Tips For Clear Beer

Do you all want to share any tips for making really clear beer?

Lagering for a couple of weeks at a temp around 35F, don't go any colder unless you want an ice beer.

Yup, there are tricks to speeding it up like adding gelatin to secondary, etc but the method I use is get it in the keg and chill it down for a couple weeks. Well, I mean I pull pints on it but I try not to kick it in the first couple weeks. It gets really clear at about week 2 at sub 40F.

If you don't have the capacity to lager, I suggest KC Superkleer finings. They worked like a charm for me.

I bottle my beers and find Irish Moss to work fairly well. Add some in during the last 15 minutes of the boil and that's it! Unlike some of the gelatin options, this will not pull a ton of yeast out of suspension and make bottle conditioning a longer process... 3 weeks of primary (no secondary here!) and 1/2 teaspoon in the boil makes a beer that is about this clear:



Bad picture? Yes! Cloudy beer? No!

Another vote for irish moss. works well, is 'natural' and its hella cheap.

also, always secondary your beer a couple weeks (or longer).

Whirlpooling in the boil kettle and using the appropriate mashing schedule for your grain bill help clear the bear as well.

Whirlfloc--I swear by it (if I remember it). I use it and a cold crash in a keg and the beers are crystal clear.

I also noticed my beers got clearer when I went to a CFC and/or plate chiller.

Another for Irish moss.

I also let the chilled wort settle for a bit before racking/pitching.

And never rush the secondary.

My beers always come out "retail clear," as a friend calls them.

For me its strictly time and refridgeration.

Obviously avoiding dregs at syphoning. I always tell myself not to be greedy about trying to get every drop.

Use Irish moss or Whirfloc in the boil. Crash cool as fast as possible from boiling to pitching temps. Crash cool again to serving temps when you're ready to rack from the secondary.

Chris_Dog said:

Do you all want to share any tips for making really clear beer?

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My beers were all "sort of " clear after irish moss, kegging and chilling.

I started using gelatin in the scondary and now they are like commercial beers. So much so, that people have started asking me to brew for upcoming occasions. This beer is 2 weeks from kettle to keg.:



NOTE: If you bottle and prime with corn sugar, you'll need to add some yeast to the bottles.

Pabst Blue Robot said:

...appropriate mashing schedule for your grain bill help clear the bear as well.

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Cuz nobody wants a bear in their beer....

Pssst.... Wyeast 1968

From their site:

This extremely flocculent yeast produces distinctly malty beers. Attenuation levels are typically less than most other yeast strains making for a slightly sweeter finish. Ales produced with this strain tend to be fairly fruity. Fruitiness will increase with higher fermentation temperatures (70-74F, 21-23C). Diacetyl production is noticeable and a thorough rest is necessary. Yeast traps trub easily and autolysis during storage is accelaerated. A very good cask conditioned ale strain due to rapid and complete flocculation. Brilliantly bright beers are easily achieved without any filtration.