Gelatin actually suppose to look like ... gelatin?

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chefchris

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I did a bunch of reading this morning about gelatin. Went to the LHBS and picked some up. Looked like DME. Followed BeirMuncher's technique to preparing it. Once I cool it it actually looked like gelatin. Kinda freaked me out. I remember reading a post this morning where someone had done it wrong and had bits of gelatin in all his glasses.

So ... is it suppose to look like that or did I just visually ruin my pale ale?
 
anybody have any idea what gelatin is suppose to look like? am I the first person to ever use gelatin?!

Are you asking if gelatin is supposed to look like jello once it cools? If so, the answer is yes. ;)

Now, if you added said jello to your beer cold, then you screwed the pooch. The gelatin solution should be added above 100F, otherwise you're just adding jello to beer with no positive effects...
 
Are you asking if gelatin is supposed to look like jello once it cools? If so, the answer is yes. ;)

Now, if you added said jello to your beer cold, then you screwed the pooch. The gelatin solution should be added above 100F, otherwise you're just adding jello to beer with no positive effects...

Damn, maybe that's what he meant by "cool slighty" I had it down to about 70F.

BierMuncher's instructions

I use a tablespoon per five gallon batch.

Mix it with hot tap water in a sauce pot, about 1 cup of water per tablespoon.

Stir it up and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to hydrate and bloom.

Put the pot on the stove and heat until it looks like it’s about to start boiling…don’t boil.

Cool slightly (I put my pot in a cold water bath).

Add it (gently) to the secondary (or keg) as you’re racking your beer.
 
Does the technique really matter??? I'm curious.

I do this.

  1. I boil about one cup of water add one knox gelatin packet ~ tablespoon.
  2. Stir in the gelatin until is completely dissolved.
  3. Add the solution to a sanitized keg.
  4. Siphon beer onto hot solution in the keg.
  5. Install the keg cover and add CO2 & vent, repeat CO2/venting 4x.
  6. Chill immediately
 
I don't boil the gelatin solution. I cut it off right before the boil. I let it sit on the stove maybe 5-10 minutes... than right into the beer that's been cold crashing.
 
I don't boil the gelatin solution. I cut it off right before the boil. I let it sit on the stove maybe 5-10 minutes... than right into the beer that's been cold crashing.

So it's still relatively warm when you toss it in. Is it still a liquid or has it gelified.
 
Ya, the objective is to add the gelatin solution while it's still a liquid. If it starts to congeal (occurs at room temperature), you let it cool too long.

I don't believe "process" deviations matters so long as you follow these basic rules:

  • Don't heat the gelatin above ~170F. It will denature at boiling temperatures.
  • Don't let the gelatin cool to room temperature. Add it to the beer hot (+100F).
  • Do cold crash the beer (e.g., 40F). This ensures a compact gelatin layer forms on the bottom of the fermentation vessel.
 
well, ****. it was definately in gelatin form when I added it. Hopefully I won't end up with Jello Beer.

I'm thinking it won't do much. Just hope it doesn't clog up the keg. It might disolve into the beer.

I think the premise here is to get the gelatin into liquid form, add it to the beer where its blended well, then chill the beer. When it chills the gelatin adheres to particulate matter and settles in the keg. It helps keep it clear and aides in flocculation.

It also removes some tannin bitterness, not to be confused with hop bitterness.
 
I'm thinking it won't do much. Just hope it doesn't clog up the keg. It might disolve into the beer.

I think the premise here is to get the gelatin into liquid form, add it to the beer where its blended well, then chill the beer. When it chills the gelatin adheres to particulate matter and settles in the keg. It help keep it clear aides in flocculation.

It also removes some tannin bitterness, not to be confused with hop bitterness.

That's what I'm going to try this time. Got an Irish Red that I want to wash the yeast from. So I'll move it to a secondary just to get to the yeast and then add the gelatin and cold crash it. I'll keg it this weekend.
 
The way I learned to do it is as follows:

1. Put some cool water into a glass jar or a pyrex measuring cup or whatever you feel ok with putting in the microwave (I use a canning jar)
2. Pour gelatin packet into jar.
3. Stir. This will produce a cloudy liquid.
4. Put in microwave. Start microwave on high.
5. As the liquid heats, it will go from cloudy to clear. Once it becomes clear, stop microwaving it. DO NOT BOIL. You want to get it to 160-170, but not to a boiling point.
6. Dump this into your keg/fermenter. I prefer fermenter, because it does leave a weird fluffy mess in a keg that I like to avoid.

That's it. Pretty darn simple. If you're paranoid, just measure with a thermometer as you heat. Remember to go to 160-170, but no higher. The gelatin will become pretty useless after that point.
 
The few times I have used gelatine I have heated up the water, mixed the gelatine into a slurry which I added to the secondary, and then crash cooled. After 3 days to a week I rack to a keg. I have used it only on meads, etc but it always worked well. For ales I just use Irish Moss in the boil and lots of time.
 
Just gave it another go with my Irish Red. Didn't let the gelatin cool down so much this time so it was still a liquid when I added it. Also racked the beer to a secondary instead of adding it to the keg. The beer was not chilled but I put it in the fridge to drop it around 50F a little before I added the gelatin.

crosses fingers.
 
both turned out crystal clear. i tell ya, i won't be adding gelatin to the keg again. I move my kegs around too much for that. primary from now on if I don't plan on reusing the yeast.
 
Just to throw my hat in the ring, I used gelatin for the first time to clear up a murky batch of brown ale that I forgot to add whirfloc to... Came out crystal clear afterward... Threw a small amount in my Vienna SMaSH (again, forgot whirfloc... need to slow down on the taps prior to pitching yeast) and will see how that batch works out...
 
Stirred 1/2 teaspoon unflavored knox in 1 cup of 100 degree water. Added immediately to 6 gal of a light ale in the secondary. 24 hrs later crystal clear! Let it set for 3 days and racked to keg.
 
I just racked a Glacier Pale to the 2ndary yesterday and have a SMaSH Cascade going on three weeks in the primary. Both 5 gallon batches. Could I add the gelatin to them both right now?
 
Sure could. I always give mine a couple of days after adding the gelatin but I see many posts where people claim to have it drop out in 24 hours. The beer does need to be cold, though, either way.
 
I would suggest you keep the amount of gelatin to 1/2 teaspoon. Not 1 tablespoon. With 1 tablespoon you might also cause some hop flavors and aroma to drop out.
 
Is there a temp that is to cold to add the gelatin? I have a Irish Red in secondary at 40F and was thinking about trying the gelatin tonite.
 
I would suggest you keep the amount of gelatin to 1/2 teaspoon. Not 1 tablespoon. With 1 tablespoon you might also cause some hop flavors and aroma to drop out.


I used a whole packet (the cheapest store brand I could find) and followed the aforementioned directions and it is still pretty hoppy... YMMV...
 
So what's the consensus of putting it into your keg? I have a batch of cloudy nut brown that I'd like to clear up. If I keep it cool for a few days after I add the gelatin can it be sucked through the tap to get rid of it?

Thanks!
 
bout 18 hours since i added gelatin to my secondary, cold crashing in the fridge now but i noticed jello globs floting on the surface.. will they sink? followed biermunchers directions. 1tbs knox etc etc..
 
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