So, come on, give up your secrets ....
How do you brew clear beer?
I know it's potentially just aesthetic, but I'd like to brew something that's as clear as can be. What's the best way: Irish Moss, Finings, Gelatin ... ?
Tell all - reveal this mystery of the dark (or should that be light?) arts ......
Cheers,
G
Post #2 made 13 years ago
I manage a week of cold chilling in the fermenter and then add a cup of geletine to the keg and syphon the beer ontop. The beer is pouring crystal clear after a day or two.
Having said that, if i slightly move the keg or even look at it angrily it goes freaking cloudy as a melbourne winter and takes another day to settle again
I hear its good to add geletin to the secondry and then syphon nice clear beer from there, but I never bother with secondary fermenting cause im lazy. My new keggorator has wheels on it, so it would be great to be able to roll it around the backyard to where the drinkin's happening, but not with my current approach.
Having said that, if i slightly move the keg or even look at it angrily it goes freaking cloudy as a melbourne winter and takes another day to settle again
I hear its good to add geletin to the secondry and then syphon nice clear beer from there, but I never bother with secondary fermenting cause im lazy. My new keggorator has wheels on it, so it would be great to be able to roll it around the backyard to where the drinkin's happening, but not with my current approach.
Post #3 made 13 years ago
I just chill my beer in the fermenter to about 2 degrees celcius for 2-7days then I rack it into my keg. Comes out clear enough straight up but an extra week in my serving fridge and it's as if I had filtered it.
Less mucking around for the same result wins in my books!
Although, I have just started using Brewbrite 5 mins from the end of the boil. I am yet to sample the finished product.
HC
Less mucking around for the same result wins in my books!
Although, I have just started using Brewbrite 5 mins from the end of the boil. I am yet to sample the finished product.
HC
Part of the NoAd brewers
My mum says I'm cool.
My mum says I'm cool.
Post #4 made 13 years ago
Great question Gyro 
,
Would love to hear some answers from those who bottle or from those who keg but don't have the facilities to crash chill. (I keg and do the crash chill method the guys above have described. It works very well.)
In the days when I didn't have the facilities to crash chill my fermentor, I used to filter and before my filtering days I used to rack. It's an interesting question because as we move along in brewing, we usually get more fridges etc
. Who ever said this hobby was cheap? 
In hindsight, filtering or racking might be a good idea if you can't crash chill or are going into bottles. (These both cost labour and or expense of course - why is nothing simple!!!)
There was one year though here where we had crap quality grain and crash chilling, filtering and/or racking never worked. The only thing that cleared that year's beer up seemed to be polyclar.
1/2 a tablet of whirfloc on a single batch 5 minutes before the boil ends (only just learned that now)*, and racking your wort/beer very gently is probably the best place to start.
PP
* Been brewing AG for about 7 years I think and have always added whirfloc or whatever 15 minutes before the boil end. No wonder I never noticed a real difference if I used it or not
. Am I the only idiot that was told to put it in at 15 minutes?
,Would love to hear some answers from those who bottle or from those who keg but don't have the facilities to crash chill. (I keg and do the crash chill method the guys above have described. It works very well.)
In the days when I didn't have the facilities to crash chill my fermentor, I used to filter and before my filtering days I used to rack. It's an interesting question because as we move along in brewing, we usually get more fridges etc
. Who ever said this hobby was cheap? In hindsight, filtering or racking might be a good idea if you can't crash chill or are going into bottles. (These both cost labour and or expense of course - why is nothing simple!!!)
There was one year though here where we had crap quality grain and crash chilling, filtering and/or racking never worked. The only thing that cleared that year's beer up seemed to be polyclar.
1/2 a tablet of whirfloc on a single batch 5 minutes before the boil ends (only just learned that now)
*, and racking your wort/beer very gently is probably the best place to start. PP
* Been brewing AG for about 7 years I think and have always added whirfloc or whatever 15 minutes before the boil end. No wonder I never noticed a real difference if I used it or not
. Am I the only idiot that was told to put it in at 15 minutes?
Last edited by PistolPatch on 01 Aug 2012, 20:48, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #5 made 13 years ago
You ask what is the best way?? I guess that depends on your equipment, like PP said.Gyro wrote:What's the best way: Irish Moss, Finings, Gelatin ... ?
Let us know what equipment you have at your disposal (kegging system, refrigerator, filtering, etc.). We might be able to give you (what we think is) the best way to get the clearest beer possible with the given equipment you have.
Last edited by BrickBrewHaus on 01 Aug 2012, 22:10, edited 3 times in total.
Post #6 made 13 years ago
BOT
Time and gravity are your best friends if you want clear beer.
Let your beer ferment out, say 2 weeks. Then let it clear for another week. After this you can bottle or keg sparkling clear beer.
Time and gravity are your best friends if you want clear beer.
Let your beer ferment out, say 2 weeks. Then let it clear for another week. After this you can bottle or keg sparkling clear beer.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."
Post #7 made 13 years ago
Sorry, should have said. I'm pretty basic on the equipment front; no real way to cold-store or chill unless I rack to a 2-3 secondarys that are small enough to fit in my fridge (not really an option..)
I've tried Gelatin, but circumstances prevailed and it was in the mix for a day or so longer than the packet suggested. Either way, it didn't make me a clear Blonde ....
I don't currently keg; it's all bottles for me too.
I've tried Gelatin, but circumstances prevailed and it was in the mix for a day or so longer than the packet suggested. Either way, it didn't make me a clear Blonde ....
I don't currently keg; it's all bottles for me too.
Post #8 made 13 years ago
If you don't have much on the equipment side and don't feel like spending to money to upgrade to anything, you're options a kinda limited. But not to worry, as hashie mentioned, time and gravity can usually get you a nice, clear beer IF:
1) the yeast you've chosen is highly flocculent. If you're specifically targeting clarity and you have a few yeast strains to chose from to match the style you're brewing, flocculation might be a determining factor. That kind of information can easily be found on the web.
2) your brewing practices are sound.
-Incomplete conversion of starch to sugar can lead to haze problems, but probably not a concern if you're mashing in the "normal" temp range for an hour or more.
-I'm pretty sure certain infections can lead to haze problems, so making sure sanitation is tip top is key.
-Water can play a role, most notably calcium. Calcium aids in yeast flocculation. Probably not a concern if you're using tap water (unless you're region is known to have very soft water). Will be a concern if you're using bottled water without proper additions of brewing salts.
-Very hoppy beers are not particularly prone to clarity. If you're only brewing double IPAs, then you probably won't achieve clear beer.
-And I'm sure there are others.
Pay close attention to transfer/racking post-fermentation. If you're worried about clarity, don't try to get every last drop of beer at the expense of transferring a bunch of trub. Ideally, I like to move my fermenter to the counter-top where I'll be doing the transfer the night before. That way anything that gets stirred up will have time to settle.
I think there are some fining agents (you mentioned gelatin) that can be used in the fermenter. I personally haven't used them, but someone else might be able to chime in. Those might be the best choice to get very bright beer if all of the above are practiced to a high level.
1) the yeast you've chosen is highly flocculent. If you're specifically targeting clarity and you have a few yeast strains to chose from to match the style you're brewing, flocculation might be a determining factor. That kind of information can easily be found on the web.
2) your brewing practices are sound.
-Incomplete conversion of starch to sugar can lead to haze problems, but probably not a concern if you're mashing in the "normal" temp range for an hour or more.
-I'm pretty sure certain infections can lead to haze problems, so making sure sanitation is tip top is key.
-Water can play a role, most notably calcium. Calcium aids in yeast flocculation. Probably not a concern if you're using tap water (unless you're region is known to have very soft water). Will be a concern if you're using bottled water without proper additions of brewing salts.
-Very hoppy beers are not particularly prone to clarity. If you're only brewing double IPAs, then you probably won't achieve clear beer.
-And I'm sure there are others.
Pay close attention to transfer/racking post-fermentation. If you're worried about clarity, don't try to get every last drop of beer at the expense of transferring a bunch of trub. Ideally, I like to move my fermenter to the counter-top where I'll be doing the transfer the night before. That way anything that gets stirred up will have time to settle.
I think there are some fining agents (you mentioned gelatin) that can be used in the fermenter. I personally haven't used them, but someone else might be able to chime in. Those might be the best choice to get very bright beer if all of the above are practiced to a high level.
Post #9 made 11 years ago
Luckily I have a spare fridge I can cold crash in. I do this for 12/24 hours before making up some gelatin and pouring it in. Clears in a few days.
Post #10 made 11 years ago
I've recently been using Irish Moss. I wish I used it right from the start! Most of my recent batches have been pretty clear after a few weeks. I'm also experimenting /learning about protein rests to help too..
