Sediment on the bottom of the bottle

[dave althouse]

I usually end up with a bit of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, while I don't believe it has affected taste, I pour into a glass and leave the "stuff" in the last 1/2 inch. Any thoughts? To quote "the more I read the more confused I get". So, filter, cold crash, secondary or just shake the last little bit out of the bottle and not worry about it. Not looking for a super clear beer just one that doesn't have gunk on the bottom.

davea

 

[Hogarthe]

any beer that is carbonated in the bottle is going to have some sediment on the bottom. since there is still yeast in the beer when you bottle it, which is needed so they can ferment the priming sugar to produce co2 to make the beer bubbly, they eventually settle to the bottom. you can try using fining agents to reduce the amount of sediment though. or use a highly flocculent yeast, that will mostly stick to the bottom of the fermenter, and what does make it to the bottle will stick to the bottom of the bottle.

 

[MrBIP]

I always put 1 tablespoon of biofine in secondary and then give them plenty of time (at least a couple of weeks) in the fridge to condition after they're carbinated. Then, as you say, pour into a glass leaving about the last 1-4-1/2" behind. Usually crystal clear. There's no way to avoid the sediment in the bottle if you are bottle conditioning. And I would think it would take a very very very long time for that little bit of sediment to affect flavor.

 

[GernBlanston]

Ive had bottles that were filled from a keg that had been cold conditioned for about six months, that after bottling and sitting for some time, still has a small amount of yeast/particulate matter on the bottom. Short of filtering, this will happen. Just pour off the beer carefully and leave the gunk in the bottle.

This has been the way of home brewers down through the Ages, from ancient times of yore.

 

[coffeeguy]

Yep...Perfectly normal and just about unavoidable with bottle-conditioning. Most of the major manufacturers filter their beer and then force-carbonate, hence the nice clean bottles. There's not really a need to worry about off-flavors either, I've found bottles I've brewed 2 to 3 years ago and forgotten about, to the point that I have no idea what's in them. They tasted just fine...not a recommended practice for competitions, of course, but for the average joe it's okay.