Using Irish Moss
 

I am trying to get clearer beer and have been using irish moss at the end of the boil with extract recipes. I have an IC and usually get to pitching temps in 20-30 minutes. I may try adding some ice to the sink to help as well. My question is, does the irish moss do its job in the wort before going into the fermenter or does it need to be in the fermenter? I pour my wort through a strainer before it goes into the fermenter so I catch the irish moss, hops, etc. After bottle aging at room temperature my beer is crystal clear. Then after going to the frig it has a bad case of chill haze. I am wondering now if I should not strain the wort before going into the fermenter and let the irish moss go into the fermenter? Would that help the clarifying?

By the way, is 1 tsp. of irish moss a teaspoon or tablespoon? I can never figure that out what a tsp is in recipes or cook books.

I'd recommend using Whirlfloc instead. It fully dissolves so straining is a non-issue, although I'm not sure it's an issue even with Irish moss. I believe it does its job before you strain the wort so straining it out is okay. a tsp. is a teaspoon, a tbs. (or tbsp.) is a tablespoon.

Try cold crashing your beer for a few days before bottling/kegging as well, it will clear it considerably. OR, try using gelatin in your fermentor prior to bottling or kegging, that will do the trick too.

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Primary- Circle City Haus Ale
Secondary- Orange Cascade APA (dry hop)
Keg1- Centennial Blonde (On tap)
Keg2- Oktoberfest (On tap)
Keg3- Christmas Spice
Keg4- Fire In The Hole
Keg5- AIR
Keg6- AIR
Keg7- AIR
Keg8- AIR

Yeah cold crashing, if you have the ability to, works like a charm.

Irish moss works great and it's cheap, especially when you buy in bulk. 1/2 teaspoon for 5 gal batch is all you need in the last 10 min of boil, then you can strain out.

But if you don't strain out, it's no big deal in the fermentor.

There are differences in "Irish Moss" The generic term is carrageenan. It is derived from a seaweed found mostly along the Irish coast. Different suppliers use different types of carrageenan along with other ingredients.

I was involved with the development of Super Moss for Five Star. I tried out quite a few different types of carraggenen during the tests.

No matter which type you use, it does work best if you rehydrate the moss for 15 minutes before you add it to your wort.

Add it 10-15 minutes before the end of boil. Let the beer rest for at least 5 minutes after the boil is done before you transfer it. That should allow the carrageenan enough time to remove the haze causing proteins.

Huh. I hadn't heard of the rehydrating bit. I'll give that a go next batch...

That's good to know Wayne1. I haven't used "Irish Moss" in any of my brews yet, but it is on the list for my next brew. Like jkarp, I haven't heard the rehydrating portion, so I'll keep that in my before I throw it in the wort.

Irish Moss works best if left in the kettle.

If you can, try to whirlpool your wort in the kettle after flameout.

Let the trub settle for about 5-10 minutes. Siphon from the edge of the kettle. You should end up with a cone of trub in the center of your kettle.

Here is a shot of my kettle at the end of the brew day.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/...d_Trubpile.JPG

From what I understand, IM facilitates clumping of proteins at the hot break, which occurs as the wort is being cooled from boiling temps to pitching temps. For most of us, that all happens in the kettle.