Did I Make A Mistake?

[popmedium]

Hello!

Joel here. I just started brewing a few months ago and I just signed up to these forums. Thank you for having me!

So I'm reading all the books and listening to a bunch of podcasts, watching youtube videos, trying my best to equip myself with as much knowledge as I can. I've done three brews so far (two of which are still conditioning). A Ginger Saison, Raison based Belgian Brown Ale and a Pumpkin Porter. You might say I've over stepped the mark a bit, well at least I think I may have. I guess you dive in the deep end sometimes.

The ginger Saison was bottle conditioning for a few weeks and I've found that when I pour it I get one glass of lovely red hued ale and another glass of slightly brown, chalkier beer. All this from a long neck of course. See the photo I've attached for reference.

Have I done something wrong? Or is this just what home brew comes up like?

Sorry for the slightly disjointed post. It's up at 8% and and I've nearly finished the bottle.

 

[Wolfy]

Have I done something wrong? Or is this just what home brew comes up like?

Maybe, no ... yes.

I've never made a 'ginger Saison' nor have you shared what ingredients and processes you used, so what what you are seeing could be suspended yeast, or you might have used a larger portion of wheat. Generally Saison is golden and cloudy, and if that is what you hoped to brew then that is not unlike what you are seeing. It's not really how my 'home brew' looks, but it might be what is expected for what you made.

If both of those glasses were poured from the same bottle, I'd guess that the one on the right was poured first and the one on the left second?
If so it would seem that you are stirring up all the sediment (no doubt yeast and possibly other things) which is making the beer cloudy, and that if you chill the bottles for some time in the fridge and then pour carefully, you should be able to leave most of the 'dregs' in the bottle (unless of course you wish to pour them out and drink them).

Hope this has helped, but if you are able to share your ingredients, and brewing process, you might get some more useful answers.

Edit: I've made ginger-beer that looks similar to what you have photographed, but I've also made nice bright beer, it just depends on what you used and what you intended. It's not really a 'home brew' thing, but it does seem that you have jumped in the deep end and made some very unusual and experimental beers, so you might expect the results to be ... interesting.

 

[bum]

Have I done something wrong? Or is this just what home brew comes up like?

Maybe and no.

Just decant (carefully) into a jug instead of doing two separate pours and they'll be more homogeneous and probably stir up less yeast. The brew might also need to than two weeks or so to clean up properly. If she's drinking well I wouldn't stress.

 

[manticle]

It's the yeast sediment in the bottom, undisturbed in the first pour.

To get around this, you can pour very gently into a jug until you see cloudiness appear, then stop. Pour into your glass from the jug.

Usually leaves behind 20 mm worth in a longneck which you can elect to drink or discard.

 

[michael_aussie]

Hello!

Joel here. I just started brewing a few months ago and I just signed up to these forums. Thank you for having me!

So I'm reading all the books and listening to a bunch of podcasts, watching youtube videos, trying my best to equip myself with as much knowledge as I can. I've done three brews so far (two of which are still conditioning). A Ginger Saison, Raison based Belgian Brown Ale and a Pumpkin Porter. You might say I've over stepped the mark a bit, well at least I think I may have. I guess you dive in the deep end sometimes.

The ginger Saison was bottle conditioning for a few weeks and I've found that when I pour it I get one glass of lovely red hued ale and another glass of slightly brown, chalkier beer. All this from a long neck of course. See the photo I've attached for reference.

Have I done something wrong? Or is this just what home brew comes up like?

Sorry for the slightly disjointed post. It's up at 8% and and I've nearly finished the bottle.

my tip would be to make a "plain" beer and learn the process .. and then try some specials ....

i know each for their own .. but i can't understand the attraction of combining fruit and beer. ...

 

[brett mccluskey]

It's the yeast sediment in the bottom, undisturbed in the first pour.

To get around this, you can pour very gently into a jug until you see cloudiness appear, then stop. Pour into your glass from the jug.

Usually leaves behind 20 mm worth in a longneck which you can elect to drink or discard.

it's yeast sediment for sure,but the reason might not be as simple as a poor pour What yeast was used and at what gravity was it bottled?what was the carbonation level aimed for? I've had issues like this with saisons using the Wyeast 3724 seemingly finishing fermentation only to kick on again in the bottle .giving extra carbonation and stirring up the sediment :icon_cheers: And at"only" a few weeks conditioning maybe you simply need more time in the bottle for things to settle down

 

[manticle]

The reason I suggest that is because OP has suggested the cloudy glass is the second pour from the same bottle.

What's so eye rolling about that?

 

[RobH]

What's so eye rolling about that?

Methinks the eye rolling was to do with the pun-like phrase "poor pour" ... that's how I took it.

Anyway, I'd also guess at the cloudier glass is due to the yeast being disturbed from pouring the first glass (if from the same bottle).


Most importantly however is... How does it taste? :chug:

 

[kelbygreen]

yeast is ok just makes you fart haha taste a bit different but wont kill you

 

[Pennywise]

Yeast gives me massive fart pains all night, lucky I don't have a vagina

 

[beerbog]

Yeast gives me massive fart pains all night, lucky I don't have a vagina

Gold...... :beerbang:

 

[stakka82]

perhaps we're overlooking the obvious - its joels first few beers right?

do you have 2 fermenters joel? if so rack (siphon the top 21 odd litres of a 23 litre batch) to the second at the end of primary fermentation, before bottling. leaves your yeast cake out of your bottles, and produces a clearer beer.

then another few weeks in the bottle, and a careful pour to your glasses, leaving a cm or so in the longneck, and you're laughing

 

[manticle]

Racking to secondary at the wrong time can have potential issues such as acetaldehyde development. Yeast will clean up byproducts if given a chance.

 

[CONNOR BREWARE]

Yeast gives me massive fart pains all night, lucky I don't have a vagina

Why would that make your massive fart pains worse or just painful and emotional.

 

[chefeffect]

Clearly its the yeast, or not clearly obviously

 

[stakka82]

at the end of primary it will be fine... he's looking to clear sediment by the looks of things?

 

[manticle]

Racking at the end of primary will help remove some sediment yes - as will racking about 3/4 the way through or racking after a week or so after hitting FG, or racking after cold conditioning (after hitting FG) or racking to bulk prime.

Yeast produces byproducts during fermentation. If given a chance, said yeast will clean up those byproducts but if you rack right on FG you stop them doing so.

I'm not anti- racking - I believe from personal experience that it has its place and beneficial effects. However I think racking right on FG is the worst time to do it. Before or a few days/week after.

 

[stakka82]

manticle - for sure. i rack to bulk prime, and leave it about 3 or so days after FG to do so, for a little more settling/clean up.

 

[bum]

yeast will clean up those byproducts but if you rack right on FG you stop them doing so.

Still plenty of yeast suspended in the beer at this point, I would have thought. CO2 blanket is probably a better reason not to rack at FG, innit?

Regardless, unless Joel stirred up his yeast cake when he bottled then it probably isn't bloody yeast cake in his bottles and the original suggestion is moot.

As said dozens of times in this thread by now, if careful decanting won't take care of it then time most certainly will. Happy brewing, Joel, and keep the adventurous brews coming.

 

[chefeffect]

Racking at the end of primary will help remove some sediment yes - as will racking about 3/4 the way trhough or racking after a week or so after hitting FG, or racking after cold conditioning (after hitting FG) or racking to bulk prime.

Yeast produces byproducts during fermentation. If given a chance, said yeast will clean up those byproducts but if you rack right on FG you stop them doing so.

I'm not anti- racking - I believe from personal experience that it has its place and beneficial effects. However I think racking right on FG is the worst time to do it. Before or a few days/week after.

I don't understand the science but I find leaving it on the yeast bed for a week or two does not hurt and most of my beers come out crystal clear, I may also be to lazy to rack..