Clarity

I've been brewing for almost a year now. I've made some great beers. I have never, however, made a clear beer. My clarity has always been poor. I use "super moss" - irish moss with yeast nutrients. I usually add a quarter teaspoon for the final 15 minutes of boiling. I have also added it to cooled wort and secondary in different batches.

My most recent batch was a really easy batch. 4lbs light DME and leaf hops. Weak, I know, but most of my friends can't handle anything over budweiser, so I gave them that. I used a lot of super moss in this batch. I've yet to try one, but the bottles are very clear. I've one in the freezer right now for a quick chill.

Now, how do you all get clarity from a brew? It's not like it really bothers me, I love my beers. I just want to see that crystal clear beer as I pour it for my friends.

The happy mug said:

I've been brewing for almost a year now. I've made some great beers. I have never, however, made a clear beer. My clarity has always been poor. I use "super moss" - irish moss with yeast nutrients. I usually add a quarter teaspoon for the final 15 minutes of boiling. I have also added it to cooled wort and secondary in different batches.

My most recent batch was a really easy batch. 4lbs light DME and leaf hops. Weak, I know, but most of my friends can't handle anything over budweiser, so I gave them that. I used a lot of super moss in this batch. I've yet to try one, but the bottles are very clear. I've one in the freezer right now for a quick chill.

Now, how do you all get clarity from a brew? It's not like it really bothers me, I love my beers. I just want to see that crystal clear beer as I pour it for my friends.

Click to expand...

Your options are kind of limited, in my experience.

1. If bottling, let it sit a while. When you pour, don't pour the last little bit that contains the sediment.

2. Keg. You avoid most sediment that comes from bottle carbonating.

3. Filter. You really need kegs to do this properly.

4. Let it sit and condition longer before doing any of the above, then carefully rack to avoid transferring sediment. Best to use a secondary as well.

I always use a secondary. I just started using a party pig, and it's full of my newest batch. This is only the third batch to go through it. Also, I have bottles that have sat around for quite a while. They look clear warm, but they have chill haze issues, even after sitting in the fridge for a few weeks.

Stop using the Irish moss and start using whirlflock tablets. At 1 the last 15 minutes of your boil. Then quick chill your wort. Take it from boiling to 75 in 20 minutes or less. This will precipitate nearly all the protiens out of suspension.

At the end of your 2 week secondary, put the carboy in a fridge for 1 more week.

This will drop most of the remaining yeast out of suspension but will still leave enough for carbonation if you choose to prime.

If you have the ability to force carbonate, just rack it off the layer of yeast and carbonate. Your beer will be clear.

I'm 50/50 on getting good clarity in my beers. Since clarity problems are primarily a result of proteins, I generally aim for a very strong boil for a good hot break, add Irish moss @ 15min to go (continuing strong boil), and then go for as rapid a cool as I can with some whirlpooling. That will get you in a 'best case scenario' in the fermenters (most proteins precipitated and not in the fermenter). Secondary aging seems to help, and now that the weather has cooled I've moved mine to the garage where they stay ~50F.

I got amazing clarity in my ***** Creek ESB clone this way, although my APA still has some haze (perhaps due to the lb of wheat in it).

ScottT

Whirlflock tablets? I've never heard of them. Please elaborate.

Also, there's no room for a carboy in my fridge. It's full of....condiments and thanksgiving leftovers. I would like to try it, though.

Also, that new batch I was telling you about is clearer than anything before, but still a bit cloudy. I can see through it, but not very far (two feet maybe). I'm certain time will ease this. This party pig is going to sit until new years!

Just imagine Budweiser, and then make it good. That's what I have here.

http://www.morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=16803

Hey, you live in Colorado, improvise, set it outside wrapped in a blanket for a few days.

The happy mug:


For what it's worth, I read in Better Beer & How to Brew It, that most malts produced in the US are the "under-modified" types. They should undergo a 110-120 degree protein modification cycle during the mashing process. This usually lasts for 30 minutes. Otherwise, you may end up with excessive protein left in the beer. "This can lead to problems of clarity in the beer, particularly from hazes developing when the beer is chilled."

ScottT said:

http://www.morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=16803

Hey, you live in Colorado, improvise, set it outside wrapped in a blanket for a few days.

Click to expand...

ScottT, my friend. You're believing the myth that we live under 3 feet of ice all winter long.

I drove around today in a short sleeve shirt, my windows down and stereo blasting, enjoying the sun. It's the end of November, no less.

In addition to the other suggestions already elaborated on, there are finings such as Super Kleen K.C. and Polyclar, which can be added to the secondary. I've never tried them, but I know they exist. Check northerbrewer.com or grapeandgranary.com. White Labs also makes a yeast nutrient called servomyces that can be added to the boil.

Also, doing a full-wort boil, making a yeast starter and chilling the wort quickly after the boil are helpful in getting rid of excess proteins, chill-haze, etc. Good luck!

I put a teaspoon of geletain in my Pumpkin Patch Ale while it was in the secondary. It's crystal clear without the bottle sediment.
My home-made immersion chiller does drop my wort from 200 to 75 in about 12 minutes!

I was wondering about the gelatin. Does it work as well as the IM or flok? Does it get all gummed up in the bottom of the boil kettle? J/K.

I've used gelatin once, and I did a lot of searching around and reading before trying it. The general method for use is to dissolve it in a cup or two of hot water and add it to the beer IN THE SECONDARY two to three days before bottling. You do not add it to the boil.

Thinking back on that batch (just 3 months ago), I would say that the use of gelatin did little to nothing for the clarity of my beer. I had no chill-haze in that batch, but I also did not use any grains in that batch and THAT'S what actually helped the clarity... not the gelatin. At least, this is what I think to be true.

I decided that the gelatin was just one more step to do for the beer and was of dubious value. I probably will never use it again, unless I want to prove to myself that it was that lack of specialty grains in that one batch that made it come out clear and not the gelatin.

I should also note that I had to work extra hard to clean out my carboy after using the gelatin. The stuff was pretty clingy and I had to scrub more than normal to get it off the glass, even after a soak in VERY hot water.

My $0.02.

-walker

Thanks everybody, I appreciate the advice.

Could somebody please elaborate on whirlflock tablets? I am interested in learning more about them.

Also, Walker, I was about to use gelatin in my current batch. I will take your warning to heart and save myself the scrubbing. Thank you. I'll probably try polyclar instead. I'm putting my party pig (saving this baby for new years!) in the fridge a week before to help clarity.

Edit: ScottT, I missed your link from earlier. Thank you very much.