How to make Gluten Free beer clearer

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andrewdell19

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So I have noticed that when I add gelatin to the secondary (1 tbsp gelatin 1 cup of water) it helps the beer become much clearer (and takes some of that sorghum taste out). When the beer is cloudy I assume that it still has the sorghum proteins suspended in the beer and when I add the gelatin it takes the suspended proteins out (creates almost a net).

When I do not add the gelatin, the beer does not get clear and has that sorghum taste to it.

So on my most recent batch, I put the gelatin in and waited a few days (usually that is all it takes) and nothing- did not help at all. So I did it again last Friday and only the bottom 1/4 of the carboy is clearer. Weird! Usually it works on the first try.

It has also been at 46 degrees for about a week (cold crashing) and that did not help.

What do you guys do to make the gluten free beer clear? Any suggestions? When do you add the polyclar (or whatever it is called). Any help would be great!
 
Well crap! I realized I was using PBW as my sanitizer for this brew... so maybe the cloudy beer is due to it being infected with some foreign bacteria... ugh! That means I used it for my Oatmeal Choc Stout that I just brewed this weekend. Ugh I hope it doesnt screw that beer up too... great! I should label things clearer.
 
Have you tried Irish Moss? I use that in most of my beers when I don't get too drunk and forget to put it in. I also try to cool my beer as fast as possible, which I think helps the clarity.
 
+1 on what Lcasanova stated. I also filter my wort from the kettle to the carboy with a coarse grain bag before I pitch my yeast. After a few weeks, all of my GF beers are very, if not crystal, clear.
 
I use what my LHBS has called Super Moss. It says to use a tsp at 15 minutes but I mix up a tsp with 1 ounce of water and let it sit for 10 minutes to swell up before I add it. AND I add one at 30 minutes and one at 15 minutes (Time left in boil) Seems to work OK for me...
 
Irish moss as well. I use a mesh bag to filter as well, but it's mostly to keep the leftover hops from going into the primary. By the second or third week, it's clear. Haven't tried the gelatin yet. I've considered it but most of the time I'm in no hurry so I don't mind letting it sit for a while.

And when you found out about the PBW, how did you use it? Like Starsan?
 
Irish moss as well. I use a mesh bag to filter as well, but it's mostly to keep the leftover hops from going into the primary. By the second or third week, it's clear. Haven't tried the gelatin yet. I've considered it but most of the time I'm in no hurry so I don't mind letting it sit for a while.

And when you found out about the PBW, how did you use it? Like Starsan?

With the PBW I filled the sink with hot water, added whatever amount it says to add, let the primary and other materials soak for 15 mins or so...

I use Irish Moss yes- 1 tsp added directly to the boil. I will try adding it to water first and then adding that to the boil. I will also try using it twice in the boil.

To cool the wort I use the ice bath method stiring the wort to help it cool faster. I just dump the kettle into the primary and dont use the siphon. I will try putting a grain bag at the end of the siphon and go from kettle to primary that way.

I still think I am doing something wrong but I cant for the life of my figure it out.

Thanks for the advice!
 
With the PBW I filled the sink with hot water, added whatever amount it says to add, let the primary and other materials soak for 15 mins or so...

I use Irish Moss yes- 1 tsp added directly to the boil. I will try adding it to water first and then adding that to the boil. I will also try using it twice in the boil.

To cool the wort I use the ice bath method stiring the wort to help it cool faster. I just dump the kettle into the primary and dont use the siphon. I will try putting a grain bag at the end of the siphon and go from kettle to primary that way.

I still think I am doing something wrong but I cant for the life of my figure it out.

Thanks for the advice!

PBW has saved my life on many occasions. OK, that's an exaggeration but it is really good stuff.

Don't worry too much about cooling, you can get a clear beer without cooling at all. That has other effects, but it sounds like you are doing fine, consider getting an immersion chiller though, they are cheap and easy to use.

For clarity, make sure to use some sort of agent in the boil with 10min to go. Irish Moss is what I use, but Whirlfloc is basically the same thing but a bit more powerful.

After this, the most effective way to clear something quickly is to chill it after fermentation is complete to 32-40F. This is called cold crashing and I do it for every beer I make. After 3 days, you should be good to rack a very clear beer.

If neither of these solutions work, you can look to gelatin for cleaning things up. The only other possibility I can think of after all of that is to mess with your water chemistry as that can make a beer appear cloudy.

Mostly, I noticed as I got better at my process and refined various items, the beers just cleared up on their own. I know that doesn't help much, but there are probably several ways to improve your system from quicker cooling to more controlled fermentation temperatures and they will all help you make better and clearer beer.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the infection possiblity, if it's infected, you'll know.
 
PBW has saved my life on many occasions. OK, that's an exaggeration but it is really good stuff.

Don't worry too much about cooling, you can get a clear beer without cooling at all. That has other effects, but it sounds like you are doing fine, consider getting an immersion chiller though, they are cheap and easy to use.

For clarity, make sure to use some sort of agent in the boil with 10min to go. Irish Moss is what I use, but Whirlfloc is basically the same thing but a bit more powerful.

After this, the most effective way to clear something quickly is to chill it after fermentation is complete to 32-40F. This is called cold crashing and I do it for every beer I make. After 3 days, you should be good to rack a very clear beer.

If neither of these solutions work, you can look to gelatin for cleaning things up. The only other possibility I can think of after all of that is to mess with your water chemistry as that can make a beer appear cloudy.

Mostly, I noticed as I got better at my process and refined various items, the beers just cleared up on their own. I know that doesn't help much, but there are probably several ways to improve your system from quicker cooling to more controlled fermentation temperatures and they will all help you make better and clearer beer.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the infection possiblity, if it's infected, you'll know.

Fermentation temp remains relatively constant at around 65 or so. Do you pour your kettle right into the primary? OR do you siphon it over? I might try and siphon it over with a grain bag at the end of the siphon to see if that helps any.

Usually the gelatin clears the beer right up. For some reason it is not working for this batch. I will try cold crashing for another week or so at around 35 degrees.
 
Fermentation temp remains relatively constant at around 65 or so. Do you pour your kettle right into the primary? OR do you siphon it over? I might try and siphon it over with a grain bag at the end of the siphon to see if that helps any.

Usually the gelatin clears the beer right up. For some reason it is not working for this batch. I will try cold crashing for another week or so at around 35 degrees.

You really shouldn't have to use gelatin every batch, although you can. I don't think filtering the hot and cold break or even hops out of the fermenter will really help, although I do. I do it for reasons of room in my fermenters though.

In any case, the last thing I would be worried about is clarity in these beers. Once we nail down what makes em taste good, we can worry about how they look. I made a beer that looked exactly like milk, but it tasted nice and light!
 
You really shouldn't have to use gelatin every batch, although you can. I don't think filtering the hot and cold break or even hops out of the fermenter will really help, although I do. I do it for reasons of room in my fermenters though.

In any case, the last thing I would be worried about is clarity in these beers. Once we nail down what makes em taste good, we can worry about how they look. I made a beer that looked exactly like milk, but it tasted nice and light!

Well I think the clear beers taste better- A LOT BETTER- I think my cloudy beers have suspended sorghum proteins and yeast in the beer and once you get those suspended proteins out of the beer then that takes a lot (if not all) of the sorghum taste out. I use at least 2 lbs of buckwheat roasted at different temps (to get different flavors) and make a really strong tea before adding the extract etc and I think the roasted buckwheat tastes more like a real beer. That is just what I have experienced. But then again I dont leave my beer in the secondary for more than 3 weeks so maybe i need to leave it in longer? I also keg and dont bottle and I know that the priming sugars used to bottle eat up the yeast still in the beer to make it carbonated. So maybe that has something to do with it as well?
 
Well I think the clear beers taste better- A LOT BETTER- I think my cloudy beers have suspended sorghum proteins and yeast in the beer and once you get those suspended proteins out of the beer then that takes a lot (if not all) of the sorghum taste out. I use at least 2 lbs of buckwheat roasted at different temps (to get different flavors) and make a really strong tea before adding the extract etc and I think the roasted buckwheat tastes more like a real beer. That is just what I have experienced. But then again I dont leave my beer in the secondary for more than 3 weeks so maybe i need to leave it in longer?

Tough to say on whether the suspended crap in beer is the problem or not. Side by side is the only way to really know...

Anyway, I have not noticed a correlation to Sorghum flavor and clarity. I have drank beer made entirely from Sorghum and more than a year old that had more sorghum flavor than a young, unclear beer. I have also tasted the opposite.
 
Yeah I hear ya. That is just my opinion that the clear beers taste better. IMO they are more crisp but each to their own!
 
Yeah I hear ya. That is just my opinion that the clear beers taste better. IMO they are more crisp but each to their own!

It is my experience with glutenous beers that with certain styles clear is better and certain styles the suspended stuff makes it taste better.

While this may or may not apply to GF beers, I do not think the sorghum flavor is a result of an unclear beer. Usually clarity affects the flavors given off by a yeast more than anything else.
 
It is my experience with glutenous beers that with certain styles clear is better and certain styles the suspended stuff makes it taste better.

While this may or may not apply to GF beers, I do not think the sorghum flavor is a result of an unclear beer. Usually clarity affects the flavors given off by a yeast more than anything else.

Got ya- it might be the yeast that I am tasting... is that a result of not bottling and letting the priming sugars eat the yeast?
 
Got ya- it might be the yeast that I am tasting... is that a result of not bottling and letting the priming sugars eat the yeast?

Not sure what you mean here...do you mean is the taste of yeast stronger in a bottle conditioned beer? The answer would be no, unless you shake the yeast back into suspension. You could do the same with a keg though, but they are heavier.
 
Not sure what you mean here...do you mean is the taste of yeast stronger in a bottle conditioned beer? The answer would be no, unless you shake the yeast back into suspension. You could do the same with a keg though, but they are heavier.

Well I force carb my beer and dont use priming sugar- and when you bottle you use priming sugar that eats the yeast to make carbonation- so I was wondering if bottling it and the sugars eating the yeasts would make the beer taste less like yeast... not sure if that makes sense.

I will try to bottle my next batch and see what happens.
 
Well I force carb my beer and dont use priming sugar- and when you bottle you use priming sugar that eats the yeast to make carbonation- so I was wondering if bottling it and the sugars eating the yeasts would make the beer taste less like yeast... not sure if that makes sense.

I will try to bottle my next batch and see what happens.

Yeast eat sugar, poop alcohol, and fart CO2.

Feeding yeast more sugar would only increase the number of yeast, not decrease. This would probably have no effect on the yeast flavor though, especially not in such a small amount.

Fermentation temperature affects yeast flavor more than any other single variable, well besides type of yeast.
 
Yeast eat sugar, poop alcohol, and fart CO2.

Feeding yeast more sugar would only increase the number of yeast, not decrease. This would probably have no effect on the yeast flavor though, especially not in such a small amount.

Fermentation temperature affects yeast flavor more than any other single variable, well besides type of yeast.


Can you explain this a little for me- Does the higher or lower fermentation temp increase yeast flavor in the ales that I am brewing?

Also does using Irish Moss change flavor or ABV? This thread has me thinking :drunk:
 
Can you explain this a little for me- Does the higher or lower fermentation temp increase yeast flavor in the ales that I am brewing?

Also does using Irish Moss change flavor or ABV? This thread has me thinking :drunk:

Well, it's not all increase or decrease, but more change. In general though, a higher temperature will produce more esters, which is essentially yeast flavor. High enough and you start producing fusel alcohols, which don't taste very good. The lower the temperature, the "cleaner" the taste.

The actual temperatures will vary by type of yeast.

Irish moss is just seaweed...or algae, one of those two. Either way, it just grabs onto suspended yeast and other compounds and drags em down into the trub. Shouldn't change flavor at all, at least not that anyone would notice.
 
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