Clearing? What would you suggest?

[Rhumbline]

I've been happy with the stouts and Belgians I've been brewing up to now being a bit "chunky" but I'm thinking of brewing a few that would look nice being clear.

A few things about my operation that I don't want to change right now:
I brew extract kits
I bottle
I don't have a dedicated ferm chamber.

So, my question is... "Given the above constraints, what method, process, or ingredient would you suggest as the best to clear my beer?"

Thanks.

 

[boscobeans]

Most extract kits I've made, if given enough time to clear up in the fermenter have produced crystal clear ales.

Sure they say you can bottle when a certain FG is reached but some if not most times the brew can still be a bit cloudy. There's no harm in letting your brew go an extra week or two in the fermenter to brighten up. If you bottle correctly and don't get trub in the bottles you should have crystal clear beer after a few weeks of carbonation and a few more weeks of conditioning.

OMO

bosco

 

[BigFloyd]

Whirlfloc (1/2 tab) @ 10 min left in the boil.

After chilling, cover the kettle and let it sit 15-20 min for the gunk to settle. Try to leave it in the kettle as you transfer to the fermenter.

Try to get your wort chilled to around 60-62*F for an ale. This will help you manage ferment temps easier when using non-chamber cooling techniques.

Cold crash the primary if you can (I understand that you probably cannot) 35-36*F for 5-7 days prior to bottling. Otherwise, give it an extra 7-10 days in the primary at ferment temp.

Be careful moving the fermenter as you get set up to rack into the bottling bucket so that you avoid disturbing the trub.

 

[Beerthoven]

Whirlflock in the boil for 10 minutes, and rack the beer to a secondary for a week before bottling to allow additional clearing.

 

[Rhumbline]

Thanks everyone, I was hoping there were some easy steps I could take and your comments are a big help

 

[Captain Damage]

If you have chill haze, it will clear in 1-3 weeks at refrigerator temperatures. Of course the requirement here is that you have enough room in your fridge to keep a lot of beers in there - if not the whole batch, then enough to rotate a-week-or-two's worth of beer as you drink it. Most beers will throw some chill haze, it just takes time and cold to drop out. I've heard a good first-hand report about Clarity-Ferm, which denatures chill haze causing proteins, but I have yet to try it myself.

 

[unionrdr]

I bre partial mash now,but this also worked well with my AE brews. Get the wort up to boiling temp asap. This gives a better hot break,whatever form that might tale. Then turn the temp down a little to a even,gently rolling boil so as to minimize boil-off.
Then do your hop additions & add 1/4tsp super moss @ 10 minutes left in the boil. Add remaining extracts at flame out,stir well to incorpoerate,& cover kettle to steep a few minutes. Chill wort as quickly as you can down to about 75F if toping off. I strain chilled wort into the fermenter,then pour the remaining chilled water from a height into the wort to recipe volume. Stir roughly at least 3 minutes to mix wort & top off well. This sudden addition of cold water will take the 75F wort down to about 64F,helping to give a good cold break. I usually get about 2L of trub/cold break soon after pitching. But in a day or two,this settles down to about 3/8" in the bottom of the FV. These things have def cleared up my beers by the time it's ready to drink chilled at least a week.