Chill haze on lighter colored beers...
#1
Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:14 AM
#2
Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:24 AM
My beers also suffer from some amount of haze and yes, lighter beers seem slightly worse. I'm not sure if this is due to the fact that I can see the haze more or if it's something with the pH.Guys: I bounced this topic around on Northern Brewer and I'm putting up here now too. I have been playing with small water & boil additions of things like gypsum, CaCl2 and Magnesium Sulfate. My beers are better than ever and I think these slight adjustments have really helped me. My amber-colored beers (maybe SRM 7 to 12 or so) are also coming out incredibly clear. But for some reason, my lighter colored beers are still suffering from some amount of chill haze. I do all of the other things to help prevent haze... vigourous boil, whirfloc, a quick chill, allow to settle, rack from brewpot to primary, use a gel solution in secondary, etc. Sometimes the first half of a keg will be hazy and the rest will be clearer. This is definitely chill haze because if the beer warms up, it clears. So I'm thinking that it's a mash pH issue. These additions I make (thanks to EZ_Water spreadsheet) guides me to get my residual alkalinity and pH set for a particular range of SRMs. When I make an SRM 3 or 4 beer, the sheet suggests that the pH will be suitable for that range. I do not have a pH meter but I'm thinking of getting one and I have also never used any type of acid in my mash so I'm looking for an easy way to tell if this is my issue. The next step is filtering my beer a la ChadM! Cheers.
#3
Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:25 AM
#4
Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:30 AM
I would get one at least to verify that your calculations are putting you in the correct range. I used to have chill haze issues until I started adjusting it. You especially want to check your mash and boil pH.Also, at what temperature are you adding your gelatin? In order for it to remove chill haze, get the beer colder than your serving temperature before you add it.I do not have a pH meter but I'm thinking of getting one and I have also never used any type of acid in my mash so I'm looking for an easy way to tell if this is my issue.
#5
Posted 03 June 2010 - 09:35 AM
#6
Posted 03 June 2010 - 09:38 AM
I have a beer on tap right now where I didn't chill it before racking onto the gel and it has chill haze. I think from now on I'll be chilling prior to racking. This does leave me in a tricky situation regarding dry hopping though since it has been recommended to dry hop warmer than fridge temps.Slainte: I have heard that gel should be added after the beer is cold and I am going to try that. I ordinarily add it when I move the beer to secondary when the beer is room temp. It definitely drops things to the bottom of the secondary, but it must not get to the stuff leading to the haze (because it hasn't formed yet??) so I will attempt that soon. Also, I have tried to use the pH strips to check the pH of my mash but I have no confidence in them at all... they really don't seem to work.
#7
Posted 03 June 2010 - 09:49 AM
#8
Posted 03 June 2010 - 10:23 AM
#9
Posted 03 June 2010 - 10:32 AM
I've heard of a lot of problem with cheap pH meters. The sub-$200 don't seem to work very well, so I use ColorPhast pH strips instead. They are a little more expensive than the economy strips, but they are much easier to use and I actually trust the results.As for sparge additions, you need to keep an eye on the pH in two places: the mash tun, and the boiling kettle. If you get your mash tun about right, but the boil kettle is off, you could still have a problem.Oh hey... one more thought. This seems to be a bit of a dark area that maybe needs a flashlight shined on it. On the thread I linked to in my first post, someone suggested checking the pH of the sparges. On the EZ_Water sheet, there are check boxes for "ADJUST FOR SPARGE WATER?" and then it shows "SPARGE ADDITIONS (add to boil)". So is it possible that the mash pH could be okay but the sparge water & grains mixed together could have a bad pH?Also, what's the deal with pH meters. I see them on eBay and Amazon for $15 to maybe $40 and they appear to need some special storage solution, etc. Any tips if I decide to go down that road? Cheers.
#10
Posted 03 June 2010 - 11:00 AM
#11
Posted 03 June 2010 - 11:53 AM
#12
Posted 03 June 2010 - 12:18 PM
#13
Posted 03 June 2010 - 12:45 PM
#14
Posted 03 June 2010 - 01:10 PM
#15
Posted 03 June 2010 - 01:18 PM
If you use the 5.2, dont use any other treatments. Wait to use it when you get your Color strips. Once doughed in, test your PH. If its out of whack then you know it didn't work and then add your salts. Are you matching water profiles?Hmm. Interesting that you mention this. I do have some and I have used it in the past. I remember my wife saying something after drinking the first beer I ever made with it... This beer tastes soapy! I never tasted anything weird with it, but maybe I should try it again on a pale beer. But let me ask you this... should I screw the salt additions that I'm making to the mash and sparge if I use the 5.2 stabilizer? If I do add the salt additions, how will I know the end result since no one seems to know what's in 5.2 anyway?
#16
Posted 03 June 2010 - 02:05 PM
No, I'm not matching water profiles. I'm just adjusting my water to work better with lighter-colored beers. I really don't have to do much to the water if I'm making anything with some color... Reds, Ambers, Festbiers, English Ales, Pale Ales, Dark Lagers, etc. I just boost the calcium a little and those beers come out great. They are very tasty and the clarity & head stability are really nice. It's just these pesky lighter-colored beers.If you use the 5.2, dont use any other treatments. Wait to use it when you get your Color strips. Once doughed in, test your PH. If its out of whack then you know it didn't work and then add your salts. Are you matching water profiles?
#17
Posted 04 June 2010 - 10:08 AM
#18
Posted 04 June 2010 - 10:19 AM
just curious - how much did that cost?I picked up a box of 100 ColorPhast strips today which seems like a decent first step in this process. I got the "narrow range... 4.0 to 7.0" version. Here's the question... if the pH is high or low, what's the best way to adjust it? I have never used acids for brewing so I do not have any in the house. Also, how would I know how much to add?
#19
Posted 04 June 2010 - 10:23 AM
#20
Posted 04 June 2010 - 10:24 AM
Add calcium or carbonates to adjust the pH. I think you can do this on Palmers spreadsheet, or at least see how much X grams of this or that adjusts the projected pH.I picked up a box of 100 ColorPhast strips today which seems like a decent first step in this process. I got the "narrow range... 4.0 to 7.0" version. Here's the question... if the pH is high or low, what's the best way to adjust it? I have never used acids for brewing so I do not have any in the house. Also, how would I know how much to add?
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users