Pouring from the bottle

tomstocker

Drum roll please !.....I've just cracked open my first botle of homebrew, Nelsons Revenge and it's really really good, hoppy, spicey, really full of flavour.  However,  there is a lot sediment in the bottom of bottle. I poured it into  the pint glass, slowly then waited for the head to receed. It was clear and looked the perfect pint until I topped it up a bit. Still tastes great but very cloudy with sediment floating around, so I'm drinking it slower than I'd like too as the sediment settles back down again.

I call upon you seasoned homebrewers. What is your technique in this situation?  How can I impress my expectant freinds by pouring a good ( almost a ) pint of beer?

It might have to be a case of ' here's one I poured earlier.'

 

HBO_Staff

Fantastic news the Nelsons has turned out so well, you must be doing something right! Sediment and cloudy beer can be a problem for the home brewer, especially as the breweries use clever techniques to ensure our pub bought beer is so clear. There are a few things you can do, it depends how far you want to go. The best way to keep sediment to a minimum is to leave as much behind in the fermenting vessel as possible. Make sure the fermenter is not disturbed or knocked whilst brewing, and syphon over into bottles carefully. Always syphon from the top if using a tube and leave the last bit behind with the sediment. If bottling we can highly recommend a 'little bottler' and we never bottle without one now. It is fitted to the fermenting vessel before you make the brew, and helps to fill the bottles with just one hand. It draws the brew off from near the bottom nice and slowly so doesn't stir it all up.

Another good way to help with sediment, is to brew in a fermenting vessel as usual, then syphon over into a second fermenting vessel and leave the sediment behind. Then leave it to clear again for a day or two, and then bottle out of the second vessel (ideally using a little bottler). This way the sediment has been mostly left behind in the first vessel, and allowed to settle and clear twice.

You can also try upgrading to a different yeast, this can help the sediment to compact better which will not disturb as easily, or use 'beer finings'. By adding beer finings they help to clear the beer quickly and bind the sediment together, meaning it disturbs less easily.

The best way is a second fermenting vessel, and little bottler attached to the second vessel. By perfecting the bottle pouring technique, nice and slowly and leaving the last little bit behind will leave the sediment in the bottle, but if you can use two vessels hardly any sediment will get as far as the bottles to begin with

tomstocker

Firstly I must say this site is excellent, always helpful and some really good comments.  Cheers to all at HBO, and  all those loving the brewing!.

I think I shall in future be using a second fermentation vessel and little bottler method.  The beer I just brewed deserves the extra effort and attention, it is better, a hell of lot better, than some of the ale I've drunk in the pubs.

 I think I'l lprobably be using no sugar kits now.  A bit more expensive but if you add on the price of an enhancer, finings etc it's not far off, but from my experience so far the two can kits are exceptionally good.

 

 

HBO_Staff

It is a bit more effort and sterilising, but the results will be much improved. Once you've bottled with a little bottler you wont believe how much easier it is, a must if doing a lot of bottles at once! You're right about the more expensive two tin kits, they are more, but as you need no enhancers or sugars to brew, they don't work out much more expensive in the end, you just need a little sugar or spraymalt/enhancer to prime the bottles. Keep us posted on how you get on....

doogie1987

i would agree with the hbo staff. i used my barrel as a secondary fermenter that had a little bottler tap fitted when i did a brew ferm diabolo kit and it did a great job in seperating most of the sediment, just wish iu had left it a day longer to settle before bottling

tomstocker

I have followed your suggestion,  used the barrel as a secondary fermenter and bottled using the 'magic'  little bottler. Superb results and I'm happy to use this method from now on. Thanks HBO Staff and doogie1987.