Gelatin Photos

I took a photo of my Anchor Liberty PM clone right after transferring to the secondary lastnight and before adding gelatin. The second photo shows what it looked like the next day. Pretty impressive! The carboy on the left is my Ed Wort Stone attempt, that didnt quite pan out yet, so I will have to give that another shot.

Here are the photos:

http://community.webshots.com/album/560147979leZimP

Greg

What kind of gelatin and how much did you use?

Wow thats pretty cool, Thanks for sharing that. How bout sharing that recipe that looks like it will be tasty.

Cheers

SW Brewer said:

I took a photo of my Anchor Liberty PM clone right after transferring to the secondary lastnight and before adding gelatin. The second photo shows what it looked like the next day. Pretty impressive! The carboy on the left is my Ed Wort Stone attempt, that didnt quite pan out yet, so I will have to give that another shot.

Here are the photos:

http://community.webshots.com/album/560147979leZimP

Greg

Click to expand...

Nice pics. What did't pan out on the Stone Clone? They yeast falling? What yeast did you use? I crash cool mine before racking to a keg and I use bucket fermenters so I really never get to see how well the yeast has flocculated, but my experience tells me 10 days of fermentation followed by a few days to 10 days of crash cooling will give me clear beer.

Very interesting. I was going to use some on one of my recent brews that I was concerned about chill haze but decided against it last minute.

I used Knox unflavored gelatin. It comes in individual envelopes (four or five per box) and then I dissolved it well in a cup of warm (not hot!) water.

The Stone Clone came out under OG, but it does smell good, so I am expecting it to taste good....just not up to Ed Wort par I am dry hopping it now per your instructions Ed. I will post the Anchor liberty clone recipe in a bit here from my other puter.

Greg

Here is my Anchor Libert Clone Recipe. It is a Partial Mash, and I found it online, so I take no responsibility for its tastiness or lack thereof


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Anchor Liberty Clone
Brewer: Greg Mehojah
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.15 gal
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 6.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 28.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 37.5 %
4.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 56.3 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6.3 %
1.50 oz Williamette [5.50%] (60 min) Hops 21.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (15 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
1.50 oz Cascade [5.50%] (0 min) Hops -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 5.00 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 6.25 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F 60 min


Notes:
------


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SW Brewer said:

The Stone Clone came out under OG, but it does smell good, so I am expecting it to taste good.

Click to expand...

That's OK. The recipe calls for an O.G. of 1.066 and my first try came in at 1.061 cause I didn't boil long enough. I'm sure yours will turn out great. I just checked and found that mine was brewed in March, so it has had plenty of time to mature and mellow. Patience will pay off for you too.

This is interesting. Keep us up to date on this beer. I wonder if the gelatin affects the flavor of the beer in any way?

I sure hope not, its unflavored. I had read around quite a bit prior to trying this method of clearing the beer. I think the key is not to use too hot of water or it will kill of the yeast you need to bottle condition and carbonate.

Greg

I've used gelatin on my last 4 batches with the same great results. Now my drafts are all crystal clear. It was the one missing element in getting that finishing touch to a great beer.

There is no flavor effect. One of the batches was my Nierra Sevada...a staple around here and there was no change in flavor. If anything...since the eyes seem to represent 10% of your taste...the beer got better.

Today I'll be transferring my APA to secondary, I think I'll give the gelatin thing a try. The last batch actually came out pretty clear, but there is always room for improvement.

Just to clarify (no pun intended) it's best to chill prior to adding the gelatin, no? I seem to recall reading that it works much better on cold beer.

Once you're ready to bottle or keg, what becomes of the gelatin? I assume it hardens on the bottom of the carboy, and doesn't make racking difficult.

The gelatin doesn't get hard, just like a extra-soft goo, nothing you can hold on to or pick up with a spoon.

You leave it behind in the carboy.

Yes, it works better when the brew is cold...same as jello.

You don't need to use a whole packet. I typically use 1/2 tsp in 300ml of water and add it to the carboy and get very clear beer.

BlindLemonLars said:

Today I'll be transferring my APA to secondary, I think I'll give the gelatin thing a try. The last batch actually came out pretty clear, but there is always room for improvement.

Just to clarify (no pun intended) it's best to chill prior to adding the gelatin, no? I seem to recall reading that it works much better on cold beer.

Once you're ready to bottle or keg, what becomes of the gelatin? I assume it hardens on the bottom of the carboy, and doesn't make racking difficult.

Click to expand...

I add the gelatin to a cup of warm water and let it sit for an hour to absorb. Then heat the water to 180 degrees (or just pretty hot to allow complete dissoolve without boiling) and then set aside to begin cooling.

Then I start my siphon into the secondary and about half way through, I dump the gelatin mix into the secondary. I've also waited until the carboy is full before dumping it. Don't put the gelatin into an empty carboy. That cool glass will cause the gelatin to...gelatinize.

The amoung of gelatin you're adding is so inconsequential that there really is no perceptable gelatin residue in the left behind yeast cake.

So I assume the goal is to get solids to precipitate out a little more quickly than they would if just left to clear on its own? I'm not doubting the method but the before and after would be more impressive if the before was a primary carboy because you'll always kick stuff up when racking to the secondary. Just how clear was the primary before racking?

I think one of the reasons I'm not having a haze problem is because my beers sit around cold for a while before I get to drinking.

BierMuncher said:

The amoung of gelatin you're adding is so inconsequential that there really is no perceptable gelatin residue in the left behind yeast cake.

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This is a very timely topic, as I've been researching it for a few days now in preparation for this weekend's brewing activities. Good info everybody, thanks. And SW Brewer, the photos are a real eye opener!

BierMuncher, how much have you been dissolving in that cup of water? Reading here and elsewhere, I've found wildly varying answers...everything from 1/2 teaspoon, all the way to (!!!) 2 tablespoons! Another common suggestion I've found is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of beer.

If I'm beating a dead horse (again, no pun intended!) let me know!

BlindLemonLars said:

...BierMuncher, how much have you been dissolving in that cup of water? Reading here and elsewhere, I've found wildly varying answers...everything from 1/2 teaspoon, all the way to (!!!) 2 tablespoons! Another common suggestion I've found is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of beer.
...

Click to expand...

It's a pretty loose rule for me. Generally, I will use 2 teaspoons for a five gallon batch. There's no difference in taste with more or less, I think it just accelerates the drop out with a higher amount of gelatin.

I've seen enough to be a believer.

This is great info. My Honey Weizen will be going to the secondary tomorrow evening and I think I'm going to try this gelatin out.

shunoshi said:

This is great info. My Honey Weizen will be going to the secondary tomorrow evening and I think I'm going to try this gelatin out.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't you want that beer to be hazy?

I just used gelatin for the first time, threw a dissolved packet of Knox into a corny and racked beer on top of it, chilled down. My cream ale came out crystal/ brilliantly clear. Heard you only need 1/2 packet, so I might try that next time around.

I guess this is only for kegging? This strips the yeast out too right?

My understanding is that there is still sufficient yeast to bottle condition. I think if you use too hot of water in the gelatin that would kill too many of the critters.

Greg

I may have to try this out on my next brew then, or just invest in a kegging set up and ditch the bottles.

I really like the bottles though. Simple, portable, and classic