Questions on using gelatin to clarify & dry hopping

[AnbyG]

Right now I am brewing my first ever IPA (5 gallon batch) in my primary. Pitched the yeast last Sunday, and yesterday I saw that the krausen has dropped to the bottom. Primary fermentation will finish by this Sunday. I intend to do one round of dry hopping with 1 oz of cascade hop pellets and thinking of cleaning up the beer with some gelatin. I will bottle condition the beer.

So here is what I am thinking of doing. I will add the hop pellets tonight, and then I will bottle the beer this Monday. Hopefully 3 days are enough for dry hopping. I will add the gelatin while bottling. Once I bottle the beers, I am planning to leave them at room temperature for 1 week. Don't have any space to have a dedicated refrigerator for the homebrew. And then I will progressively put them all inside my little refrigerator, 4-5 days before I start drinking them. From what I have read, gelatin coagulates to a much greater degree only after cold crashing it (moving the bottles to the refrigerator). So it is not going to strip out all the yeast and carbonation in bottles will not be affected. Correct me if my logic is flawed.

I have read on a thread here on this forum that gelatin potentially can remove some of the hop aroma and flavor of the beer. I don't think I can avoid it unless I dry hop after addition of gelatin to the primary which may or may not work very well, since I can't lower the temperature of the entire primary fermenter. But then how do I remove the hop pellets from the primary during bottling, certainly not all of them are gonna drop to the bottom ?

One last question, do I need to crush the hop pellets to small fines before adding them to my brew for dry hopping ?

 

[bleme]

Definitely do NOT crush the hop pellets.

I only dry hop in a bag with some weight. I use marbles. I use a biggish bag so they have plenty of room to move around, then squeeze out some of the hop juice before I bottle.

Can't speak on gelatin as I have never used the stuff. If I get clear beer, great. If not, that's fine too. I do cold crash as that makes it easier to transfer and leaves a lot less trub in my bottles.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Brulosphy.com. Get to know them.
Here is his process for using Geletin. I haven't tried it yet but this is what he always does.

http://brulosophy.com/2015/01/05/the-gelatin-effect-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Calder]

I can't cold crash my beers, and I use gelatin all the time with good results. I don't use Irish Moss, so I need to use gelatin in a lot of beers to clear them.

I usually add the gelatin a few days before I dry hop. If I dry hop with leaf, I'll put them in a bag with weights, but if pellets, I just toss them in and let them swim free. When using pellets, when I rack to the bottling bucket, I wrap a 5 gallon pain straining bag (available from hardware stores) around the end of the cane (on the suction side), and it keeps all hops debris out of the bottling bucket.

No need to crush pellets.

 

[oylerck]

I can't cold crash my beers, and I use gelatin all the time with good results. I don't use Irish Moss, so I need to use gelatin in a lot of beers to clear them.



I usually add the gelatin a few days before I dry hop. If I dry hop with leaf, I'll put them in a bag with weights, but if pellets, I just toss them in and let them swim free. When using pellets, when I rack to the bottling bucket, I wrap a 5 gallon pain straining bag (available from hardware stores) around the end of the cane (on the suction side), and it keeps all hops debris out of the bottling bucket.



No need to crush pellets.

If gelatin works warm, then by all means do it. Dryhop after gelatin. Make take a couple days but it's usually like glass after 5 days. At least at 40 for me.

Also dryhop at room temp. I keg so I can dryhop and partially carb at the same time.

 

[Calder]

If gelatin works warm, then by all means do it.

Gelatin works warm. If the beer is cloudy at room temp, it will clear it at room temp.

The advantage of adding it when cold, is that you can also remove any protein haze that you might have. At room temp, the protein haze disappears, and gelatin will not remove it. At cold temps protein haze forms, and while it is formed (cold) gelatin will remove it.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Never used gelatin, but used to ferment in my closet and made some pretty clear beer with that method. I wouldn't add gelatin as it only coagulates the yeast anyways, and might lend to carb'ing issues if you chill your bottles after only a week. As yeast go dormant in colder environments. Chilling the bottles alone will drop some of the yeast out of suspension, and clear your beer. Either way, haze doesn't effect taste but fermentation temps do. So I'd focus more on controlling your fermentation temps, then trying to clear it. But I guess it's personal preference.

I would place only one bottle in the fridge after a week to see the level of carbonation, but this is really young. You might have some perceived carbonation at this stage, but you probably won't have any head retention. This is because the CO2 has not had enough time to be forced into solution, therefore you won't see bubbles forming at the bottom of your glass. Took me a long time to realize that patience is the key to bottling...

Three days of dry hopping is not that long, but brewing is experimental so have at it and adjust as necessary in an subsequent brews. Have had good results with just dumping the hop pellets into the primary, and have had good results using a hop bag. Never weighed it down with marbles or anything.

 

[AnbyG]

Definitely do NOT crush the hop pellets.

I only dry hop in a bag with some weight. I use marbles. I use a biggish bag so they have plenty of room to move around, then squeeze out some of the hop juice before I bottle.

Can't speak on gelatin as I have never used the stuff. If I get clear beer, great. If not, that's fine too. I do cold crash as that makes it easier to transfer and leaves a lot less trub in my bottles.

Good point. I will use maybe an old used sterilized muslin bag.

Brulosphy.com. Get to know them.
Here is his process for using Geletin. I haven't tried it yet but this is what he always does.

http://brulosophy.com/2015/01/05/the-gelatin-effect-exbeeriment-results/

Very informative. Thanks!

I can't cold crash my beers, and I use gelatin all the time with good results. I don't use Irish Moss, so I need to use gelatin in a lot of beers to clear them.

I usually add the gelatin a few days before I dry hop. If I dry hop with leaf, I'll put them in a bag with weights, but if pellets, I just toss them in and let them swim free. When using pellets, when I rack to the bottling bucket, I wrap a 5 gallon pain straining bag (available from hardware stores) around the end of the cane (on the suction side), and it keeps all hops debris out of the bottling bucket.

No need to crush pellets.

I will add the gelatin today and then dry hop in 3-4 days or so.

Never used gelatin, but used to ferment in my closet and made some pretty clear beer with that method. I wouldn't add gelatin as it only coagulates the yeast anyways, and might lend to carb'ing issues if you chill your bottles after only a week. As yeast go dormant in colder environments. Chilling the bottles alone will drop some of the yeast out of suspension, and clear your beer. Either way, haze doesn't effect taste but fermentation temps do. So I'd focus more on controlling your fermentation temps, then trying to clear it. But I guess it's personal preference.

I would place only one bottle in the fridge after a week to see the level of carbonation, but this is really young. You might have some perceived carbonation at this stage, but you probably won't have any head retention. This is because the CO2 has not had enough time to be forced into solution, therefore you won't see bubbles forming at the bottom of your glass. Took me a long time to realize that patience is the key to bottling...

Three days of dry hopping is not that long, but brewing is experimental so have at it and adjust as necessary in an subsequent brews. Have had good results with just dumping the hop pellets into the primary, and have had good results using a hop bag. Never weighed it down with marbles or anything.

Yep, I had issue with head retention when I opened bottles too early. I will add the gelatin and then dry hop. I guess if I don't do it I will not find it out. I might ad another round of dry hopping if the gelatin takes away too much flavor from the flat beer.

 

[Incubus2112]

Only suggestion I have (and I am new so take with grain of salt) is that you might want to add in your gelatin alongside your sugars to ensure an even distribution throughout your batch. Also, allow beer bottles to condition for a full two weeks and do not put in too much bottling sugar in order to avoid bottle-bombs. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

For adding gelatin, ensure that you not only heat up 1 cup of water, but heat it to boiling, THEN allow it to cool. This will wipe out critters.

I recently realized that I didn't do this my first time and could have contaminated my own batch as I only heated the water to 150f then added the 1tsp of gelatin and mixed it in.

 

[oylerck]

Only suggestion I have (and I am new so take with grain of salt) is that you might want to add in your gelatin alongside your sugars to ensure an even distribution throughout your batch. Also, allow beer bottles to condition for a full two weeks and do not put in too much bottling sugar in order to avoid bottle-bombs. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

For adding gelatin, ensure that you not only heat up 1 cup of water, but heat it to boiling, THEN allow it to cool. This will wipe out critters.

I recently realized that I didn't do this my first time and could have contaminated my own batch as I only heated the water to 150f then added the 1tsp of gelatin and mixed it in.

Do not boil the gelatin. I've read will break down. 150 is sufficient, because the alcohol will kill pretty much everything as is. 150 should kill any yeast that may be in the packet so you won't get an infection.

 

[GrimBrewer]

You want to cold crash, 10c or under, the beer first before adding the Gelatin. Otherwise you will most likely still get Chill haze.

I follow the process i read on brulosophy. Dry hop for 7 days after primary fermentation is done, same time I let the fermenter increase in temperature.
I then start to drop the temp and when its at 10 or lower I take out the dry hop bag and add the gelatin. Wait two or more days before racking to bottling bucket.

I've not heard of anyone adding gelatin just before bottling but they do it just before keging. I think the issue with doing it before bottle conditioning is that the haze particle will still be in the bottle. It will drop to the bottom but if you move/shake the bottle it will mix again.

 

[dmtaylor]

I just made a double IPA with gelatin. Lessons learned:

Gelatin does remove some of the hop character (but not all).

Gelatin also works much better cold than warm.

From now on, if using gelatin, I shall add it before the dry hops and not after.

 

[mattdee1]

If you are even a little bit concerned that gelatin will affect hop character, then why not just skip it?

Consider:

- the beer will taste just as good without gelatin (if there is anything to the theory that gelatin affects hops, it might taste better)
- every unnecessary step you add to your process is another opportunity for something to go wrong
- if your brewing practices are even half decent, your beer will naturally clear in the fridge over the course of a few weeks, even without gelatin
- You're making an IPA, not a Pilsner... is a little bit of haze a big deal?

 

[JayEff]

- the beer will taste just as good without gelatin (if there is anything to the theory that gelatin affects hops, it might taste better)

Not to hijack this thread but I just read in another thread that cold crashing and gelatin is the only way to get rid of yeast flavor in the final product. That's the first time I hear this. I can't speak from experience - I've only recently had the first bottle of my first beer knowing full well that 11 days was too early to drink it but I was curious; the beer tasted nice but there was a distinct yeast flavor. I doubt that was related to not cold crashing though. I had only chilled the bottle for about a day, and as I said, the beer was too young.
So... is this a thing? From reading this thread, I understand gelatin+cold crashing only removes the chill haze, which makes perfect sense to me.

Another thing, if my beer is clear while warm and only forms a haze when chilled, gelatin will do nothing for clarity, will it? As in, it won't act to clarify faster in the bottle if I happen to chill one for a few days after carbing up.

Edit: I should clarify that question: gelatin will do nothing for clarity unless I cold-crash after adding gelatin to it, which means reducing its temperature to near freezing (~35F) for a couple of days right afterwards. In the bottles after carbing, the gelatin will have settled out with no effect, right?

 

[Smellyglove]

Edit: I got it wrong.

 

[mattdee1]

Not to hijack this thread but I just read in another thread that cold crashing and gelatin is the only way to get rid of yeast flavor in the final product. That's the first time I hear this. I can't speak from experience - I've only recently had the first bottle of my first beer knowing full well that 11 days was too early to drink it but I was curious; the beer tasted nice but there was a distinct yeast flavor. I doubt that was related to not cold crashing though. I had only chilled the bottle for about a day, and as I said, the beer was too young.
So... is this a thing? From reading this thread, I understand gelatin+cold crashing only removes the chill haze, which makes perfect sense to me.

Another thing, if my beer is clear while warm and only forms a haze when chilled, gelatin will do nothing for clarity, will it? As in, it won't act to clarify faster in the bottle if I happen to chill one for a few days after carbing up.

Edit: I should clarify that question: gelatin will do nothing for clarity unless I cold-crash after adding gelatin to it, which means reducing its temperature to near freezing (~35F) for a couple of days right afterwards. In the bottles after carbing, the gelatin will have settled out with no effect, right?

When talking “yeast flavors” I think a distinction needs to be made between the following 2 things:

- Flavors “thrown” by the yeast during fermentation (e.g. wheat beers, etc.) – these do not drop out with finings and pretty much become part of the beer
- Flavors of the yeast cells themselves – some beers need this as part of the style (hefeweizen) but if it is not a part of the style the yeast should not cause flavor problems if you refrigerate your bottles upright for any length of time. The bulk of the yeast will fairly quickly fall to the bottom, and get left behind when you pour to a glass (you are pouring to a glass, right? I hope so. ☺ )

A beer can look clear at room temp, then develop “chill haze” in the fridge. This happens because the beer has proteins in suspension and the lower temperatures of the fridge cause those proteins to kind of coagulate into larger particles, to the point where they’re big enough to start reflecting light – thus the visible haze in the beer.

Gelatin, if used properly, can help “pull” some of those proteins out of the beer. The gelatin consists of large (relatively speaking) positively charged particles that “attach” themselves to the haze-producing particles, which helps pull those haze particles out of suspension so that they can sink to the bottom and stop producing haze.

Chill haze is an aesthetic issue more than anything, not an issue that causes detectable off flavors. Of course that statement will have people who disagree (just like every other aspect of home brewing) but that is certainly my experience. I’ve had beers that were clear, hazy, even hazy-followed-by-clear, and I’d be lying if I said I ever detected a flavor component that I could reasonably link to chill haze.

It can be hard if you don’t have a dedicated beer fridge, but it is always best to get the whole batch of carbonated bottles chilling as soon as they’re ready to drink, rather than leaving them on a shelf and only refrigerating them a few at a time as you go. If you do the latter, then your beers are probably never getting much more than a day or two of fridge time before you enjoy them. Whereas, if you fill up the fridge, then by the time you get into the batch you’ll be pulling out bottles that have been in there for weeks. A few weeks of fridge time can do wonders for the clarity of the beer, with or without gelatin. You might be surprised… I know I was.

 

[JayEff]

It can be hard if you don’t have a dedicated beer fridge, but it is always best to get the whole batch of carbonated bottles chilling as soon as they’re ready to drink, rather than leaving them on a shelf and only refrigerating them a few at a time as you go. If you do the latter, then your beers are probably never getting much more than a day or two of fridge time before you enjoy them. Whereas, if you fill up the fridge, then by the time you get into the batch you’ll be pulling out bottles that have been in there for weeks. A few weeks of fridge time can do wonders for the clarity of the beer, with or without gelatin. You might be surprised… I know I was.

I'm somewhat aware of how gelatin works and how chill haze forms, I'm just not sure if the gelatin molecules remain active indefinitely and help to drop chill haze out of solution even weeks after adding the gelatin. And, to clarify, I did mean the yeast cell flavor as known from say, hefeweizen, not flavor produced by yeast during fermentation.

As to the fridge, I only have a basement with a fairly constant temperature of around 59F. I think that's not low enough to form and therefore clarify the chill haze - the fridge has no space left to store all the bottles there. (I'm also assuming that chilling lower forms new chill haze even if the basement storage dropped some out)

I'm not too concerned with the looks of the beer (that even includes head, for now), but whatever I can achieve with low effort and little to no cost, I'd like to try

And yes. I do pour. Maybe not commercial beers, but something I spent money on for hops, only to not get a whiff of hop aroma through the bottle neck? No way!

 

[MSK_Chess]

Some things to note for those interested. There are varying degrees of strength of gelatin depending on its bloom strength. These are strangely enough named after metals, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. A gelatin like powdered Knox is between gold and platinum with a bloom strength of 225 which is pretty high and makes it excellent for clearing beer.

Another important thing to remember is that we don't want to introduce oxygen into our beer. To avoid this we can pre boil water and let it cool down, quickly if possible. What dosage? Its been established practice to use a gram per gallon, which means for a five gallon batch five grams mixed with about 20-50ml water per gram, 250ml altogether. In the US this would equate to a 1 cup of water and a teaspoon of gelatin for a five gallon batch.

How does gelatin work? Yeast, some haze causing proteins etc tend to be negatively charged and gelatin being positively charged attracts them. They agglomerate which in turn causes them to settle out in time. Here is a pretty good presentation on how to use gelatin.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgLnSWkm2sM[/ame]

 

[tooldudetool]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a 1 oz dry hop in 5 gallons of IPA, that will contribute next to nothing in aroma... for 5 gallons of IPA you should be dry hopping with 3-5 oz if you really want any hop aroma from it...

 

[oylerck]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a 1 oz dry hop in 5 gallons of IPA, that will contribute next to nothing in aroma... for 5 gallons of IPA you should be dry hopping with 3-5 oz if you really want any hop aroma from it...

I used 2oz in my last and it turned out pretty good.

 

[Calder]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a 1 oz dry hop in 5 gallons of IPA, that will contribute next to nothing in aroma... for 5 gallons of IPA you should be dry hopping with 3-5 oz if you really want any hop aroma from it...

A couple of ozs work fine.

 

[Robdog289]

I have brewed 25 + batches. I have never cold crashed or used gelatin. I get crystal clear beer every time.
I use SS brewtech brew bucket which i ferment and bottle from the same vessel. no secondary either

 

[johnwpowell]

I have brewed 25 + batches. I have never cold crashed or used gelatin. I get crystal clear beer every time.
I use SS brewtech brew bucket which i ferment and bottle from the same vessel. no secondary either

How long do you age the beer then?

 

[eric19312]

Gelatin needs cold beer. Not worth using in room temp beer. Isinglass may wort warm. If you can't cold crash I'd just get your dry hop in there...let them swim...and carefully rack to bottling bucket when ready. No need to strain, just start your raking cane near middle of fermentor and gradually lower as you rack. The small amount of hop and yeast carried over when you get greedy will mostly be left in the bottling bucket. The straining system creates possible sanitation issue and seems more likely to disturb the Lois stuff at bottom of fermentor compared to careful racking.

 

[johnwpowell]

Some things to note for those interested. There are varying degrees of strength of gelatin depending on its bloom strength. These are strangely enough named after metals, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. A gelatin like powdered Knox is between gold and platinum with a bloom strength of 225 which is pretty high and makes it excellent for clearing beer.

Another important thing to remember is that we don't want to introduce oxygen into our beer. To avoid this we can pre boil water and let it cool down, quickly if possible. What dosage? Its been established practice to use a gram per gallon, which means for a five gallon batch five grams mixed with about 20-50ml water per gram, 250ml altogether. In the US this would equate to a 1 cup of water and a teaspoon of gelatin for a five gallon batch.

How does gelatin work? Yeast, some haze causing proteins etc tend to be negatively charged and gelatin being positively charged attracts them. They agglomerate which in turn causes them to settle out in time. Here is a pretty good presentation on how to use gelatin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgLnSWkm2sM

That video over complicates the process and he makes several mistakes.

All you need to do is to take 1/4 cup tap water and add 1/2 tsp knox to. Heat in a microwave in 5 second intervals stirring with a digital thermometer. Once you hit about 150 you have a few options on using it. My approach is to add it to my sanitized keg and then purge and do a closed transfer from a cold crashed fermenter into it. Store in the fridge to carbonate. After a few days, and after the first pour, the beer is clear.

 

[MSK_Chess]

That video over complicates the process and he makes several mistakes.

All you need to do is to take 1/4 cup tap water and add 1/2 tsp knox to. Heat in a microwave in 5 second intervals stirring with a digital thermometer. Once you hit about 150 you have a few options on using it. My approach is to add it to my sanitized keg and then purge and do a closed transfer from a cold crashed fermenter into it. Store in the fridge to carbonate. After a few days, and after the first pour, the beer is clear.

The presenter explained that the procedure is prolonged and I have tried both methods. As was stated we do not want to introduce oxygen into our beer post fermentation so using water straight from the tap i feel is out of the question. This is not so critical when the beer is a malt forward beer but it is critical when its a hop forward beer because post fermentation oxygen can have a very detrimental effect on hoppy beers. I personally have introduced gelatin to my kegs but prefer to actually filter my beer to remove any PVPP and gelatin with a 5 micron and a 1 micron filter and then keg it.

I don't think the video makes any mistakes at least none that are discernible to me.

 

[MSK_Chess]

I have brewed 25 + batches. I have never cold crashed or used gelatin. I get crystal clear beer every time.
I use SS brewtech brew bucket which i ferment and bottle from the same vessel. no secondary either

Even at cold temperatures?

 

[johnwpowell]

The presenter explained that the procedure is prolonged and I have tried both methods. As was stated we do not want to introduce oxygen into our beer post fermentation so using water straight from the tap i feel is out of the question. This is not so critical when the beer is a malt forward beer but it is critical when its a hop forward beer because post fermentation oxygen can have a very detrimental effect on hoppy beers. I personally have introduced gelatin to my kegs but prefer to actually filter my beer to remove any PVPP and gelatin with a 5 micron and a 1 micron filter and then keg it.

I don't think the video makes any mistakes at least none that are discernible to me.

First the whole process takes 1 hour to hydrate plus another 15 minutes.

I agree with you on the oxygen point. Next time I will boil the water to eliminate it.

As for mistakes:
At 1:30 he calls the gelatin yeast.
At 2:20 he sanitizers the whisk but doesn't allow enough time for it to work
At 3:40 he says add gelatin to the fermenter and then purge the fermenter of co2

Sorry to split hairs.

 

[MSK_Chess]

First the whole process takes 1 hour to hydrate plus another 15 minutes.

I agree with you on the oxygen point. Next time I will boil the water to eliminate it.

As for mistakes:
At 1:30 he calls the gelatin yeast.
At 2:20 he sanitizers the whisk but doesn't allow enough time for it to work
At 3:40 he says add gelatin to the fermenter and then purge the fermenter of co2

Sorry to split hairs.

He is human and prone to aberration and we should make allowances. There is little to be gained by pedantry.

As for allowing the gelatin to 'bloom' prior to heating it is done to ensure that it dissolves and disperses more effectively. It appears to me to be like pitching a dry yeast, those who use dry yeast don't have to rehydrate it but many people do take the extra step. I have no problem waiting for my gelatin to bloom. If I was catching an aeroplane or a train then it might be of some concern but its just not that big a deal waiting some little time. I have to wait for the PVPP to rehydrate anyway. I will be letting my gelatin 'bloom' in a shallow dish in de-aerated water prior to heating it to 70 Celsius just as Brewviking demonstrates. Why should I not?

 

[johnwpowell]

He is human and prone to aberration and we should make allowances. There is little to be gained by pedantry.

As for allowing the gelatin to 'bloom' prior to heating it is done to ensure that it dissolves and disperses more effectively. It appears to me to be like pitching a dry yeast, those who use dry yeast don't have to rehydrate it but many people do take the extra step. I have no problem waiting for my gelatin to bloom. If I was catching an aeroplane or a train then it might be of some concern but its just not that big a deal waiting some little time. I have to wait for the PVPP to rehydrate anyway. I will be letting my gelatin 'bloom' in a shallow dish in de-aerated water prior to heating it to 70 Celsius just as Brewviking demonstrates. Why should I not?

I'll give it a try next time. Always open to trying something new

 

[MSK_Chess]

I'll give it a try next time. Always open to trying something new

To be honest with you JP I think an hour is rather excessive. I have read that those who actually produce gelatin or use it everyday i.e. cooks and chefs talk more in terms of fifteen minutes. The reason that I use PVPP (polyclar 730) prior to using gelatine (2 hours prior according to manufactures instructions) is that it contains silica gel which has a large surface area and is negatively charged. It selectively traps the poly-phenols and haze causing proteins and when you add gelatin which is positively charged, they attract and conglomerate and settle out. I've had ok result using only polyclar730 and pretty good results using only gelatin, but together they are awesome.

 

[johnwpowell]

To be honest with you JP I think an hour is rather excessive. I have read that those who actually produce gelatin or use it everyday i.e. cooks and chefs talk more in terms of fifteen minutes. The reason that I use PVPP (polyclar 730) prior to using gelatine (2 hours prior according to manufactures instructions) is that it contains silica gel which has a large surface area and is negatively charged. It selectively traps the poly-phenols and haze causing proteins and when you add gelatin which is positively charged, they attract and conglomerate and settle out. I've had ok result using only polyclar730 and pretty good results using only gelatin, but together they are awesome.

Can you give me step by step how to use them together?

 

[MSK_Chess]

Can you give me step by step how to use them together?

sure

PVPP (polyclar730) needs to be rehydrated. The manufacturers instructions state to use 5 grams (0.18 oz) for a 23 litre (5 gallon) batch. I have tried this but found that eight (0.28oz) is better. You can use up to 15 grams per batch.

First I chill my beer to -1 Celsius (30F) for a few days to precipitate haze forming elements.

In order to rehydrate you simply boil 250-300 ml (1 cup US) of water and add the Polyclar730. I rehydrate it on a stir plate. Manufactures state that 15 min minimum is required but I have read elsewhere that longer is better. Once its rehydrated I decant the excess water (it sinks to the bottom, like yeast) and introduce it into the beer gingerly stirring the surface to make sure its evenly distributed. After two hours I introduce the gelatin using a similar technique of gently stirring it to make sure it evenly distributed. If I could I would do a closed transfer but I don't have the equipment yet.

I let it sit for three or four days at -1 (30F) and simply rack it off into a keg. Mostly I filter it if its a light beer using a 5 micron and a 1 micron filter (just to filter out any gelatin or other particulates that are in suspicion) If its a dark beer sometimes I don't filter it. Its basically just the same as using gelatine.

 

[MSK_Chess]

I would just like to add that I read that some people add their gelatin first but I have never tried it being content to follow the manufacturers instructions.

 

[AnbyG]

UPDATE: Thanky ou all for your posts! I did a batch with gelatin and one without. I like the one without gelatin better! I will not bother about using gelatin in my IPAs!

 

[Calder]

UPDATE: Thank you all for your posts! I did a batch with gelatin and one without. I like the one without gelatin better! I will not bother about using gelatin in my IPAs!

You can't just say that and be done!!!

Were they the same beer? How and when did you add the gelatin? What were the differences between the beers flavor, aroma, clarity?

 

[AnbyG]

You can't just say that and be done!!!

Were they the same beer? How and when did you add the gelatin? What were the differences between the beers flavor, aroma, clarity?

The beers were nearly the same, I used the same extract kit, and the same grains, and but the hops were slightly different. 3/4 hops were the same in both beers. The one with gelatin had 2 oz of Chinook, while the one without had 1 oz of Chinook and 1 oz of Cascade added with 15 min or so of boil remaining. The quantity of grains was almost the same.

The clarity was hands down better with gelatin.

The flavor and aroma was better in the one without gelatin. I can't pinpoint it to the gelatin, I don't think I am a huge fan of Chinook.

I added the gelatin in the primary itself after 10 days and let it settle for 3-4 days. The primary was left in the kitchen. So my guess is that the gelatin did not take out all the stuff in it, but did take out enough to give me a clearer beer.

I moved the bottles to the fridge only after secondary was complete. The fizz was there in both the beers, but the one with gelatin was clearer.

I see no point in adding gelatin to fermenters as I have no way of controlling the temperature. In future I might add a bit to the bottling bucket, let it ferment all the way and once carbonation is complete then move to the fridge to see it the gelatin settles down nice and easy. But I have realized that I can totally live without a clearer beer for the sake of taste. If I do add more gelatin this will be just to indulge in some professional quality photographs of my beers!