Brewsmith Steam Ale Recipe: WLP810 experience? Please help!!!

Hi,

It's my first time using WLP810 San Francisco Common, and I'm not sure if I'm on the right track. Any help would be appreciated.

I've brewed a Steam Ale recipe from Brewsmith, and after four weeks the beer is still in the fermenter and still cloudy.

I started off at 15c for two weeks getting down to 1018. I tasted what I thought was diacetyl so performed a rest at 18c for 48 hours, I haven't done this before but it seemed to reduce the buttery flavour (or maybe I was imagining it!).

I then reduced the temp down to 10c and it's been there for the past two weeks. My sg is currently 1015.

I've now reduced to 5C as per the recipe in the hope that it'll clear out, but my hopes are quickly fading.  Has anyone else followed this recipe?

Thanks

What is your question / problem? 

Cloudy?
Off flavor?
Final Gravity?

Cheers!

Sorry, I am rambling with panic!  Haha

My problem is really the cloudyness, the off flavour could be in my mind due to the cloudyness.  I'm not too fussed about the gravity as I believe this is high due to a combination of overhitting my target OG and attenuation.

I have followed the fermentation temps given in the recipe, but having never brewed a Steam Ale before I don't know what should be happening.  I have taken note that the temps in the recipe fall below the recommended temps for the yeast.  But if I'm fermenting below the normal temps, shouldn't the yeast fall out of suspension leaving my beer clear anyway?

Sorry, I'm rambling again and not being precise with my problem.

Cheers.

The cloudiness is most likely chill haze from insufficient cold break. It's usually just cosmedic unless the beer taste bad. They are clarifies you can add to your fermentor to try and clear it up, but I would just drink it. I  had a rye beer not to long ago that never cleared up, warn people up front that it was cloudy. Nobody ever complain about it.

I've seen a lot of chillhaze in the past, but this sort of swirls...like it's actually got very fine substance.  I'll try some gelatin to see if that sorts it out.  I kind of think it could be some kind of infection, but there is no sourness.

It is too soon for a infection to affect the beer in cloudiness or sour/tar.  As noted, it is most likely a process issue. 

When chilling your wort, you want to chill from say 160F to 80F as fast as possible.  Among the other values, this produces cold break which is a coagulation of free floating proteins the clump together and drop to the bottom of the kettle.  These tend to stay together nicely even transferring some to the fermenter is OK.

If the cooling process is too slow, these will stay in suspension though they tend to drop settle to the bottom but will rise as the beer comes to serving temp creating a haze.  If it is chill haze, gelatin will not help.  Gelatin and other findings work by attracting oppositely charged particles like yeast and some proteins.  Trying to remove chill haze is far riskier to the beer than the impression of a beer that is not clear.

When chilling, you would be shooting for under 30 minutes for chilling to below 80f and the less the better.

Of course, it may not be chill haze and might just be something else too.

You initially asked if anyone else has followed the recipe.  I have not, but have made similar beers which many of us have.  The problem you are having is not a recipe issue though.  Cal Common beers can be perfectly clear.

Thanks Jomebrew,

I didn't discuss my chilling details previously, but I do use a wort chiller and manage to get below 68f within 20 minutes.

I hadn't thought the issue was with the recipe, but more my understanding pof the recipe or mishandling of the yeast (ie a process issue).

It's interesting that you say it's too soon for an infection to show through sourness or cloudyness, if true this would indicate (as you say) a process issue.  I am now thinking the issue is caused by a poor boil.  I took my boiler (electric) apart tofay and found nothing wrong with it, but I have noticed it is not pulling off a good rolling boil for the whole 90 mins.  I'm going to investigate this further, maybe the gelatin will sort it out on this occasion if the boil is the problem...or maybe not!  ???

If the gelatin works then I am confident the boil is the issue.

Cheers

Negferret- not to jump in late here, I didn't see in your postings of a OG or SG. I seen that you had  SG(FG?) of 1.015. Sounds like you got to be about there. I am assuming that this is an AG batch and not an extract (posted in the an AG section). So there could be some mashing / brewing issues. It could also be a issue with your yeast. Is there any pressure on airlock at all? I have brewed a dozen steam recipes in the past, using WL 810 and Wyeast 2112 yeast.  Most of the time it's finished fermenting in 5-7 days, but I have seen it hang on a little longer at cooler temps. If it was me I would bring my temp up to 18c and give it a week or so to rest and see if finishes out. Then go ahead a bottle as usual, I never give up on a beer until it's time to give up on a beer. Cloudy beer is drinkable, but the diacetyl is something not welcomed in a steam.

Good luck