Irish Moss

Not sure if this should be here or general techniques, but here goes.

I got my kit off of craigslist, and it came with some Irish Moss. My first batch, an IPA, has been in the secondary for just over a week, and I was wondering if adding the Irish Moss would be a good idea. Would it increase my chance for infection? When is the ideal time to add Irish Moss? Does Irish Moss go bad? How can you tell if its still good or not. The guy I bought the kit from had not brewed in some time, so there is no telling how old it is.

You throw the Irish Moss in for the last 10 minutes or so of the boil - it just makes the beer clearer. Shouldn't be a risk for infection. I have no idea if it spoils or not.

Ahh ok, its added durring the boil. For some reason I thought maybe it was added to the secondary before or after transfer...Thanks

There are products called finings that can be used post-ferment to clarify an ale, but Irish moss only works in the boil. Just about everything I've read says the last 10-15 minutes... except the instructions on the Irish moss package. Those say put it in at the start. Doesn't seem to matter.

I was just wondering...did youj ust follow the instruction from the kit?

Do you NOT have a copy of Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing or John Palmer's How To Brew (version 1 FREE on-line)?

Both of them would have told you when to use IM.

I know I did a hell of a lot of reading for about a month before I even boiled the water for my first batch.

Yes I did follow the instructions that came with the kit. I did read through the how to brew book, the first section about making your first brew, but I didnt really go past that. I cant sit and read like that on the computer. I will have to pick up the Joy of home brewing book.

It was more of an afterthought then a "need to do" kind of thing.

Yeah like everyone else said add the Irish moss during the boil and it will help clarify your beer, I don't think putting in your secondary will really do anything.

Irish moss is a dried seaweed that contains a substance (carrageenan) that becomes soluble in the wort when added to the boil. This substance combines well with malt proteins as the wort cools improving the clarity of the finished beer by precipitating the proteins that cause beer haze. Irish moss if kept dried, will not go bad and yes, it needs to be added in the kettle boil to be most effective.

Dr Malt

I've been using IM that's gotta be at least 5 yrs old with no ill effects. I use it in almost every beer, and mine are crystal clear!

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I have a question about irish moss. Does anyone know what happens if you add too much irish moss? I just brewed an ESB, and instead of adding the 2 teaspoons that the recipe called for, I added 2 tablespoons. Oops! I don't think it will have a detrimental effect on my beer, but if anyone has any experience with this, I would appreciate a little insight. And I will read the recipe more carefully next time. I guess I'm about a month away from finding out the answer to my question!

Irish moss is one of those things where more is not always better. Using too much Irish moss can cause haze itself. Its like not enough can result in hazy beer, the right concentration range results in clear beer, and excess causes hazy beer. Whether 2 tablespoons versus 2 teaspoons is enough to cause haze is hard to say. You may not see a problem. Also, don't use more than you need as Irish moss is expensive. The right concentration varies with the wort and the concentration of the proteins in the wort so there is no standard amount for all applications.

Dr Malt

Thanks for the insight, Dr. Malt. I'm not too worried about the clarity, I was just hoping that it wouldn't affect the taste. At my LHBS, an ounce of irish moss is only $1.55, so the cost is fairly minimal. Thanks for the info, though, as I had no idea that adding too much would actually cause haze.