Is this ruined?

[ale_crowe_holic]

Second all grain using the Grainfather S40. As discussed in another thread, I didn't hit my numbers either time.

This brew is one I put together myself, I didn't have this issue when bottling my last one. I'm pretty thorough with my cleaning and sanitising but I'm wondering if I've picked up an infection as I've never had stuff form at the top of the bottle?

I've got sediment in the bottom which I'm used, bit too much but I'm putting that down to having fine ground oats in the bill rather than regular.

They have been sat at 20 since Sunday night.
Tasted ok when I tried it when bottling. Only off flavour was a bit of hop burn.

Cheers


Aaron.

 

[MashBag]

Two things spring to mind.

By heck that's a lot of sediment. Mine is normally a film. On the bottom of the bottle.
Perhaps bottle the beer when it had cleared.

Secondly that is a big air gap. Which could lead to infection and certainly lack of carbonation.

15mm from the top lip is a guide.


Is it off? Can't say. Not necessarily.
Smell it and taste it.. In that order.

 

[The Baron]

Yes it looks like well too much sediment to me. Are you using Protofloc etc and do you let the wort settle a little before transferring to the FV because it looks like you are possibly picking it up with the syphon too.
Never seen sediment float at the top of bottles

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

Ah ok, cheers for that.

It had been in the fermentor for a fair while so thought it best to get it bottled. There was quite a bit of sediment in the bottom of the bucket too.
I didn't really expect this to clear as it's an oat IPA so thought it would be quite cloudy. Maybe I need to leave it longer next time.

I've always bottled to around the start of the neck, I've always been cautious of filling too close to the top being more likely to go bang. I'll keep it in mind next time I bottle though.

 

[The Baron]

Too much sediment in the FV from what you have said

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

Yes it looks like well too much sediment to me. Are you using Protofloc etc and do you let the wort settle a little before transferring to the FV because it looks like you are possibly picking it up with the syphon too.
Never seen sediment float at the top of bottles

I'm filling from the tap on the fermentation bucket. Maybe it's drawing from there even though it sits an inch or so from the bottom of the bucket.

I took the bucket from the fermentation fridge and placed it on top before I started bottling.

I used this when I added the yeast.

That's the only additive I used.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Looks like yeast floating to the top of the bottle when it referments and more CO2 is produced. As mentioned, that is an enormous amount of yeast sediment you've picked up.

I expect when it's finished carbonating, the floating yeast will fall. Then try to decant it off the yeast when you pour.

Two reasons spring to mind to get that much yeast into the bottle (as mentioned, it should a thin film and under 1mm). You had the siphon tube too low when you bottled and it acted like a vacuum cleaner and sucked up a bunch of sediment into the bottle (you should siphon the clear beer from above the sediment); or that the fermenter got shaken/agitated when you started to bottle which stirred up all the sentiment

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

Looks like yeast floating to the top of the bottle when it referments and more CO2 is produced. As mentioned, that is an enormous amount of yeast sediment you've picked up.

I expect when it's finished carbonating, the floating yeast will fall. Then try to decant it off the yeast when you pour.

Two reasons spring to mind to get that much yeast into the bottle (as mentioned, it should a thin film and under 1mm). You had the siphon tube too low when you bottled and it acted like a vacuum cleaner and sucked up a bunch of sediment into the bottle (you should siphon the clear beer from above the sediment); or that the fermenter got shaken/agitated when you started to bottle which stirred up all the sentiment

I wonder if I used too much yeast?
Two packs of 11g Lallemand verdant yeast.

As said above, it was bottled using the tap on the bucket.

Maybe next time I should grab Syphon wand or try andake a filter for my tap. Only worry is if I make a filter and that gets blocked then no beer flows to the bottles.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I wonder if I used too much yeast?
Two packs of 11g Lallemand verdant yeast.

As said above, it was bottled using the tap on the bucket.

Maybe next time I should grab Syphon wand or try andake a filter for my tap. Only worry is if I make a filter and that gets blocked then no beer flows to the bottles.

How much beer volume? 2 packs of yeast is fine for 40L.

If it's from the tap, then it could be that the yeast hadn't settled out. When you say it had been in the fermenter a while, how long was this? Did you check that it had finished fermenting? If it was still actively fermenting then the yeast wouldn't have dropped out of suspension - how long has it been in the bottles and have they been in the fridge since you bottled it?

 

[Agentgonzo]

The tap on the fermenter should be at a decent height to allow the sediment to settle and then draw the clear beer from above. How much was the fermenter disturbed/moved/shaken when you bottled the beer?

 

[Agentgonzo]

They have been sat at 20 since Sunday night.

Just reread this. If you think there is a chance it was still actively fermenting when you bottled it, then open one of the pop top bottles (and reseal it again). If it opens with a small hiss/pop, then all is good. If it opens with a loud pop (and if the beer starts to foam up) then it'll still have been actively fermenting when you bottled it. This would explain the excess sediment, but also presents a new problem of over pressurised beer bottles which could explode.

 

[The Baron]

You have deffo too much sediment in the FV, how long are you letting it ferment and are you using kettle finings?

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

How much beer volume? 2 packs of yeast is fine for 40L.

If it's from the tap, then it could be that the yeast hadn't settled out. When you say it had been in the fermenter a while, how long was this? Did you check that it had finished fermenting? If it was still actively fermenting then the yeast wouldn't have dropped out of suspension - how long has it been in the bottles and have they been in the fridge since you bottled it?

It was 23ltrs. I'd read about using 2 packs of yeast being fine for this amount...
It was 1.022 on 11/9.
1.019 on 14-17/09 with no change. Bottled on 17/09..

The tap on the fermenter should be at a decent height to allow the sediment to settle and then draw the clear beer from above. How much was the fermenter disturbed/moved/shaken when you bottled the beer?

I did add 108g of dextrose actually when I put it on top of the fridge and gave it a stir. Bugger. Was left for 15-20 minutes whilst faffing about.

Just reread this. If you think there is a chance it was still actively fermenting when you bottled it, then open one of the pop top bottles (and reseal it again). If it opens with a small hiss/pop, then all is good. If it opens with a loud pop (and if the beer starts to foam up) then it'll still have been actively fermenting when you bottled it. This would explain the excess sediment, but also presents a new problem of over pressurised beer bottles which could explode.

I'll open one in a bit...

You have deffo too much sediment in the FV, how long are you letting it ferment and are you using kettle finings?

Brewed on the 4/9 and bottled 17/09 with two dry hop additions on day 3 & 7.
No kettle finings.


Think from this I've still got a lot to learn before my next brew...

 

[The Baron]

you do need to use kettle finings to help clear the beer before transfer to the FV, this will leave most of the trub behind especially if you stir it very fast with a large paddle or spoon so as creating a whirlpool to collate the trub in the middle and leave for 20 mins or so before transfer to the FV.
Some of the extra sediment may be from the 2 dry hops, do you throw them in loose or use a bag so as to retrieve most of the hop debris too

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

The hops (pellets) were thrown straight in.

So once I've finished the brewing add the finings. Cheers, another thing I've not researched...

 

[The Baron]

Use those supermarket veg bags about 30p and some stainless steel spoons to weigh the hops down(fishing line is ok to suspend them). You can them remove them and the hop debris so you will be well on them way with that and kettle finings

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

So I opened one, very small hiss so hopefully there's no chance of exploding.
I plan to keep them at 20 until a week on Sunday then put a few in the fridge before I drink them.

Poured and it's ok. It's not great but it's definitely not the worse I've had.

 

[MashBag]

I wonder if I used too much yeast?
Two packs of 11g Lallemand verdant yeast.

Nope.

Leave it longer in primary. Then use a racking cane, not the tap.

 

[ale_crowe_holic]

Nope.

Leave it longer in primary. Then use a racking cane, not the tap.

Would you rack straight from this then or rack it into a bottling bucket and leave it again before bottling?

I used to bottle using a syphon but there was a fair bit of waste when going from one bottle to the next.

Any recommendations on a decent one?

 

[Agentgonzo]

I did add 108g of dextrose actually when I put it on top of the fridge and gave it a stir. Bugger

This will be the cause. You stirred up a load of yeast which stayed in suspension in the beer. Then you bottled the beer full of suspended yeast, which then settled out in the bottles. You live and learn.

When adding the priming sugar, either add it directly you the bottles, or rack the beer off the yeast into a separate bucket, then add the sugar and mix.