pliny clone clocks in at delicious. fermentation questions...

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by apgut73, Jun 5, 2015.

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  1. apgut73

    apgut73 Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 New York

    i suspect I've been a lazy fermenter...we do 2 weeks in primary (buckets), use spigots to rack right into the kegs (10 gallon batches.), then carbonate at serving pressure for 10 days-2weeks. the brewer's best ipa, which was my favorite so far and our first (!), was crystal clear somehow. our second, a ferocious clone was great but a bit cloudy. the pliny (morebeer) clone is awesome but has a decent amount of stuff floating around. i shouldn't be surprised, i guess. so much hops...it's delicious, don't get me wrong. we have the northern brewer heady topper clone on deck...have i pushed the envelope far enough? what's the answer? secondary fermentation? filtering? is my beer more awesome b/c there's shit floating around in it? (i suspect it is...) am i as lazy as i fear i am? does anyone else do it this way? am i a dullard, like my wife says i am?
     
    #1 apgut73, Jun 5, 2015
  2. Awolter

    Awolter Initiate (0) Mar 23, 2015 Minnesota
    Trader

    Most of my yeast cakes have been large enough that they would come above the spigot, which would mean you're probably transferring some of the yeast cake and hop particles into the keg.

    If you want to really try to get some clear beers I would recommend trying a Whirlfloc tablet at the end of the boil and using an autosiphon instead of using the spigot to bring less yeast and hop particles into the keg.

    It all depends on what you prefer!
     
    #2 Awolter, Jun 5, 2015
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  3. pinyin

    pinyin Savant (1,119) Sep 19, 2013 New York

    did the NB clone kit, bottled it two weeks ago. tasted great. did a side by side with Dirtwolf and Chillwave and the clone was much better. more citrus and pine.

    my first encounter with hop sludge though. and lots of it.

    was going to purchase a few of those dry hop cylinders since i like glass carboys the best, or maybe try out the marbles in a muslin bag.

    but the trub cake from just the hops in the primary was enormous.
     
    #3 pinyin, Jun 5, 2015
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  4. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    I know I'm being trolled, but I can't resist...racking from a spigot will NOT fuck up your beer, if you rack too much yeast into your keg, wait a little longer and toss the first pint...alternately, don't drain your primary prematurely, or install your spigot too low...cheers
     
    #4 GreenKrusty101, Jun 5, 2015
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  5. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    That's a lot of questions, so I'll do my best: Yep; pay attention and use greater care; nope; nope; your beer may be awesome, but not because of floating shit; probably a yep, but I'm not opinionated and I don't know you; probably; like I already said, I don't know you, but your wife does and maybe her opinion should count for something (especially if she's a beer lover too). :wink:
     
    #5 PapaGoose03, Jun 5, 2015
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  6. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    I throw my first few pints of a keg into the freezer for a few minutes before drinking. The hops and protein sit pretty tight on the bottom of the glass until the last sip. The last sip is for my dead homies.
     
    #6 inchrisin, Jun 5, 2015
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  7. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    Laziness is relative . . . to a non-brewer you may be a ball of fire, to a brewer-geek you may be asleep at the wheel.

    These are the steps that make my beer clear:
    1. Skim off the hot break during boiling
    2. Use a hop spider
    3. After whirlpooling/chilling, give the wort some time for the cold break/sediment to settle
    4. Use a bazooka filter
    5. Transfer carefully from kettle to fermenter, involve a strainer
    6. If dh'ing in keg, transfer (CO2) to fresh keg after pouring off the first round of hop sediment
    7. Once chilled, add gelatin
    8. The Big Three: Time, Gravity, & Coldness is effective in dropping any remaining sediment . . . if in doubt, use more of each
    I make a Pliny clone with massive kettle/dh amount of hops that is as clear as commercial Pliny. But I don't drink it until at least six weeks, 'cause the longer it sits the clear'er it becomes. Consider an extra week or two of conditioning in the keg before drinking. This ain't laziness . . . it is aggressively waiting for tiny do-dads to settle . . .
     
    #7 PortLargo, Jun 5, 2015
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  8. apgut73

    apgut73 Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 New York

    awesome answers all around. thank you. i love this place.
     
    #8 apgut73, Jun 6, 2015
  9. apgut73

    apgut73 Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2015 New York

    i should add that i drilled the buckets myself, setting the spigots a bit higher. i just got 2 big mouth carboys w spigots and i'm surprised at how low they are...i like and totally agree with the idea that a lot of the crap can be sucked out of the keg in the first beer...i was convinced that clarity was a concern for bottlers but i'm starting to get some pushback from the big pieces of hops floating around...in truth, i'm alright w/ it...i guess i was wondering if other keggers just do primary and are okay sucking some crap out of the kegs in the first beer or if my "success" has been a fluke. i understand that it's lazy/horrifying to some of the better brewers on here but this beer is so damn delicious... maybe i'm answering my own questions here...i suspect it comes down to just what you're okay with, as awolter mentioned.
    i came in w/ a barrage of questions a few months ago, after thinking about and reading about what i wanted to do. i got some great answers. i did my best to listen to them all. now, i've come back with another, slightly smaller, barrage based on what i've learned and experienced; my concerns...i've gotten another batch of informative, nonjudgmental and very useful answers. THAT is why i love this place. thanks so much, eveyone.
     
    #9 apgut73, Jun 6, 2015
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  10. pinyin

    pinyin Savant (1,119) Sep 19, 2013 New York

    Regarding my hop sludge dilemma.

    It seems as though the yeast (us-05) cleaned it
    up nicely.

    Had a few bottles last night and they had zero sludge in them.

    The sludging issue I reported in my last response was because I was too impatient to wait for the bottles to carb and I opened a few 2 days after bottling.

    Won't make that mistake again, although I do like to take notes on the taste at different intervals.
     
    #10 pinyin, Jun 13, 2015
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  11. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Yes, the keg IS your secondary...as far as preventing hop chunks...use FINE MESH NYLON bags in the kegs making sure the outside of the bags are clean after filling. Cheers
     
    #11 GreenKrusty101, Jun 13, 2015
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