First Brew, best way to clear beer

[Brad74]

Hiya home brewers,

Finally about to start my first homebrew. Woot!

I got a 30L fermenter Kit.
I also bought a racking bin that I planned to use for Bulk Priming. 25L pail this has a tap (no sediment reducer), Hole in the lid (no rubber bung or airlock).

I planned on just Fermenting the beer use finnings to clear then bulk prime and bottle. 2 things have happened since this plan started. 1) I lost my finnings and 2) I stumbled across this website and I now find myself confused. Damn you reasearch!

I should also add that I am making a Pilsner with a beer improver thingy (500g light Malt, 250g Maltodextrin and 250g Dextrose) and some finishing Hops of some sort (can't remember name and currently at work think is started with 'H'). This is from a recipe I read somewhere

Anyway, now I have a small dilema, and that is I now have to find away to make my beer clear as I havn't got any finnings,

So from what I have read I have 3 options,

1) Go and buy finnings
2) Leave the beer in the fermenter a bit longer to clear (are there any issues or ways to do this other than just let sit)
3) go buy a rubber bung, second airlock and sediment reducer and rack to what would now become a second fermenter for a few days.

No matter which method(s) I will be bulk priming so I don't know if that makes a difference.

Which way or combination is best?

I am asking now as this is my first Homebrew and when I do things for the first time I am a stickler for following instructions and detail. Plus I don't want my first beer to be a sorry occasion

[Danzar]

Option 3.

See the sticky (third topic from the top) on the main 'making beer' forum by Chris "simple things to make your HB better". It's short and simple to follow.

[beerdrinker]

i rack mine to a secondary then after about 5 days at fermentation temps i put it in the fridge for another 5 then bottle

[pixelboy]

Racking makes a huge difference... I only used finings once and arent convinced they make that much diff (but the guy at the LHBS swears by finings).

My brews have almost no sediment now that I rack for 7 days.

Also gives you another shot at adding some additional hops for flavour/aroma

[Beau]

Racking is the light at the end of the tunnel. I racked my first brew a couple of weeks ago and I'm never going back. It makes such a huge difference in reducing the sediment (almost none in my bottles, beer was completely clear at bottling) and I can't wait to taste it seeing racking gets it off the yeast bed.

[scblack]

Finings do bugger all as far as I'm concerned. Don't bother with them.

I don't rack, but end up with very clear beer anyway. I am very particular in making sure the primary fermenter does not move at all until I transfer the brew into the bulk priming vessel. That way the yeast falls to the bottom of the fermenter, and as long as you are careful, never gets disturbed and never gets near the bottles.

Some love to rack, I don't and still get very very clear beer.

[The Proud Anselmo]

I've never racked, not that I've been brewing that long, but I get very clear beers by leaving mine for two weeks rather than one. I was going to sugest you try that before investing in a second tub, but seeing as you already have one perhaps try both ways and tell us whats what.

[Chris]

Finings do one thing, they strip flavoursome proteins out of your beer, leaving it weaker in taste for you effort.

Racking is the key!

[Brad74]

Thanks brewers

I think for my first batch or 2 I will rack to secondary. But i plan to also try keeping in primary ferementer a bit longer and compare.

[Chris]

Just be careful not to leave it in primary too long, as some yeasts are prove to autolysis, which will produce some pretty wild flavours.

[rwh]

Hey Brad,

Don't go too over the top for your first brew, start simple and work up, there's less to fark up that way.

You can easily leave in primary for two weeks if your temp is low enough (say, less than 25) with no ill effects.

[scblack]

As for leaving in primary - I have left brews sitting for up to four weeks, in the primary on the yeast trub with NO ill-effects. So its not the end of the world if it sits there for a while.

That was at temps of around 25-27 (maybe edging up near 30 during day).

[Noodles]

As for leaving in primary - I have left brews sitting for up to four weeks, in the primary on the yeast trub with NO ill-effects. So its not the end of the world if it sits there for a while.

I tasted a dark ale that was six months in the primary a week or two ago. It was nothing special (obviously), but still very drinkable. I'm starting to wonder about the supposed ill effects of the yeast cake.

[Danzar]

As for leaving in primary - I have left brews sitting for up to four weeks, in the primary on the yeast trub with NO ill-effects. So its not the end of the world if it sits there for a while.

That was at temps of around 25-27 (maybe edging up near 30 during day).

Same here. Back when I had my bottle crisis (which is again looming ) I had two lager batches taking up my only two fermenters. First batch finally got in the bottles after four weeks, the second stretched out as far as five. No problems at all. In fact, one was a Morgans Lager and is the best I've tasted (although I respect the fact that it probably would have been even better if I'd thought to rack the beer rather than leaving it there).

Must depend on conditions I guess.