156 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

if you take those kind of QDs apart and soak them in oxiclean or PBW or something I can't imagine anything is going to make it.  that's what I've been doing anyway.

[denny]

have you experienced an issue like this relating to a specific sack of malt?  I've yet to have a problem but  you've been doing this longer than I have.

 

yep, I have.  Different bags can come from different malting lots and harvests.  Sometimes little to no difference, sometimes a big difference

I'm not sure how much weight you guys put on iodine tests but I just did my FIRST and SECOND one ever.  When the mash started I just wanted to see the wort turn black and it did.  Then, 40 minutes into the mash I took another small spoonful, placed it on a white plate and dropped a couple drops of iodine and it stayed reddish-amber.  So I assume that's complete conversion.

 

So one question is:  When you have complete conversion is there any reason to continue to mash?  I have heard plenty of people say to mash for 60 or 90 or even 120.  I suppose they could be using Euro malts that are less modified and also multiple steps which may impact things.  This mash today is 60% Swaen Vienna and 40% Avangard Munich 2 and the single infusion mash temp was 150.7°.  Seems to be pretty well-modified.  

 

no, it's conversion.  Whether or not it's complete depends on what enzyme profile you're going for.  Personally, I don't do the test because I found the info of questionable value.

I believe that even if you have converted starches to sugars the sugars can be broken down further still making the wort more fermentable still.  I could be wrong on that though.

 

You are correct.

Anyone have a feel for how long this Diamond yeast takes to get up & running?  It's been about 14 hours at this point and I just gave the fermenter a bit of a swirl but I do not have any activity yet.  I got the most lovely yeast aroma when I pitched it into this clear, amber-colored wort and I have high hopes for this beer.  

 

For me, it's usually in the 18 hour range

these days I just let the pack of yeast warm up while I get the wort chilled.  no rehydrating, no extra O2 other than what gets introduced while I drain into my fermentor (which is about 8-9' but still not like pumping pure O2 in there).  I just sprinkle it on top and seal it up.  I think you'll like diamond lager other than the nerves of waiting for signs of life if your fermentation goes like mine did.  hard to argue with the final product though.  it attenuated very fully and has a nice "beery" taste that you seem to like.  I like it too!

 

Warming up is unnecessary, but it won't hurt

[Big Nake]

So I have nothing concrete to report here but I have a beer kegged, cold, carbed and another kegged, cold and carbing and another beer about to be kegged this coming week.  Two things come to mind about my issue although this is nothing more than stabbing in the dark.  One thing is the aforementioned liquid QDs that are used to send the beer from fermenter to keg.  I feel like my cleaning and sanitizing of them is good but QDs could harbor something that you can't see.  Could.  The other issue is that I'm using plastic fermenters with plastic spigots.  Same thing... I clean them, sanitize them, etc. but they could be a little trickier because of their design.  I feel like a contamination from either of these sources would create beer that was undrinkable but that's not the case.  There is stubborn cloudiness mixed with almost-acceptable clarity.  My older son and daughter have been drinking my beer for a week now... "delicious dad!".  But both of these pieces of equipment also perfectly correspond to the timing of my LO processes.  I will know more when these latest beers are on tap.  I am paying closer attention to QDs and spigots (and everything else) and I also have been using iodophor for these past 3-4 batches... just because.   

[positiveContact]

So I have nothing concrete to report here but I have a beer kegged, cold, carbed and another kegged, cold and carbing and another beer about to be kegged this coming week.  Two things come to mind about my issue although this is nothing more than stabbing in the dark.  One thing is the aforementioned liquid QDs that are used to send the beer from fermenter to keg.  I feel like my cleaning and sanitizing of them is good but QDs could harbor something that you can't see.  Could.  The other issue is that I'm using plastic fermenters with plastic spigots.  Same thing... I clean them, sanitize them, etc. but they could be a little trickier because of their design.  I feel like a contamination from either of these sources would create beer that was undrinkable but that's not the case.  There is stubborn cloudiness mixed with almost-acceptable clarity.  My older son and daughter have been drinking my beer for a week now... "delicious dad!".  But both of these pieces of equipment also perfectly correspond to the timing of my LO processes.  I will know more when these latest beers are on tap.  I am paying closer attention to QDs and spigots (and everything else) and I also have been using iodophor for these past 3-4 batches... just because.   

 

I would think your hottest tap water + oxiclean or similar would kill a lot of stuff in those QDs.  that's what I'm partially counting on at my house anyway.

[Big Nake]

I always assume that hot water and Oxi are for "cleaning" and then the sanitizer is where "everything would be killed".  Not sure.  At no point did I find any actual visual "schputz"... I'm simply suggesting that cooties could be hiding in these assemblies.  

[denny]

So I have nothing concrete to report here but I have a beer kegged, cold, carbed and another kegged, cold and carbing and another beer about to be kegged this coming week.  Two things come to mind about my issue although this is nothing more than stabbing in the dark.  One thing is the aforementioned liquid QDs that are used to send the beer from fermenter to keg.  I feel like my cleaning and sanitizing of them is good but QDs could harbor something that you can't see.  Could.  The other issue is that I'm using plastic fermenters with plastic spigots.  Same thing... I clean them, sanitize them, etc. but they could be a little trickier because of their design.  I feel like a contamination from either of these sources would create beer that was undrinkable but that's not the case.  There is stubborn cloudiness mixed with almost-acceptable clarity.  My older son and daughter have been drinking my beer for a week now... "delicious dad!".  But both of these pieces of equipment also perfectly correspond to the timing of my LO processes.  I will know more when these latest beers are on tap.  I am paying closer attention to QDs and spigots (and everything else) and I also have been using iodophor for these past 3-4 batches... just because.   

 

Try as I might, I can't think why either of those would give you cloudy beer.

[positiveContact]

I always assume that hot water and Oxi are for "cleaning" and then the sanitizer is where "everything would be killed".  Not sure.  At no point did I find any actual visual "schputz"... I'm simply suggesting that cooties could be hiding in these assemblies.  

 

well they do clean but also I would think a lot of organisms wouldn't survive them.  then you rinse with tap water and reintroduce some stuff that later gets killed by the sanitizer.

[positiveContact]

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[Genesee Ted]

Oh man! We are talking about diapers again!

[neddles]

Are you making clear beer again yet?

[Big Nake]

Are you making clear beer again yet?

Yes, recent beers have been clearer. I have no idea what happened during that stretch but when things are not going as they usually do I start to make changes. I replaced some tubing, got some wire pipe cleaner-type brushes to scrub out spigots and QDs. None of it really makes sense to me because these beers were not contaminated. I am also now in the habit of alternating between iodophor and Starsan just because I have both in the house. Anything that seems likely to harbor anything problematic is taken apart and put into a small bucket of iodophor solution. Storing plastic pieces in Starsan long term gets weird so I use iodophor for that. I'm currently using 1056 and Lallemand Diamond on every other batch and I made a pilsner with Diamond yesterday. My kids are home and demand for beer will be HIGH.      I will post some pics of clearer beers soon.  Cheers.

[neddles]

Good, sounds like your headed in the right direction, anyways.

[positiveContact]

my lager made with diamond lager yeast as well as brewtan-b is super duper clear right now.

[Genesee Ted]

Glad it’s back to being clear. If you think it could be contams, get some agar and Petri dishes and plate some beers up

[Big Nake]

I just tapped this gold lager made with Diamond:

 

 

Cheers guys.

[Bklmt2000]

I'd say you're back on the right side of clear beer, mang.

 

Looks mighty damned tasty.

[Big Nake]

One other thing is that I have my fermenter and my destination keg ready to go on brewday and they're connected with a length of that silicone tubing.  Occasionally there is a bit of "overflow" and yeast backs up into that tubing and by the time I'm ready to do the closed transfer, the inside of that tubing looks pretty cruddy.  I'm sure we would all assume that everything inside that cleaned and sanitized tubing is okay to run the beer over and into the keg but it's just a little cringe-worthy.  There are some things I have been doing over the last 2 years that I just need to look closer at.  I have NO idea if any of these issues would have caused this cloudiness but I keep investigating.  

[Bklmt2000]

Just more things to cross off the list of what the likely culprit isn't, IMO.

[HVB]

Boil that silicone tubing. It can handle it.

[Big Nake]

Boil that silicone tubing. It can handle it.

Thanks Drez. I heard that and I will absolutely do that.