Can I add Irish Moss to a kit?

[Slive]

Hey! The question is pretty much what the title is. I'd like to use 1 tbsp of Irish Moss in a pre-made kit (5 gallons). Is that going to cause any big problems with the actual brew itself? Are the kits the way they are for a reason? Or is there 'wiggle room' for additional ingredients?

Also, I've seen many different directions as to how long you should rehydrate and boil the moss. To be safe, I would just add my Irish Moss at the outset of the boil with the bittering hops and let it boil the full 60 minutes. Any suggestions there?

 

[Mutilated1]

Generally you're supposed to add it in the last 10 minutes or so of the boil. Some people rehydrate it, I just dump it in there.

1 tbsp is a lot of Irish Moss, that should do a good job.

Also, I think there is not much point in using Irish Moss unless you are making all grain or at least a partial mash, an extract batch will be pretty clear on its own, Irish Moss won't help much.

 

[Slive]

Well, it's a partial mash kit, and I've noticed in previous batches that it's pretty cloudy once it's fully done, I think there's room for improvement with the Irish Moss.

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Hey! The question is pretty much what the title is. I'd like to use 1 tbsp of Irish Moss in a pre-made kit (5 gallons). Is that going to cause any big problems with the actual brew itself? Are the kits the way they are for a reason? Or is there 'wiggle room' for additional ingredients?

Also, I've seen many different directions as to how long you should rehydrate and boil the moss. To be safe, I would just add my Irish Moss at the outset of the boil with the bittering hops and let it boil the full 60 minutes. Any suggestions there?

I assure you, it's not a problem! I'll even say it's a good idea. However, I'd add it with about 15 minutes left in the boil, and a tablespoon seems like a lot to me.

There is always wiggle room, and I wouldn't hesitate to add or remove ingredients to a kit. However, if it's one of your first batches, you might want to stick to the recipe...apart from the Irish moss anyhow. Down the road, once you've got a few batches under your belt, experimenting with different ingredients is fun and educational.

 

[Rhoobarb]

Sure, do it. Last 15 mins. of the boil and one teaspoon is all you need.

 

[Slive]

Ahhh, gotcha! One TEASPOON!

Now, what should I be doing regarding rehydration or just throwing it in? How exactly would I rehydrate? Just stick the stuff in a cup of water first?

I'm probably reading too far into all this stuff, it's not quite clear yet

 

[DeathBrewer]

meh. just throw it in the boil.

 

[Yooper]

I always rehydrate it, but I don't really know if it makes a difference. That's just what I've always done. I put a little warm water in a cup and mix that together when I had my first hops. Then, I add it to the boil with 15 minutes left. Most of the water is absorbed so I just dump the whole amount in.

 

[TinmanDan]

I re-hydrate irish moss by adding a teaspoon of it to a half-cup of water that I had heated in the microwave. Once the irish moss has hydrated for 30 min, I dump it in for the last 15 min of the boil...nice and easy!

 

[sirsloop]

I add it to every batch... 1tsp right in the boiling wort. Some kits come with a white tablet called whirlfloc... thats an alternate.