Cloudy lager out of fermenter

[Ryan D]

Hi all, i have just bottled my first lager and it was very cloudy. I am guessing it was because during the first couple of days of fermentation the temperature was up in the higher 20's. i have the bottles now at room temp and it looks like the top 20mm of the beer is starting to clear, i assume after time most of the cloudyness will clear? is it common for lagers etc to be cloudy out of the fermenter? what is the main cause?

[Ryan D]

also the hyro rading at the start was 1030 and after a week got down to 1010 and stayed there for a few days - the instructions said that it should have got down to 1005....

[Nick T]

Lager yeasts normally like to ferment at 10 - 12ish degrees, ales in the 18 - 22 range, so you may have a small issue there with taste more than anything else if you were fermnting in the high 20's. Might also explain the lower than expected attenuation. Did you aerate the wort before adding the yeast? (i.e. shake the bejeezus out of it?) If not then your yeast may not have reproduced enough to eat all the sugars in your wort.
Lagers also like to be cold conditioned (at close to freezing) for 4 weeks or so before bottling - this helps the not so nice stuff settle out of suspension and lets the flavours meld a little. You can also add finings (a range of options there but many people use a bit of gelatin) during cold conditioning to aid the clearing process. Most stuff seems to come out of the fermenter cloudy initially if it is very fresh, unless it has been cold conditioned/fined or left to sit for ages. JamesP is the resident lager expert, but my guess is that what you should now do is put your bottles into a fridge set on its lowest setting for a few weeks to help things settle out of suspension.

[Ryan D]

When i added the yeast i just stirred it in as per the instructions (it is a Blackrock Lager with a beer enhancer). I was planning on leaving it for a week at room temp to carbonate, then put in the fridge for a month or two. My old beer fridge seems to be at its warmest at 2 degrees and coldest at minus 2! Is storing any beer at 2 degrees OK? Also on another note is it worth storing my now bottled (for a week) draught in the fridge? Or shall i just leave it at room temp till closer to when its ready to drink? The draught is nice and clear.

[James P]

I'm not a real expert, I'm just a lager swill drinker!

What Nick said above, however some more information could help more..

What type of yeast (from the kit or Saflager 23, S05 etc)?
What volume of beer? 1030 sounds like you used the can of extract without sugar / dextrose etc, or a larger volume than 22~24litres.

Finally throw them in the fridge at 2 ~ 4C for four weeks then take a look / taste as the haze should drop out.

[Ryan D]

Yeast was just the packet that came with the can under the lid, 23 litres of beer - so it was the blackrock can plus a 1kg i think packet of Brewcraft lager enhancer #2 (this was all given to me from the shop with the fermenter etc)

[James P]

Yeast is more likely an ale yeast, so temperature range is 18 ~ 24C. The 1030 is still pretty low, I would have expected 1040~1042 from a kit and kilo of enhancer. Can you remember the temperature of your wort (kit + kilo + water) when you took the gravity ready? Did you stick it in a sample tube or jug when you took the gravity?

The enhancer will keep to FG up a bit, so 1010 isn't bad. The cloudiness will come from the enhancer as there are hop pellets etc mashed up in it. When I used K&K I used to get the cloudiness, however it subsided when I cold conditioned (lagered).

[Ryan D]

umm the temp from memory was maybe 24 degrees? i use a plastic sample tube that came with hydrometer. im thinking from the little bit it has cleared at the top of the bottles that it should hopefully clear out. i will be leaving it till late january before i drink it. should i put it in fridge once they have carbonated and leave in there till then? or just put in there for a month and take out?

[James P]

Carbonate first, then lager / cod condition. Good luck and welcome to the uncertainty that can be home brewing!

Either way, get your next brew down soon! :)

[Ryan D]

Will do! thanks for your help!