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Author Topic: Cloudy Beers with Bitter Bite  (Read 3384 times)

Offline skyler

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Cloudy Beers with Bitter Bite
« on: August 07, 2010, 04:22:44 pm »
I have deduced that, despite what people say, the flavor of most beers are greatly improved by fining and a reduction of yeast and other gunk. I have found, with my own beers, that the first week or so in a keg I get a cloudier beer that often has a small "yeast bite," like a sharp, almost astringent kind of bitterness. This typically only happens when I use a low-flocculating yeast, but it happens even when I cold crash at 32F for a week or two. I will find that, after some time in the keg (drinking the cloudier and imperfect beer from the keg) that the beer will magically get clear and beautiful (and taste significantly cleaner and better).

Not all of my cloudier beers have this problem, but the majority do, particularly when the beers are also very hoppy. What could this be? Is it yeast? Hop particles?

I understand that water chemistry can combat this... and I am moving again soon to a place where the tap water is so bad, even for drinking, that I plan to use RO water for all my brewing. Is there any "rule of thumb" way to keep the right chemistry with straw, amber, brown, and black beers?

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Cloudy Beers with Bitter Bite
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2010, 04:29:48 pm »
It can be the yeast and the hops.  The bittering compounds and resins are attracted to the yeast and stick there.  Some yeasts are known for doing this more than others. 
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Offline euge

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Re: Cloudy Beers with Bitter Bite
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2010, 05:33:30 pm »
The best beer of the keg is right before it kicks.

I often get a slight phenolic bite from the yeast first few pours. Goes away. Sometimes the cloudiness remains, again with low floccing yeast.
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Offline skyler

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Re: Cloudy Beers with Bitter Bite
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2010, 12:56:40 am »
It can be the yeast and the hops.  The bittering compounds and resins are attracted to the yeast and stick there.  Some yeasts are known for doing this more than others. 

The most extreme case I had of this problem was in a hopbursted APA made with 1272 that didn't get my usual month-long secondary at 32F, but did get crashed at 32F for a day or two before I transferred it from the primary to the keg. I am currently having this issue with 1028 (a black IPA that has more hops in it than any beer I've yet brewed.