Stop using Irish Moss!!!

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DUCCCC

DUCCCC

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I think the real shocker here is that you are openly admitting to reading tmz.com! ;)

Wonder if there's any truth to this. I could just as easily add gelatin and cold crash if it really is bad for you.
 
So 1tsp, diluted by 5+ gallons, which then REACTS with other stuff (I mean why else would it clear the beer) is gonna kill me? Highly doubt it....
 
Evidence does exist, ex vivo by the way, that Irish Moss's active clearing chemical, carrageenan, causes increased inflammation in the human colon and there are hypotheses that common food additives are responsible for the increases in prevalence of Crohns and other lower GI disturbances in the western population.

Its a stretch to say that it is the prime cause of upper GI ulcers because there is no evidence that Im aware of that carrageenan cause them(pubmed has no search results for "carrageenan+ulcer")

I think it settles mostly out of your beer anyway. Im pretty sure thats how it works.
 
mattjmac said:
I think the real shocker here is that you are openly admitting to reading tmz.com! ;)

Wonder if there's any truth to this. I could just as easily add gelatin and cold crash if it really is bad for you.
Click to expand...

How else am I supposed to keep up on the latest news about Britney and Lindsay?!:mad:

:mug:
 
FatDuc said:
How else am I supposed to keep up on the latest news about Britney and Lindsay?!:mad:

:mug:
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Who? I gotta get a TV. It sounds important. With one word names, maybe Britney and Lindsay are famous? If they are that famous, please let me know so I can buy a TV asap.

Anyway, carageenan is very common as a food additive. I never heard of any issues with it. I use whirlfloc in all of my beers, and I plan on continuing.
 
FatDuc said:
According to a lawsuit filed today against Jillian Michaels, one of the ingredients in her weight loss supplements, Irish Moss powder, "causes gastrointestinal ulcers" and is "so toxic that it is the gel commonly applied to aircraft wings to dissolve ice"...

I'm not buying it, the story that is; I'm still tossing the stuff in my brews.



http://www.tmz.com/2010/08/04/jillian-michaels-class-action-lawsuit-diet-supplements/#comments-anchor
Click to expand...

I believe this would be called a logical fallacy. Toxicity and the ability to melt ice are in no way related.
 
YooperBrew said:
Who? I gotta get a TV. It sounds important. With one word names, maybe Britney and Lindsay are famous? If they are that famous, please let me know so I can buy a TV asap.

Anyway, carageenan is very common as a food additive. I never heard of any issues with it. I use whirlfloc in all of my beers, and I plan on continuing.
Click to expand...

carrageenan. yup! irish moss and whirlfolc are same thing. Wirlfloc is just a more refined version (in tablet form). "Basic Brewing Radio" had a podcast referred to wirlfloc as irishmoss on steroids. I've used both similar results I'm staying with raw product (irish moss) for now. have my new brewer buddy trying some wirlfloc in a very similar beer to see difference (same yeast slightly different grain bill).

Basic Brewing Radio has an Irish moss experiment that may be worth a listen...

carrageenan in ice cream and tons of other stuff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan
 
Since it can be used as a common home remedy for ulcers I think we are fine. They use 1oz. to 1 pot of hot water. We use even less than that. It also says that the GI Ulcers you speak of have only been proven in animals. I have always read that whirlfloc is a condensed irish moss and I have been using it for some time and still will.

Irish Moss Used for home remedies

We use such small quantities I'm sure your fine. Now if you enjoy an Irish Moss tea in the morning then I would get checked out.
 
It settles out, I'm sure. Just like many things we put in our beer. Hell, fermcap is made of silicon. That's the same stuff that fake breasts are made from. Would you want THAT in your mouth? Oh wait....
 
I have forgotten the Irish moss in the last dozen brews I made...guess you are all going to die. Just send me your beer now before its to late. :cross:
 
FatDuc said:
...Irish Moss powder, "causes gastrointestinal ulcers" and is "so toxic that it is the gel commonly applied to aircraft wings to dissolve ice"...
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Bollocks. Deicing is either heat (electrical) for a frame mounted (usually) on the outside of the left seat (civilian), pneumatic boots on the leading edge of horizontal surfaces (most common in general aviation), or "weeping wings"--which is alcohol. Now I admit that my professional pilot training didn't cover the exact chemical composition of alcohol fluid in that it may include seaweed. It just doesn't make any logical sense--let alone financial sense. Someone is smoking dope, and lots of it.
 
ChshreCat said:
It settles out, I'm sure. Just like many things we put in our beer. Hell, fermcap is made of silicon. That's the same stuff that fake breasts are made from. Would you want THAT in your mouth? Oh wait....
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Hey Chshre! just sent you a PM. Saison Furtif rocks! sorry for the hijack :mug:

back on topic:

"That's the same stuff that fake breasts are made from. Would you want THAT in your mouth? Oh wait...."

had it... not as good as natural!
 
What I think is hilarious, is when these little stories flare up into wildfires when people realize that they're taking something that has the possibility of being bad for you...all the while they're taking stuff that's 10 times worse without so much as batting an eye. The only reason this issue probably even saw the light of day is because somebody saw a meal ticket in the pockets of a celebrity. Odds are the woman who's suing her is fat and lazy who realized she could remain that way if she didn't have to work another day in her life.
 
This reminds me of the warnings of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. I think some people still brew with that stuff...
 
FatDuc said:
According to a lawsuit filed today against Jillian Michaels, one of the ingredients in her weight loss supplements, Irish Moss powder, "causes gastrointestinal ulcers" and is "so toxic that it is the gel commonly applied to aircraft wings to dissolve ice"...

I'm not buying it, the story that is; I'm still tossing the stuff in my brews.



http://www.tmz.com/2010/08/04/jilli...ion-lawsuit-diet-supplements/#comments-anchor
Click to expand...

Difference is, in the beer it's not going directly into your stomach.

starrfish said:
Hey Chshre! just sent you a PM. Saison Furtif rocks! sorry for the hijack :mug:

back on topic:

"That's the same stuff that fake breasts are made from. Would you want THAT in your mouth? Oh wait...."

had it... not as good as natural!
Click to expand...

Yeah. Natural ones flocculate much easier over time.

abrdnck said:
This reminds me of the warnings of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. I think some people still brew with that stuff...
Click to expand...

I quit using the stuff personally. And my beers finish MUCH drier.
 
I've been adding chemicals to get the DHMO in my beer just right. I should really do my hoemwork before adding that stuff to my precious nectar. Thanks HBT for keeping me informed!
 
Did anyone else notice Yarrow mentioned in the article? I believe a lot of folks use that in their gruit. I haven't tried it yet, and since TMZ says it's bad, I'll never touch it. I'm throwing my Whirfloc down the toilet right now. TMZ is my bible.

........:tank:
 
curlyfat said:
Did anyone else notice Yarrow mentioned in the article? I believe a lot of folks use that in their gruit. I haven't tried it yet, and since TMZ says it's bad, I'll never touch it. I'm throwing my Whirfloc down the toilet right now. TMZ is my bible.

........:tank:
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LOL doing a brett hopless olde ale with YARROW, juniper berries, heather, sweet gale, & mugwort. Henry the VIIIth style... should come out on the 12% end... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Made ol' Henry a BIG Big big man!

H'nry the 8th I am, I am... 12% should bring in New years RIGHT!

LOL TMZ! the super market tabloid of the internet!
 
I wonder if the plaintiff knows that fenugreek is used in maple-flavored pancake syrups? Maybe the high-fructose corn syrup denatures the toxicity?
 
Wait, were the words "TMZ" and "news" used in the same sentence??

(sorry, :off:)
 
Airframe anti/de icing fluid is made from ethylene glycol. I'm no chemist but I don't think that's in any way similar to carageenan.
 
Triple Process Total Body Detox & Cleanse, all ingridents are in a proprietary blend. So the wack job brining the lawsuit has no idea of how much of any ingridents she was taking. She can't even prove that the levels she was taking are dangerous. I wonder if I handed the woman in the lawsuit a pill and told her it would cure a headache she would even stop to wonder what it was. She's clearly trying to make a buck off someone else. That being said I see no reason to stop using irish moss or the like. A tsp in a 5 gallon carboy would be no more hazardous that if I pissed in my swiiming pool.
 
JefeTheVol said:
Evidence does exist, ex vivo by the way, that Irish Moss's active clearing chemical, carrageenan, causes increased inflammation in the human colon and there are hypotheses that common food additives are responsible for the increases in prevalence of Crohns and other lower GI disturbances in the western population.

Its a stretch to say that it is the prime cause of upper GI ulcers because there is no evidence that Im aware of that carrageenan cause them(pubmed has no search results for "carrageenan+ulcer")
Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing, I only found one thing on pubmed was regarding potential cytotoxicity . . . and considering the sources of the allegations, EU committees, WHO, all of the usual blowhards, it is just another thing to ignore. When the FDA gets involved, then it is really time to ignore.
 
Being a regular consumer of beer brewed with Whirlfloc, I wouldn't discard the issue out of hand, but the information that is really needed to make an educated decision about this are:

1.) To what degree the carageenan gets converted to poligeenan during the boil
2.) How much of the carageenan and poligeenan actually make it into the final beer
3.) Whether there is a threshold effect, below which no negative impacts occur
4.) Whether that threshold is exceeded when carageenan is used per standard brewing practices

Without that information, it's all guesswork.
 
"Lambda carrageenan is used in animal models of inflammation used to test analgesics, because dilute carrageenan solution (1–2%) injected subcutaneously causes swelling and pain."

Clearly, a Hollywood lawsuit based on wikipedia knowledge, not to discredit wikipedia, but is that the only research the lawyer did? Still, he could be using only what he thinks convenient for the lawsuit, not very bright though.


Anyway, I'm not gonna' let TMZ tell me how to brew xD
 
ChshreCat said:
It settles out, I'm sure. Just like many things we put in our beer. Hell, fermcap is made of silicon. That's the same stuff that fake breasts are made from. Would you want THAT in your mouth? Oh wait....
Click to expand...

Actually, fermcap and implants are made of silicone. Silicon is what beer bottles, microchips, and beaches are made of. :mug:
 
No Way! I think if there is any truth to this I think you would have to be consuming mass amounts of it. Plus we are boiling one table spoon in 5 gallons.
 
BTW: Silicon is used in making semiconductor devices, and is a common and naturally occurring element on the periodic table.

Silicone is a plastic used in caulk and (older) breast implants...

Sorry, not attacking, just a pet peeve from an engineer. I suppose being an engineer is much more offensive than those hard "silicon" breast implants ;)
 
i was given some irish moss with my brewing equipment... guess I wont be using it after reading all this back and fourth.. I'm all set with taking a chance with it, hello trash can.
 
OK seriously, TMZ crap aside - has anyone else noticed that LHBS 'Irish Moss' tastes like ass? [I know it's heavily diluted by the wert, but work with me here]

Most Irish Moss is a random assortment of haphazardly harvested kelp - Chondrus crispus being the vast majority of the chopped/blended mixture of seaside curiosities but also containing bits of snail shells and sometimes sand or other unidentified dead bits. Ew!:drunk:

Just wondering if anyone has actually tasted their Irish Moss, whirlfloc or sea-nasty by itself? Kinda like picking up a handful of something that has washed up on the beach and tossing it into your beautiful yummy homebrew!

I'm thinking that the Asian market is a wonderful place to start exploring other dried Kelp products which might be used as a source of carrageenan. Why not choose another species of kelp (they all contain carrageenan to some extent)...? *hint hint* There's some kelp species out there with Umami out the ears (glutamate). With all the HBT discussions on the quality of fresh ingredients, this sticks out in my mind.

x'cuse me while I pick the barnacles off my carboy...


- Mike
 
Umami in beer? Not sure about that one... I'll use other means to get a nice solid mouthfeel.
 
InkBird 300

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