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Clear beer
I was just wondering why it is taking my beer so long to clear in the bottles. It normally gets much clearer after two weeks, even contaminated batches. But this time after 14 days, the beer has just cleared the neck on many bottles but hasn't cleared much further than that. Has anyone ever had this problem? What could be causing this and will it clear eventually? I haven't opened any yet, so I don't know if the beer is good. But, it seems strange that part of the beer is clear and lower half isn't given ample time.
Are you using the same yeast as before? Some yeast strains are less flocculant than others. This can also happen if you reuse yeast for multiple generations (i.e. you could be selecting for less folucculant yeast the further out you go in generations). Try putting your bottles in the cold. Your problem could also just be high protein content in the beer, for which there is no solution. Cheers!
Clarity is something that I rarely use as a guide for anything, mostly cause I am drinking for taste. Much of what I brew is intended to be dark anyway, so no big deal. I use to use various clarifying agents, earlier in my brewing life, but simply quit and it has never come up since. If I entered a contest, I am sure it would be judged, but it doesn't impact taste or aroma, so I haven't worried about it. Course, using kegs, it is a bit hard to judge till I start sampling..... Guess what I am saying is that don't worry about the issue. Relax. Have a home brew, and if it tastes good. Good enough for me.
clarity is a tough thing to nail down, but in my experience, it generally falls in the relm of the cold break. When I didn't whirlpool a finished batch, I noticed that my beers were not as clear as if I did. What I've started to do after following some suggestions on here, is to recirculate the finished beer back into the boil pot a few times, being careful to avoid hot side airation. Then I whirlpool
After i get the beer down to about 60F, you can see the cold break forming, looking like grease residue almost on the side and bottom of your boil pot. The problem is if you don't get it cold enough, you won't see the break, or you will, but it will not be as significant. Now, I'm strictly talking clarity here, but my beers are much clearer in the fall, and winter, then the summer. I attribute this because the water is not as cold, and i'm not patient enough to wait for it, Ha ha. I have not noticed any bitterness, or off tasting beer from not getting a good cold break, just the clarity is off. And hey, once the beer is cloudy, it's always going to be cloudy, not that it's a big deal, but if you want your beer clearer, get a good cold break.
Well I brew 2.13 gallon batches and ferment at the optimal temperature for the yeast I pitch for 21 days and then carbonate for another 21 days and I've never really had any issues with clarity. I do extracts with some grains, ever cold crashed or batch primed any of my 1 litre PET bottles.
Nothing can really be done now, but if to want an easy way in the future, try chilling your secondary for a couple days, then add a packet of gelatin bloomed in some distilled water. After a week or so rack to your bottling bucket leaving the junk that falls out behind.
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