To Whirlfloc or not to Whirlfloc

[shamfein]

Hey all,

Just wanted to get peoples opinions on Finings in general, for my first 2 dozen batches i always uses a whirlfloc tablet. For the last 5 or so batches i havent used any finings. I do note that the beer is clowdy for the first month in the bottle and then it gradually clears out.

I just wonder if its for the sake of asthetics why bother, i love cloudy beer just as much as crystal clear beer.

Vistors who come to the house do look at it like it some sort of magic potion but once they taste it they quickly get over the cloudy beer.

 

[eadavis80]

Aren't they super cheap? I use Irish Moss, which is super cheap. So, I guess figure out for yourself if the cost is worth it for you to have clearer beer within the first 30 days? If your visitors look at your beer like some sort of "magic potion" do they call you Professor Snape? Sorry, my son has been reading/watching Harry Potter 24/7 this summer so now it's even consuming me. In fact, we've been playing a ps3 Harry Potter game together where there are levels where you brew potions. Now, if only they had a beer brewing game?

 

[wilserbrewer]

I like using whirlfloc, I believe the suspended particles in a cloudy beer can bind to the hop oils and change the hop character....also less sediment when cleaning kegs. Clearer beer is just not for aesthetics IMO. Gelatin works great as well, but I recall reading that it can strip the beer too clean, negating some hop presence. Idk

 

[iijakii]

I don't do anything apart from a cold crash and never have clarity issues and my fermenter doesn't have excessive trub by any means, so I don't particularly understand the necessity.

 

[Psylocide]

Whirlfloc is super-cheap and has contributed greatly to the clarity of my brews. If you don't care, don't bother.

 

[TheMadKing]

brulosopher did an XBMT with irish moss. His result was that the beer with the moss settled faster, but in the end there was little actual difference in clarity, and if anything the non-treated beer was clearer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Oops, forgot to clarify. I feel the benefits of using whirlfloc is greater when I no chill. If chilling, the wort is clear to the fermenter either way. When no chilling, the wort is substantially clearer with, vs without the whirlfloc.

 

[Psylocide]

Oops, forgot to clarify. I feel the benefits of using whirlfloc is greater when I no chill. If chilling, the wort is clear to the fermenter either way. When no chilling, the wort is substantially clearer with, vs without the whirlfloc.

I no chill exclusively... I should have added that. Whirlfloc is a must IMO.

 

[TheBeerGuy]

I have always used whirfloc or irish moss in all my batches pretty much since I started brewing. For the cost of them its pennies for a clear beer IMO. Now I need to start cold crashing and maybe I'll not use them anymore.

 

[Natdavis777]

I use it bc I have a plethora, and I like certain beers to clear up to an extent. I will say that my last hefe quickly turned into a krystalweizen after a few weeks in the keg without whirlfloc.

 

[BrewerBrad82]

I really enjoy using Whirlfloc in all my batches. It is especially useful if you happen to ferment in a conical. I find that Whirlfloc causes the break material to settle out MUCH more quickly, so therefore I dont have to wait as long to dump the trub from the bottom of the cone before I pitch yeast.

 

[Yesfan]

I always use it. I can see the difference when I don't. Dark beers like stouts, I don't even bother.

Isn't whirlfloc the same thing as Irish moss, but in a pill form?

 

[Natdavis777]

I always use it. I can see the difference when I don't. Dark beers like stouts, I don't even bother.

Isn't whirlfloc the same thing as Irish moss, but in a pill form?

I believe its the same thing, carrageenan.

 

[unionrdr]

Yes, it is same thing. One tablet is good for 10 gallons, according to the label. so I use my pill splitter to neatly cut them in half for 5 gallon batches. Added like 15 minutes left in the boil, they work quite well. Then when I strain the chilled wort into the fermenter & top off with cold spring water, I get a nice little cold break settling out quite rapidly with the trub & such. It's also good for my hybrid lagers that always have some little protein haze to them.

 

[Natdavis777]

I always use it. I can see the difference when I don't. Dark beers like stouts, I don't even bother.

Isn't whirlfloc the same thing as Irish moss, but in a pill form?

I believe its the same thing, carrageenan.

 

[catdaddy66]

whirlfloc is super-cheap and has contributed greatly to the clarity of my brews. If you don't care, don't bother.

+1