Sediment at top of bottle

sam · Post by **sam** » Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 4:32 pm

I just checked my newest batch which i bottled early on friday morning, after racking to secondary for 5 days and bulk priming, but on all of the bottles it seems that from where the beer stops at the top of the bottle, there is around a centremetre or two of a thin layer of what looks like the sediment.. Should i shake all the bottles to mix it through?? what would you suggest..

Danzar · Post by **Danzar** » Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 6:34 pm

What yeast did you use? I've used a liquid yeast and the sediment is loose and has a tendency to float.

You could gently turn the bottle while on its side - shouldn't be carbed yet.

sam · Post by **sam** » Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 7:11 pm

i used a safale US-56 yeast.... just straight from the packet to the top of the fermenter.. will leave for another week or two and see if it goes down..

Danzar · Post by **Danzar** » Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 7:15 pm

Racking should have eliminated most of the sediment, hence the yeast question.

Not sure on what the problem could be - I don't rack.

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 9:46 pm

Sam

What was the FG ?
My one disaster was with US56 on an all malt brew. It stopped at 1020. Bulk primed with dex, got the ring you describe and after 5 days they started going kerblammm.

Cheers, Geoff.

sam · Post by **sam** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 7:13 am

Sounds like mine geoff, now hopefully they don't go kablam. My FG was 1015 though, hopefully i can work something out.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 10:53 am

chill them, uncap, recap

Though if it was a high gravity all malt or a twocan jobbie 1015 might be finished anyway

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 10:59 am

1.015 for a finishing gravity depending on your OG is quite reasonable, how long did you leave before bottling.

Sediment should sink in a matter od days, are you sure it is not a krausen; if it's krausen you may have bottled a little too early.

What was the recipe did you use any loose hops? Whcih may have a tendency to float for a short while.
AC

sam · Post by **sam** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 11:18 am

I used a blue mountain lager kit with a 600gm malt, 200gm dex and 200gm corn syrup mix with cascade hops. I fermented in primary for 8 days then racked to secondary for 7 days then back to another fermenter for bulk priming followed by bottling. I am 90% sure it isn't a krausen as it is more of a white milky fluid as opposed to a foam.. Though my vision of krausen may be off. Now when i expect they stuff is still there all though it has become more solid as opposed to just dissolving as it used to before regrouping. Now it breaks off in little chunks which float. I'm hoping they will sink in a matter of days.

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 2:45 pm

Does it look like a white skin forming?

If it is you have a classic Aceto bacteria, and it will over time make the beer very sour.

If it looks simply cloudy this will settle out in time you can speed it up by putting it in the fridge.

AC

sam · Post by **sam** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 5:58 pm

cheers, i'm guessing i may as well tip this lot out?? or will it take a long time to develop the sour taste meaning i can haev a few before this starts to happen??
Thanks, Sam

BierMeister · Post by **BierMeister** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 7:40 pm

Sam I have something similar with a honey wheat beer I made a few months ago. It was a two can MSB summer wheat kit with 300gm lucerne honey and 200gm of same honey to carbonate, with the wheat kit yeast supplied. It still has a sediment sort of hanging about 1-2 cm from the top of all the bottles. Its a few months old and tastes fine. Intially I thought it was yeast fermenting the honey and then after a month I presumed it was the honey. No white skin guys or off flavours. It is a little dry but I put that down to the honey factor.

Mystery????????????????

Sam. DO NOT TIP THE BEER UNLESS YOU CAN'T STAND THE FLAVOUR.

vitalogy · Post by **vitalogy** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 8:07 pm

I can't add anything to this thread, apart from saying the one time I had a white ring form around the top of my bottles they buggers exploded. It was only 2 bottles out of a whole batch, I don't think I cleaned them well enough. So, you beer will probably be fine, just store them somewhere that it doesn't matter too much if they end up making a puddle

sam · Post by **sam** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 10:25 pm

BierMeister wrote:Sam. DO NOT TIP THE BEER UNLESS YOU CAN'T STAND THE FLAVOUR.

The most valuable piece of advice i have ever recieved, thankyou beirmeister. I owe you 6000 somethings!!!

beernut · Post by **beernut** » Thursday Feb 01, 2007 11:16 pm

I agree.Unless you need the bottles,dont tip any beer out!
It's too hard to brew.Some I have wanted to tip straight from the primary.
2 months later and they're good enough for the guests.

Cheers Glenn.

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Friday Feb 02, 2007 7:03 am

beernut wrote:...good enough for the guests.

I keep the really good stuff just for me and give the guests the 'B' list stuff.

Cheers,
Greg

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Friday Feb 02, 2007 7:38 am

As has been said unless the beer tastes bad, don't tip it. I would drink them quite soon though just in case.
AC

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Friday Feb 02, 2007 8:16 am

I once broke a nice bottle of red when 4WD'ing and afterwards made up some 'bottle sleeves' from 90mm round stormwater (gutter downpipe). I've since got a dozen of them in the big camper.

I thought I'd suggest them to Sam and anyone else who is going through the nail biting wait with a high FG or overprimed battling. They make a cheap and effective cage for each bottle and would go a dozen to a crate with a folded blanket on top.

And about throwing beer out, a hot fermented horrible one week taster turned out a damn fine beer at five weeks.

Cheers, Geoff.