Beer not clearing in fermentor

This is my first all grain batch, and I'm having an issue with the beer not clearing in the primary fermentor. It's an IPA with WLP001. It has been in primary for a little over 2 weeks, and today I just checked the SG and got 1.010 (OG 1.072) and transferred that to a glass to taste. The beer tastes great (very bitter like I wanted) but it's also very murky. I was going to transfer to secondary for dry hopping but when I saw how cloudy it was, I figured I would wait another week to see if precipitates out but is there anything else I can do in the mean time to help clear it out? I don't have a fermentation chamber to cold crash it, but I have the carboy in a swamp cooler and I can just try to add a ton of ice to try a semi cold crash. I used whirlfloc in the final 15 minutes of the boil but that didn't seem to help much.

Add some ice to mini cold crash, you could also try racking it between fermenters, maybe both! Just keep everything nice and sanitary

That yeast tends to floc well in my experience, 2 weeks is not a long time. If you want to use something to clear it, drop the temp as much as you can and use isinglass - that grabs the yeasties too. However, if you already used whirfloc my advice would be to chill as much as you can and wait it out.

OG 1.072 > FG 1.010 is a pretty brutal drop but it does not scream anything is wrong. Time, if you can invest it, will be your friend here.

A means to cold crash will improve your clarity in the future, but it's by no means necessary for a good tasting beer. This is a 4-week old amber ale using that yeast and a 10-minute boil with whirfloc. I crashed for a week after a 2 week ferment, then kegged:



It's brother is about ready to keg; same recipe but used gelatin in the secondary when I crashed. Crystal clear. Gelatin grabs proteins and polyphenols, isinglass does both of those but adds yeast precipitation as well if you are having a tough time getting it to settle.

Still, a fresh WLP001 culture is bound to drop clear all on its own. RDWHAHB and all that.

Thanks for the comments, I will try my best to cold crash it in the next week and then dry hop.

From what I've read, WLP001 doesn't flocculate as much as some other yeast (this is my second beer and the first used WLP002 which flocculates really well). I've got lots of time so I will let it sit awhile and try to cold crash as much as I can with the swamp cooler, then transfer to secondary for dry hopping, then I will keg it. If anything, time in the kegerator once it's kegged should drop everything out.

LBussy said:

OG 1.072 > FG 1.010 is a pretty brutal drop but it does not scream anything is wrong. Time, if you can invest it, will be your friend here.

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I didn't hit my OG (beersmith stated OG 1.078 and FG 1.013) but I think that's pretty decent for my first all grain batch. I did have a terrible time sparging, however, because it kept getting stuck. I will note that I did a really large starter with the WLP001. I guess I don't understand why you're calling it a brutal drop, I'm pretty sure that's something close to the OG and FG from the recipe I found on here for a Stone Ruination clone.

Not bad. sorry, how about "righteous"? I guess I meant it should not be dropping any further. What temp was your mash? I'd expect ~148 from that FG?

No the WLP001 is not the highest flocculating yeast you will come across but it's my experience that when it's done it will drop cleanly over about a week. Since you are just done fermenting my gut tells me wait another week.

Did you rouse and pick up trub while extracting the sample?

If you are going to secondary don't crash it first. Traditionally secondary is where you expect the beer to clear. Rack it over, dry hop and add finings if you plan to, and then cold crash after.

LBussy said:

Not bad. sorry, how about "righteous"? I guess I meant it should not be dropping any further. What temp was your mash? I'd expect ~148 from that FG?

No the WLP001 is not the highest flocculating yeast you will come across but it's my experience that when it's done it will drop cleanly over about a week. Since you are just done fermenting my gut tells me wait another week.

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I was very pleased with the FG, because my first beer (an extract) was nearly 10 points above what the FG should have been. Also, yeah, I mashed at 150F.

meltroha said:

Did you rouse and pick up trub while extracting the sample?

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I don't think so, I tried my best not to hit the bottom of the carboy with my wine thief.

cluckk said:

If you are going to secondary don't crash it first. Traditionally secondary is where you expect the beer to clear. Rack it over, dry hop and add finings if you plan to, and then cold crash after.

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Okay, sounds like a plan. I will wait another week in primary, like LBussy suggested and I planned, and then rack to secondary and dry hop and cold crash. Thanks!

I was thinking of just dry hopping in primary, but I only have one 6.5 gallon carboy and one 5 gallon carboy, so I figured going to secondary would be best so I can get another batch going in the 6.5 gallon!

I just bottled a brown ale that took forever to finish in the primary. After three weeks it looked like chocolate milk, so I left it. A fourth week cleared it right up. Sometimes you just have to wait.