits of sediment that you see on the sides of the bottles are yeast cells that stick to the sides through a weak electrostatic charge.

I don't have a better explanation.

cricky101 · May 4, 2012

uechikid said:
Yep, brewing is a "hurry up and wait hobby". Sort of like smoking meat and both well worth it.

Absolutely on the "hurry up and wait." I always misjudge how long it's going to take from when I brew another batch to when it's ready to drink vs. what I have left. I have a four-tap kegerator in the basement and just polished off the last keg last night. I've got two fermenters full, but it's going to be a couple weeks yet. I have no patience!!

signalguys · Jul 19, 2012

Diesel said:
I think I am going to do a Belgian Blonde next.

Your wife is really going to fuss if she hears that!!!!

Bottling question

Smoking Fanatic

Smoke Blower

Smoking Fanatic

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Fire Starter

Smoking Fanatic

Fire Starter

Master of the Pit

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Master of the Pit

Fire Starter

Smoke Blower

Fire Starter

Similar threads

Hot Threads