Vegetarian alternative to gelatin

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I'm looking for a vegan alternative to be used as a fining agent. Most people use gelatin och isinglass, but is there any vegan alternative? I've read about agar agar but haven't found anyone that has been successful using that.

I usually just use Irish moss in the boil, and my beers get clear enough. Except when i dry hop..

I will try to do a "cold crash" but i wont be able to get it colder than about 8C (46F)

Any ideas?
 
Gravity will do the same as a fining agent but it takes a bit longer. I have used gelatin on only one batch and the other batches come out just as clear with time in the fermenter and time in the bottles. My dry hopped beers will be cloudy when I bottle but by the time they are carbonated and matured for a while they turn out clear too.
 
Time, cold, and/or filtering would all be vegetarian-friendly ways to clear your brew, although personally, I don't see the problem with using gelatin. It doesn't end up in the finished beer - it simply falls through the beer, precipitating sediment to the bottom. Your guests don't end up actually consuming any gelatin, so the resulting beer should still be vegetarian-safe.
 
I use whirlfloc in the boil and have gotten some really clear beer. I believe it's made from seaweed, so that should be okay to use in place of the gelatin.
 
Gravity will do the same as a fining agent but it takes a bit longer. I have used gelatin on only one batch and the other batches come out just as clear with time in the fermenter and time in the bottles. My dry hopped beers will be cloudy when I bottle but by the time they are carbonated and matured for a while they turn out clear too.

How long does it usually take before your dry hopped beers turn out clear? I have just dry hopped once before. I guess i drank that batch to fast :D

Time, cold, and/or filtering would all be vegetarian-friendly ways to clear your brew, although personally, I don't see the problem with using gelatin. It doesn't end up in the finished beer - it simply falls through the beer, precipitating sediment to the bottom. Your guests don't end up actually consuming any gelatin, so the resulting beer should still be vegetarian-safe.

It's actually for my own sake. I'm aware of the fact that the gelatin will drop out, but I would prefer not to use it at all anyway.
 
I always thought vegans can't have gelatin, most vegetarians I know have jello.
 
I use whirlfloc in the boil and have gotten some really clear beer. I believe it's made from seaweed, so that should be okay to use in place of the gelatin.

That's what I use as a fining agent in the boil. But now I'm looking for a fining agent to put in the fermenter before bottling to drop out some of the yeast and hop particles. Whirlfloc will not do that.
 
If you aren't dry hopping, you shouldn't have much hop matter in the fermenter. It's acceptable to have a little bit of cloudiness due to dry hopping, but it's usually not noticeable. As for yeast cloudiness, a high flocculating yeast will settle and form a fairly compact yeast cake.
 
I don't use gelatin or other post-fermentation finings, and my IPAs are clear. In a couple there may be a very very slight hops haze, but that's only in a very few.

Time cold crashing (in the fridge even in the bottle) will clear it.

Let's not get into the "vegan/vegetarian" argument, please!

I also choose to have my beers vegan/vegetarian friendly, and I don't think using gelatin and then racking the beer of it would be the proper thing to do to someone unexpecting of animal products being in or used in their beer!

Even for my wines, I don't use finings except for occasionally sparkelloid or bentonite when it's totally necessary.
 
If you aren't dry hopping, you shouldn't have much hop matter in the fermenter. It's acceptable to have a little bit of cloudiness due to dry hopping, but it's usually not noticeable. As for yeast cloudiness, a high flocculating yeast will settle and form a fairly compact yeast cake.

As i said in the first post: I usually get clear beer. It's only when i dry hop I get hop haze (only done it once though)
 
How long does it usually take before your dry hopped beers turn out clear? I have just dry hopped once before. I guess i drank that batch to fast

By the time the beers are properly carbonated and matured they have been clear. Perhaps 2 to 3 weeks after bottling and a couple more days in the refrigerator.
 
By the time the beers are properly carbonated and matured they have been clear. Perhaps 2 to 3 weeks after bottling and a couple more days in the refrigerator.

I keg, but my beers are totally clear within a few days of kegging.

Here's on old photo of one of my favorite IPAs (the DFH 60 minute clone):
dscf0552-22709.jpg
 
No need to use finings if you don't want to. I've seen pictures of results with isinglass, and it's hard to argue against the results. There are great alternatives, though.

A combination of Irish moss (last 15 minutes of your boil), cold crashing, and gravity, should get you really clear beer, as well.

Good luck!
 
Ok, I will try this batch without any fining agent (except whirlfloc that I used in the boil). It's been 2 days in the primary fermentor now. I will get back with the result. Thanks for all the help!

By the way, I have the ability to cool it down to about 50F in the fermentor. Should I do that or is it to warm for a cold crash anyway? My fermentation temperature is 68F.

The recipe by the way (metric, sorry):

4.5 kg 2 row pale ale malt
0.5 kg Caraamber
0.3 kg Crystal 100 EBC
20g Magnum 60 min 31 IBU
25g Galaxy 15 min 19 IBU
25g Galaxy 5 min 8 IBU
25g Galaxy Dry hop 7 days
White Labs California Ale

5 gallons into fermentor
Whirlfloc in the boil and all whole leaf hops.
1.060 OG
 
I've been wanting to experiment with Chia seeds. I eat them regularly, and if you put some in a bowl of water it turns to jello after just a few minutes. It may not work, probably won't work, but that's one of the reasons I home brew. For the experimentation side of things.
 
I've been wanting to experiment with Chia seeds. I eat them regularly, and if you put some in a bowl of water it turns to jello after just a few minutes. It may not work, probably won't work, but that's one of the reasons I home brew. For the experimentation side of things.

Is that what grows on a Chia pet? :fro:

Rick
 
If you have a chest freezer with a temperature controller, cold crash it for a week or so at 36 - 38. If you don't, let it sit in the fermenter for a few extra weeks and be very, very careful transferring.
 
If you have a chest freezer with a temperature controller, cold crash it for a week or so at 36 - 38. If you don't, let it sit in the fermenter for a few extra weeks and be very, very careful transferring.

Dont have a chest freezer..
I have a styrofoam box that I put ice blocks in :D

I guess you mean i should dry hop for 7 (or so) days, then pull the bag of hops out and let it sit in the fermenter a couple of weeks after that (without the dryhoping hops)?
 
Dont have a chest freezer..
I have a styrofoam box that I put ice blocks in :D

I guess you mean i should dry hop for 7 (or so) days, then pull the bag of hops out and let it sit in the fermenter a couple of weeks after that (without the dryhoping hops)?

For best hops aroma and flavor, you'll want to dryhop for the last 5-7 days before packaging. If you wait a couple of weeks, then much of the hops flavor and aroma will be gone.
 
For best hops aroma and flavor, you'll want to dryhop for the last 5-7 days before packaging. If you wait a couple of weeks, then much of the hops flavor and aroma will be gone.

Yep, and that was why I asked Darwin18 about about the timing. I mean, my problem was hop haze from dry hopping. If the solution would be to let it sit in the fermenter a couple of weeks extra, it would have to do that after the dry hops were added (and removed).
 
Okay, so the beer I was concerned about has now been 2 weeks in the bottle. No gelatine or any alternative was used, and no cold crash. And for some reason it's more clear than any beer I have ever made after just 2 weeks in the bottle (3 week primary, last week with dry hops). I left it in the refrigeration for a couple of hours yesterday, and no chill haze either :tank: :ban:
 
I've used a product called "Polyclar" in the secondary which made VERY clear beer quite quickly.... ****ty stuff to work with though as it's insoluble and very powdery/dusty and gets everywhere, just from opening the bag.
 
A good floccing English yeast helps. I find my pale beers with whirlfloc and English yeast (with a solid cold crash) will be crystal in 2 weeks. Using an American strain can take 3-4 weeks.
 
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