Extracting fatty oils from batch

[nickbrew]

Maybe this would be more appropriately fitting into the beer chemistry section but I thought I would try here first.

I messed up by following a recipe that was written incorrectly, adding 0.25LB of cacao nibs to my batch for my entire 60 minute boil for my traditional bock.

Of course, the emulsified fat bloomed during chilling and I unknowningly mixed it in for my whirlpool. Regardless of the horrible time trying to rack with those nib husks clogging everything and the extreme amount of trub sludge, everything went into primary and got to FG in 3 days perfectly.

At this point, I have read about the unfortunate effects of fats and oils in your homebrew as it can impact the lifespan of your beer and greatly impact head retention.

I have about 4gal total now and am thinking of taking a chance on half of it and continuing lagering as per scheduled, but for the other half I was thinking that turning it into an eisbock could effectively separate out some of the fat along with the frozen water (both being more light than alcohol).

Anyone have any experience with this or any concerns I might want to think about? I'm aware of the strain on yeast by pushing ABV up, however I used Safbrew S-33 and im currently around 6.5% so I think I have a good bit of room.

 

[WayFrae]

Maybe this would be more appropriately fitting into the beer chemistry section but I thought I would try here first.

I messed up by following a recipe that was written incorrectly, adding 0.25LB of cacao nibs to my batch for my entire 60 minute boil for my traditional bock.

Of course, the emulsified fat bloomed during chilling and I unknowningly mixed it in for my whirlpool. Regardless of the horrible time trying to rack with those nib husks clogging everything and the extreme amount of trub sludge, everything went into primary and got to FG in 3 days perfectly.

At this point, I have read about the unfortunate effects of fats and oils in your homebrew as it can impact the lifespan of your beer and greatly impact head retention.

I have about 4gal total now and am thinking of taking a chance on half of it and continuing lagering as per scheduled, but for the other half I was thinking that turning it into an eisbock could effectively separate out some of the fat along with the frozen water (both being more light than alcohol).

Anyone have any experience with this or any concerns I might want to think about? I'm aware of the strain on yeast by pushing ABV up, however I used Safbrew S-33 and im currently around 6.5% so I think I have a good bit of room.

Can you still see the oil/fat in the beer? I have heard that the yeast will take up quite a bit of oil during fermentation. I would just continue as planned.

 

[Kmeister]

Maybe this would be more appropriately fitting into the beer chemistry section but I thought I would try here first.

I messed up by following a recipe that was written incorrectly, adding 0.25LB of cacao nibs to my batch for my entire 60 minute boil for my traditional bock.

Of course, the emulsified fat bloomed during chilling and I unknowningly mixed it in for my whirlpool. Regardless of the horrible time trying to rack with those nib husks clogging everything and the extreme amount of trub sludge, everything went into primary and got to FG in 3 days perfectly.

At this point, I have read about the unfortunate effects of fats and oils in your homebrew as it can impact the lifespan of your beer and greatly impact head retention.

I have about 4gal total now and am thinking of taking a chance on half of it and continuing lagering as per scheduled, but for the other half I was thinking that turning it into an eisbock could effectively separate out some of the fat along with the frozen water (both being more light than alcohol).

Anyone have any experience with this or any concerns I might want to think about? I'm aware of the strain on yeast by pushing ABV up, however I used Safbrew S-33 and im currently around 6.5% so I think I have a good bit of room.

The only thing I can think of is maybe try filtering it though a 2 micron filter or finer if you can find one at a decent price.

 

[nickbrew]

Hmm I never thought about that...maybe i'll wait until the krausen is completely gone before I rack to secondary and see if I can notice anything on top...in which case then I could look into a good filter.

So consensus is no go for the freezing strategy? In my head I thought it seemed smart but I have no problem being wrong.

 

[grrickar]

Cold crash it after fermentation. I had some cocoa liquor that I extracted from cacao nibs soaked in vodka. I pitched some in at bottling time and put the rest in the fridge. The cold turned the fatty oils into like a butter, and at this point I can pour off the liquor without getting the fatty solids. I'd bet if you cold crash you'd find the same thing.

 

[nickbrew]

Cold crash it after fermentation. I had some cocoa liquor that I extracted from cacao nibs soaked in vodka. I pitched some in at bottling time and put the rest in the fridge. The cold turned the fatty oils into like a butter, and at this point I can pour off the liquor without getting the fatty solids. I'd bet if you cold crash you'd find the same thing.

Yeah thats a good point. I probably dont need to go all the way to freezing point to see separation.

 

[Daynada]

I am just beginning to brew beer so excuse any ignorance as it relates to that specific subject. I do however deal with chocolate on a daily basis. Without going into any chemistry:
Cocoa butter (chocolate fat) has a melt point of just over 90 degrees F. Below 70 degrees the fat should be solid.

 

[nickbrew]

I am just beginning to brew beer so excuse any ignorance as it relates to that specific subject. I do however deal with chocolate on a daily basis. Without going into any chemistry:
Cocoa butter (chocolate fat) has a melt point of just over 90 degrees F. Below 70 degrees the fat should be solid.

That is extremely helpful, thanks! Especially for sparing me the chemistry details