whole lot of sediment

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wiskerbiskit
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:59 pm

whole lot of sediment

Post by wiskerbiskit »

i've brewed three beers now, the first two good(stouts) the second better than the first.only one problem,sediment and a lot of it.i've used irish moss, last 30 min. of the boil,but still a lot of sediment.my third batch,an i.p.a.is still in the fermenter, bubbling away after 5 days, but i want this one to have less sediment " more beer to drink"what can i do besides relax don't worry, have a homebrew.
Gmku
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:20 pm

Do you use a secondary?

Post by Gmku »

I upgraded to two fermenters after my first batch came out yeasty tasting. It makes a huge difference, racking to seondary, because you leave much of the sediment behind in the first then. The beer clears even more in the secondary.

The other thing I've learned to do is to siphon very carefully from the secondary to the priming bucket. Keep the fermenter end of the siphon just below the surface and follow it down as the beer is siphoned. In other words, don't stick the siphon all the way down to the bottom of the fermenter where the heaviest sediment is.

Inevitably you have to leave behind a pint or two in the secondary to avoid pulling up the sediment. I end up with about 4.75 gallons in the priming bucket from an original wort volume of 5 gallons.
wiskerbiskit
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:59 pm

whole lot of sediment

Post by wiskerbiskit »

i do use a scondary, but didn't even think to follow my beer down. i was just putting it in and getting it out. thanks.
Gmku
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:20 pm

Do it not just when bottling

Post by Gmku »

I use this follow-down siphoning method also when I'm transfering the wort from the brew pot to the primary fermenter, then again when racking from primary fermenter to secondary. In every instance, you're going to end up leaving a pint or so at the bottom that you should try to leave behind. I've found this method, while it's a little more work, helps produce a much clearer beer at bottling time.
wiskerbiskit
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:59 pm

very helpful

Post by wiskerbiskit »

i've talked with the creator of this recipe,"the replicator",if you don't mind name dropping,and he said i should just primary to completion,follow siphon down,leave what i have to and it will clear after 10 to 14 days. man i hate to wait! i know it will be great.
bullet
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 2:29 am
Location: Canada
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Sediment

Post by bullet »

I learned a great tip from a retired German brewmeister about 15 years ago and my beer has been beautifully clear ever since.

If you can find a way to lower the temperature of your beer to 34 degrees for 24 hours prior to racking to your secondary, and again when you rack back to the primary for bottling, all the sediment will settle out.

I bought an old fridge and took the shelves out. It fits a carboy perfectly so I don't even have to move it again to rack; I just open the fridge door.

Using this method, eliminates the need to 'follow the beer down' because the sediment settles right on the bottom.
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