Cloudy Brews - Mash Temp?

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Crunched

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My last 4 brews have all been really cloudy and all have struggled to drop the last few points in gravity. After scratching my head for a while, I tested my mash tun's thermometer to find it's about 2-3 degrees out (ie, it reads 2-3 degrees lower than the mash really is).

Would this be causing my cloudyness and fermentables problem?

For example, I brewed an ale at what I thought was 65 degrees, but turns out it was about 67-68 degrees - once in the secondary fermenter I couldn't get it to drop past 1020, when I was expecting about 1014. I tried swirling, warming it up a bit, leaving for an extra few days etc but it didn't drop (new hydrometer too). I kegged and put in the fridge for 3 weeks, but the brew never cleared up - really cloudy (tasted great, but full bodied). The same happened with the next 3 brews (I only just worked out the temp problem)

Is it my mash temp or something else causing this? Any ideas?
 
My last 4 brews have all been really cloudy and all have struggled to drop the last few points in gravity. After scratching my head for a while, I tested my mash tun's thermometer to find it's about 2-3 degrees out (ie, it reads 2-3 degrees lower than the mash really is).

Would this be causing my cloudyness and fermentables problem?

For example, I brewed an ale at what I thought was 65 degrees, but turns out it was about 67-68 degrees - once in the secondary fermenter I couldn't get it to drop past 1020, when I was expecting about 1014. I tried swirling, warming it up a bit, leaving for an extra few days etc but it didn't drop (new hydrometer too). I kegged and put in the fridge for 3 weeks, but the brew never cleared up - really cloudy (tasted great, but full bodied). The same happened with the next 3 brews (I only just worked out the temp problem)

Is it my mash temp or something else causing this? Any ideas?

hi, is your hot break working o.k. ?the irish moss (seawweed) may not be precipitating the material in the wort.


cheers
alan
 
I'd doubt it's your mash temp.
Post the recipes and lets see if there is a common factor causing this, include mash regime and hop schedules.

Andrew
 
Well my last 4 recipes, summarised:

ESB (trying to use up some bits and pieces)
82% Pilsner
8% Caramunich
5% Wheat
4% Amber
1% Choc
24g Target @ 60
6g Target @ 30
17g Williamette @ 20
30gm Williamette @ 0
WL#1968


TTL
86% Golden Promise
12% Munich I
2% Choc Chit
40g Fuggles @ 60
33g Styrian Goldings @ 20
35g Styrian Goldings @ 0
WL#1968

CPA clone
95% JWM Trad Ale
5% Wheat
18g Super Pride @ 60
5g Super Pride @45
CPA yeast.

Bright Ale clone
70% Pilsner
20 % Vienna
5% Carapils
5% Wheat
12g Saaz B @45
12g Cascade @ 45
15g Saaz B @20
15g Cascade @20
20g Saaz B @ 0
20g Cascade @ 0
US-05

I BIAB, a 50L kettle. Fill to 33L with strike temp of 68 degrees for a mash temp of 65 degrees (adjusted accordingly for recipe). I use my mash paddle to stir the mash when I mash in, then usually every 20 minutes to distribute heat (and I would usually add heat while stirring if necessary). At the end of the mash I'll add some heat while stirring to bring the mash out temp up to about 75 degrees then I remove the bag (as soon as it reaches 75 degrees). I'll squeeze the bag to get a couple of litres out of it then bring the kettle to boil. Boil for 60 min adding hops to a hop bag as per schedule (hop bag made of swiss voile). I'll usually add whirlfloc @ 15 min. Once the boil is finished I'll remove the hop bag and whirlpool then let sit for 5 minutes or so (or sometimes just drain straight away). Then drain to cube where I'll usually fill the cube to the brim and leave most of the shit in the kettle (about 2 litres I'm guessing). Then I'll leave the cube overnight to no-chill, add to a fermenter in the morning/next arvo (splashing to aerate) and then pitch yeast. The yeast will usually be harvested yeast, about 1-2 cups worth with no starter, brought up to room temp. I ferment in a fermenting fridge set to about 18 degrees (for ales). Then after about a week in primary, I'll rack to secondary and put the secondary back in the fermenting fridge for another week after which I will move it to the keg fridge to crash chill for a few days.

Then I keg. Usually after a few weeks I have very clear beer, but not these last few.

I can't think of much else I have done different - I may have reduced my boil a little to a rolling boil instead of a vigorous boil, but nothing else has changed?
 
By wheat do you mean wheat malt, or some sort of unmalted wheat added as an adjunct? I've also been getting some funny hazes in a few brews and I'm also wondering if it's a result of low rather than high mash temperatures using adjuncts. However I've found that with using Polenta and Rice I get clearer beers with higher mash temps, so I doubt if that's your problem.

Also a high mash temperature is going to give you a higher FG, so don't worry - if you do a short mash in particular. My mild, which I mash for about 50 mins at 70 degrees has a FG of 1020 :ph34r:

Quick edit: if you seal the pot well after the boil, personally I would let the wort sit for at least 20 mins to allow the hot break to pack better, If you intend to pitch ASAP and the cube is properly sanitized / Starsanned then you shouldn't have any hygiene issues with the cubing.
 
Yep, I meant wheat malt sorry.

I only let the wort sit for 5 minutes or so because I then drain to the cube and let the heat kill the nasties - although I always sanitise it first, so I might do what you say and let it sit a bit longer. Cheers for the tip.
 
How much wirlfloc are you adding to what volume. You may not be using enough.

I use a whole tablet in 25 liters and 2 in 50 and add it at 8 Min from flame out.

cheers
 
Hmm, I add half a tablet to 25 litres, I think that's what the instructions said. Mind you, prior to these last few brews, even the brews that I didn't use whirlfloc in cleared up after a few weeks, just took a bit longer. But I will increase the amount of whirlfloc I'm using.
 
Cloudy brews could be caused by releasing to much crud by poor filtering of you sparge.
A common problem and reported by many BIAB brewers.
This does not mean the beer is worse off by any means.
In BIAB you tend to crush the barley a bit more then in conventional systems and you release more crud form the Husk.
Most of it you can get rid of but then the chill haze may cause poor beer stability, but it shouldn't bother most home brewers as the product doesn't tend to last that long...

I might be barking up the wrong tree and you may just need to check your kettle fining agent and methods again anf off course the pH of run off/preboiled wort prior boil.

Matti
 
Actually I recently got a new mill, so perhaps I am crushing too fine? Although I would have thought this crud would settle out pretty quick?
 
Hi guys,
I recently brewed two beers that turned out cloudy also, one was made from a can with additional hops added but the other was an all grain boiled with malt barley. I was told by a mate that perhaps the cloud was from the pitch temperature being too high producing high protein levels in the fermentation.
I wondered if maybe finings before kegging would reduce this???
 
Is the beer cloudy when chilled only or when it is warm as well? If it is when it is chilled then it is most likely chill haze which can be removed by crash chilling in the fermenter after the ferment is complete, then use gelatine to help the yeast flock out and then use polyclar to drop the protien out. Protien left in the fermented beer is the cause of chill haze.

Gavo.
 

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