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Author Topic: Odd precipitate  (Read 3397 times)

Offline benamcg

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Odd precipitate
« on: November 08, 2010, 05:57:49 pm »
I am wondering if anyone can help me with an odd looking precipitate that I had in a secondary fermentor. 

Specs:
I made an IPA, that was transferred from 2 6.5-gal glass carboys (primary fermentation) to 2 5-gal glass secondaries.   
I dry hopped with pellets.
I placed the secondary in my beer cellar (where lately the temps probably dipped below 45 F). 

There is a layer of sediment/yeast in the bottom of the carboys, but what was floating in suspension was somewhat stringy/snot looking.  I guess the carboy is smooth inside, but oustide it is not perfectly smooth.  The outside of the carboy is somewhat ornate, raised in square patterns, that typical of other carboys I have seen (if this makes sense).  The snotty suspension was hanging out inside the carboy mostly in the same pattern of the square ribbing outside. What is weirder is when I knocked the carboys gently the snot slowed dropped to the bottom of the carboy.  After a few minutes, the beer appeared quite clear, and there was a less dense snotty layer about the dense sediment layer in the bottom of the carboy.

Maybe its not that odd, but maybe I hadn't observed this before since my 6.5 gal fermentors are "jacketed" with styrofam, and these two secondaries are unjacketed (I do cover them with trash bags so no light hits the beer). 

Any guesses?  Same proteins responsible for chill haze?  I did not get aggressive with the siphons at any stage, but I guess there could be some hot or cold break left.
Very odd patterns to the precip.

Offline jeffy

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2010, 06:04:59 pm »
I'm not sure what you have there, but it sounds almost like something we were recently discussing:
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=4318.0
Could there be an epidemic of ropiness?

Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member
BJCP judge since 1995

beveragebob

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2010, 06:53:36 pm »
Sounds like yeast doing it's rise and fall to the top of the beer. It will normally have some striation when it does this..

Offline bluesman

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2010, 07:10:19 pm »
Can you post a pic?
Ron Price

Offline roffenburger

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2010, 08:56:19 am »
Just remember, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.  :)
Travis R.

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2010, 09:13:22 am »
I think you're seeing yeast building up on the ridges inside the carboys.  If it broke up and settled out after you tapped the carboy it probably isn't "ropey" in the infected sense.  Some of my beer get quite a bit of yeast hanging on the ridges inside the carboy from time to time.  I don't think you have anything to worry about.

As stated earlier, picture would be helpful.

Paul
Where the heck are we going?  And what's with this hand basket?

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2010, 10:28:24 am »
I'm with Paul - the inside of the carboy is not totally smooth, there are some areas on the sides where yeast or other sediment can build up corresponding with the ridges on the outside of the carboy.  You probably just had sediment building up in these areas, and when it was disturbed most of it fell to the bottom.  Before/after pics would help, but I think it's a case of  RDWHAHB. :)
Tom Schmidlin

Offline benamcg

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2010, 08:38:59 pm »
The point is well taken on the photo.  Although it doesn't show much now that it is knocked to the bottom.  I believe that it was yeast in suspension, and that the sediment on the bottom is mostly pelleted hops.  As I said, it has been cold in the cellar.  I am not overly worried about contamination.

It would be nice if you could paste in a photo directly in, rather than have it go and sign up for a photo sharing site. My other beef with this site -I find the "First Kit" next to my name somewhat degrading ....maybe if I post a few LOLs on people's threads I can get it upped, and have the appearance of having some knowledge on the subject (despite having commercial experience and more than a decade at home).  Other than that, I thank everyone immensely for sharing their thoughts.

Offline JKL

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2010, 11:22:14 am »
Several years ago I brewed 3 separate batches of the Apricot Ale recipe on the same day. 1 for the wife, 1 for mother-in-law, and 1 for the ladies at a "Fight" party that was coming up.  I pitched the same yeast strain into 3 separate carboys.  After primary fermentaion was complete I noticed that 1 of them had this "Ropey" stuff floating in it.  They looked like 2-3 inch clear strands floating everywhere in the beer (unfortunately tapeworm comes to mind....gross...sound familiar?) Going by the notion that nothing "bad" can live in beer, I tried them all.  They all tasted the same so I racked to secondaries and put in my apricot flavoring.  I kegged and carbonated....then gave the "ropey" one to my mother-in-law  :o  I know that sounds wrong but it really tasted just about like the others.  I had several glasses and never got the "ropey" stuff in the glass. I don't know, maybe they settled out?   the only thing I noticed that for some reason the apricot flavoring didn't come through like it did in the others.

Offline seajellie

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Re: Odd precipitate
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2010, 03:41:02 pm »
Did you use isinglass? I've had coagulated stuff after using it, just like you described. If so, beer was fine, lasted until I drank it all (a year in bottles).