Chill Haze?

Howdy,

My beer is super clear until I put it in the fridge. Then It get's really hazy and never clears up. I use Irish moss as a clearing agent!

Any ideas why this happens and how I can get it to clear?

Thanks,
Marc

I've heard that gelatin in the secondary will help prevent this.

The lack of a cold break can cause a chill haze.

Are you making an ale or lager?

Some grains, if steeped instead of mashed, can contribute to chill haze, carapils is one, I am sure there are others.

A little cold conditioning clears up my beers. I put them in the fridge for about three weeks and they are crystal clear.


Dan

cold condition for 3+ weeks and it will clear up real nice, I usually can't wait that long so I only get clear beer towards the end of the keg.

JeepGuy said:

I've heard that gelatin in the secondary will help prevent this.

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This works wonders for my pale ales.

bandt9299 said:

cold condition for 3+ weeks and it will clear up real nice, I usually can't wait that long so I only get clear beer towards the end of the keg.

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I have the same exact thing happen. I hate that.

On the upside, when my beer runs clear out of the keg, I know that I'm about to run out.

lol... 3 weeks damn! Well maybe I'll give it a go and see how it turns out. Thanks guys

By using gelatin in the carboy a couple of days prior to brewing your beer will go into the keg clear...as long as you don't prime...

homebrewer_99 said:

By using gelatin in the carboy a couple of days prior to brewing your beer will go into the keg clear...as long as you don't prime...

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Brewing or Kegging?

-a,

I prime in the bottle so that's out

Gelatin won't remove chill haze but polyclar will.

Chill haze is caused by protiens coming out of solution and clumping together due to the cold temps. High mash ph is a common cause of extreme chill haze, check your mash ph to make sure you are in the correct range 5.2 ph. High mash ph can cause other problems such as harsh bitterness from the hops and astringency. Like others have said a few weeks in the fridge and you'll have nice clear beer.

polyclar (pvpp products) remove polyphenols and tannins that cause haze over time (uaually in bottled beers) and not chill haze.

I myself haven't used it, but was advised the correct product to use for chill haze is ( daraclar 920 ) or if you want to combat both with one product use (polyclar plus 730).

I've noticed a sharp reduction in chill haze since I switched to a CFC. I get much more cold break than when I used an IC, and I think that has made the difference.

I also use 1/2 tablet of whirlfloc for 10 mins in the boil, but I've done that since my first brew.

Since the original post, I started using gelatin finings in my secondary and WOW, what a difference.

The beer starts to clear in the secondary within an hour or so and by day 5-6, it's ready for kegging. It has made a huge difference in clarity at cold temperatures too.

Tis nice to serve a clear, cold brew from the tap.

I'm in the chill it for a few weeks crowd. 1 week primary, 1 week secondary @ 68f then 2 weeks @ 38f. Crystal Clear!

Do you guys boil the gelatin before adding to the secondary, or just add it in powdered form? Thanks!

You're supposed to dissolve it in a cup of water or something like that, boiling it will mess things up (I think). There should be directions on the package, follow those.

gelatin eh... I'll have to try that for sure. I actually prefer just to let it stay cool for 3 weeks rather than adding finings to my beer. I'll try both and see what happens... thanks for the help guys

yeah gelitan you have to use some hot water for it to disolve good the add it. the main thing at that stage of brewing is to reduce the amount of free oxygen water to the beer. also use it quick it get to be a mess if it has time to settle

Hmmm, chill haze is coagulated proteins, and they usually occur below 10-12 C. With wheat, this is unavoidable. With barley, you can minimize it by using well modified malt, doing a protein rest and/or mashing at low temperatures, but you will never be able to remove it completely.

The only way to remove chill haze is to filter the beer at really low temperature. But that is a lager thing.

I've been using gelatin in the keg when racking directly from the primary with good results. After 10-14 days in the primary, I rack to the keg and add gelatin (soaked for 30 minutes in cool water then brought up to 180 F) right into the keg. After 3 days, the beer is settled out and the first pint is sediment. The next pints are clear. Gelatin also helps form a firmer sediment of yeast in the bottom of the keg.

LS_Grimmy said:

lol... 3 weeks damn! Well maybe I'll give it a go and see how it turns out. Thanks guys

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The beer will taste better with a little conditioning time anyway.