PROBLEM: Our kegged IPA - which we've brewed consistently 22 times in a row without this problem - has huge amounts of yeast in suspension in the keg.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROBLEM: I moved a 1/2 BBL sanke keg of the IPA to our draft box and it was pouring with loads of yeast (I could smell it as it came out of the tap). OK, fine. I'll just run a few pints..... 10 pints later and zero clarity. OK, fine. I'll use a different keg and give this one more time to drop the yeast. One week later, I switch to the keg in question - which has been stationary in the draft box the entire time with no shaking of any kind - and after running 10+ pints out, it is STILL full of yeast. However, I also note this: the first few ounces that came our were crystal clear, then a load of yeast came through. After a couple of pints like that, I begin observing the stream of beer coming out. It's like it is alternating between "more yeasty" and "less yeasty" seemingly with no logic or explanation. Whatever the case, I've now poured over 2 growlers worth of beer with no sign of improvement. So I switch to the other 1/2 BBL sanke keg from the same batch. Normally I would expect the other keg to be more free of yeast (because when we keg, inevitably, one keg gets more yeast in it than any other keg), but in this case, it was just as bad as the first keg! So I'm at a complete loss as to what is wrong. I'm looking at possibly having to dump the entire batch because I can't serve this to my customers.
BREW PROCESS:
22 days from brew day to packaging
Day minus2 - 6 packets of Fermentis S-05 yeast in a starter
Day 1 - Fermentation starts at 68F in a 1 BBL SS Brewtech conical fermenter
Day 12 - dry-hop #1 in a bag
Day 14 - dry-hop #2 in a bag; drop temp to 55F
Day 16 - remove dry-hops, drop temp to 38F (but it only reaches 41F ever b/c crummy glycol system)
Day 19 - biofine
Day 22 - keg
*Also, every couple of days after primary fermentation, my brewer has been removing yeast slurry to aid in clarifying.
We've followed this process 22 times for this beer (and a similar process with shorter time frames for non-IPAs), and never had this problem.
Anyone have any suggestions on (a) the cause and (b) suggestions on saving the beer in these kegs?
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROBLEM: I moved a 1/2 BBL sanke keg of the IPA to our draft box and it was pouring with loads of yeast (I could smell it as it came out of the tap). OK, fine. I'll just run a few pints..... 10 pints later and zero clarity. OK, fine. I'll use a different keg and give this one more time to drop the yeast. One week later, I switch to the keg in question - which has been stationary in the draft box the entire time with no shaking of any kind - and after running 10+ pints out, it is STILL full of yeast. However, I also note this: the first few ounces that came our were crystal clear, then a load of yeast came through. After a couple of pints like that, I begin observing the stream of beer coming out. It's like it is alternating between "more yeasty" and "less yeasty" seemingly with no logic or explanation. Whatever the case, I've now poured over 2 growlers worth of beer with no sign of improvement. So I switch to the other 1/2 BBL sanke keg from the same batch. Normally I would expect the other keg to be more free of yeast (because when we keg, inevitably, one keg gets more yeast in it than any other keg), but in this case, it was just as bad as the first keg! So I'm at a complete loss as to what is wrong. I'm looking at possibly having to dump the entire batch because I can't serve this to my customers.
BREW PROCESS:
22 days from brew day to packaging
Day minus2 - 6 packets of Fermentis S-05 yeast in a starter
Day 1 - Fermentation starts at 68F in a 1 BBL SS Brewtech conical fermenter
Day 12 - dry-hop #1 in a bag
Day 14 - dry-hop #2 in a bag; drop temp to 55F
Day 16 - remove dry-hops, drop temp to 38F (but it only reaches 41F ever b/c crummy glycol system)
Day 19 - biofine
Day 22 - keg
*Also, every couple of days after primary fermentation, my brewer has been removing yeast slurry to aid in clarifying.
We've followed this process 22 times for this beer (and a similar process with shorter time frames for non-IPAs), and never had this problem.
Anyone have any suggestions on (a) the cause and (b) suggestions on saving the beer in these kegs?
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