Could I use a syringe through a ball lock to add gelatin finings?

[sixstring]

I've been reading about gelatin additions to help clear up beer, but not entirely sure how I could add the gelatin without opening up the keg or fermenter (not sure when I'm supposed to add it yet either).
So I was looking on brewhardware.com and found this: https://www.brewhardware.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=syringe_60_KegDoseKit
Would that work?
Not planning to buy one right now, but just trying to get my thoughts organized ahead of time so when I do buy something, it's the right thing for the job, instead of trying to McGyver it with a piece of wire, some pvc tubing, a 12mm nut, and a AAA battery (as I am wont to do on occasion. If you looked at the touch screen head units and speaker / amp installations in my cars, you'd know it wasn't a professional job, but a professional bodge job that happens to work )

So yup, just trying to figure out how I would even add the gelatin before anything else.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes, this device is designed specifically for the task of adding finings to a filled keg.

You dissolve the gelatin in water, then attach the included loose ball lock post to the QD, suck the gelatin solution into the syringe, detach the loose ball lock post, attach the QD to the gas post on the keg, and push the solution in the syringe into the keg. Be sure to sanitize everything before you start.

Brew on

 

[Gajol]

I use a 0.5L PET bottle with a Carbonation Cap and a small piece of hose.
I fill it with water and gelatin, then lightly loosen the Carbonation Cap and run some CO₂ through the bottle to scrub out any air.
After that, I pressurize the bottle to a higher pressure than the keg.
Using a jumper hose, I inject the mixture into the keg.
.

 

[An Ankoù]

Are you sure you need to add finings? I used to use gelatine and then stopped as the beer cleared perfectly well without it.

Why do you need to squeeze it in via a post? Wouldn't it be better to add the finings to the beer at the time of transferring it to the keg, since it's all got to be stirred in and rolled about to ensure an even mix?

 

[sixstring]

Are you sure you need to add finings? I used to use gelatine and then stopped as the beer cleared perfectly well without it.

Why do you need to squeeze it in via a post? Wouldn't it be better to add the finings to the beer at the time of transferring it to the keg, since it's all got to be stirred in and rolled about to ensure an even mix?

No, I'm not sure I need to add finings. My beer seems to clear up pretty nicely after a week in the keg to be honest. I'm just experimenting with stuff and things to learn how to do it all.

When i transfer to my keg I do it under pressure, so I don't want to open the keg lid to add it all.

Primarily just curious at the moment, and interested to see what, if any, difference it does make.

 

[MaxStout]

Just cobbled together this device to squirt finings into my Brew Buckets via gas posts. Idea came from @Bramling Cross. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[Indian_villager]

Yes, you can use a syringe to inject finings into kegs. These days I am usually adding a mix of ascorbic acid and kmeta to mitigate oxygen to the kegs, the gelatin I only add for beers that are to be super clear.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

No, I'm not sure I need to add finings. My beer seems to clear up pretty nicely after a week in the keg to be honest. I'm just experimenting with stuff and things to learn how to do it all.

When i transfer to my keg I do it under pressure, so I don't want to open the keg lid to add it all.

Primarily just curious at the moment, and interested to see what, if any, difference it does make.

It's admirable to want to learn but if something easier works I would just stick with that. There's a lot of tasks when brewing that we could all do but making things more complicated shouldn't be one of them. I cold crash my kegged beer, and it clears just fine.

I do like the syringe gizmo though, might be handy for adding fruit extracts a little at a time. Am I contradicting myself now?

 

[mac_1103]

I do like the syringe gizmo though, might be handy for adding fruit extracts a little at a time.

Or get a bigger syringe.

There's a lot of tasks when brewing that we could all do but making things more complicated shouldn't be one of them. I cold crash my kegged beer, and it clears just fine.

I've never used gelatin or other finings, but a couple of recent brews have taken a very long time to clear (and tasted a lot better once they did) so I'm considering giving it a shot. Doesn't seem that complicated.

 

[OLBrews]

The syringe setup will work well for fining in the keg, but I would not recommend it for gelatin. Gelatin works great, but can clump up and block the ball lock (it doesn't take much). Biofine or other fining agent will work better for the syringe injection.

 

[VTMongoose]

I've been using that exact kit from Brew Hardware for years now. Works perfectly. For best results you should upgrade your kegs to floating dip tubes. 2.5 grams of gelatin gets most of my kegs pouring clear like below in about 5 days.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, after 20+ years of brewing beer I used gelatin for the first time on a pair of kegs holding my first "cold IPA" brew. I injected the gelatin mixture into the chilled but not carbonated kegs the same way I inject extracts, through the gas posts using a QD and syringe. Worked just fine and the results were visually impressive.

However...am I convinced gelatin strips character and likely won't be doing that again...

Cheers!

 

[JJFlash]

Been using that syringe set up from Brew Hardware the past year.
Works very well and now no need to open keg lid.
Remember to vent keg prior to injecting.
I inject Biofine Clear 48 hours prior to cold crashing.
I abandoned gelatin, I noted a marked decrease in hop aroma in my beers.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

fwiw, after 20+ years of brewing beer I used gelatin for the first time on a pair of kegs holding my first "cold IPA" brew. I injected the gelatin mixture into the chilled but not carbonated kegs the same way I inject extracts, through the gas posts using a QD and syringe. Worked just fine and the results were visually impressive.

However...am I convinced gelatin strips character and likely won't be doing that again...

Cheers!

Been using that syringe set up from Brew Hardware the past year.
Works very well and now no need to open keg lid.
Remember to vent keg prior to injecting.
I inject Biofine Clear 48 hours prior to cold crashing.
I abandoned gelatin, I noted a marked decrease in hop aroma in my beers.

Interesting results; trading one thing for another, clear beer but giving up character and hop aroma. I'm sticking with cold crashing to clearing up my beer.

 

[MMP126]

Just cobbled together this device to squirt finings into my Brew Buckets via gas posts. Idea came from @Bramling Cross. Haven't tried it yet.

View attachment 876696

I made something like this as well. Works well.

Probably have most parts laying around, and the syringes are cheap on Amazon.

 

[Redhouse Brewing]

Yes you can. I did that for a couple years but now I use biofine. Much easier to use and great results. I use 10ml for a keg and it’s always crystal clear by the time it’s carbonated.

Note: I do also use Whirlfloc during last 10 mins of the boil and clarity ferm at yeast pitch.

 

[Broken Crow]

I never like the idea of putting any manner of gunk through my posts so when I decided to learn a 'short cut' to clear beer myself, I went with the more cumbersome .5-micron 10" cartridge filter....got some really clear beer doing so, but as has been mentioned above; it did seem to strip some of the flavour and wasn't worth the time and cost, but hey: Learning Experience was worth it. On a repeat of the same recipe, I just left in the fermenter longer and got equally clear, but much better tasting beer.
I'm not trying to dissuade you from trying out gelatin, just wanna suggest that when you do try it out, repeat the same brew later but using time and cold-crashing so you can compare.

 

[An Ankoù]

Interesting results; trading one thing for another, clear beer but giving up character and hop aroma. I'm sticking with cold crashing to clearing up my beer.

I'm sticking with drinking it cloudy. It always comes out the other end perfectly clear.

 

[VTMongoose]

fwiw, after 20+ years of brewing beer I used gelatin for the first time on a pair of kegs holding my first "cold IPA" brew. I injected the gelatin mixture into the chilled but not carbonated kegs the same way I inject extracts, through the gas posts using a QD and syringe. Worked just fine and the results were visually impressive.

However...am I convinced gelatin strips character and likely won't be doing that again...

Cheers!

Of course it does. Iso-alpha acids and other aromatic compounds adsorb to the surface of the yeast cells, which are the main thing left in suspension prior to clarification, although obviously other things (proteins, polyphenols) also are. Scott Janish briefly talks about how different clarification methods differentially affect different flavor compounds in suspension in "The New IPA". Bottom line it affects all of them to different degrees.

The first few times I fined my beers, the flavor difference freaked me out. Over time I learned to compensate on the recipe side of things to get back to what I was originally trying to make. Personally I'd rather do that than serve hazy examples of beer styles that are expected to be bright. We drink with our eyes. I literally shake/invert my Hefeweizen kegs every few pours or so, because I want them to look (see below) and taste as they ought to, and they won't, if I serve them bright, with flocculated yeast.

 

[mabrungard]

I remove and replace the pressure release valve on my kegs to inject things like acid or flavorings into the finished beer. Yes, I know that some oxygen gets into the keg, but its brief and the beer was otherwise handled with LODO methods. It works fine for beers that are consumed in a month or two.

 

[Skeeter686]

Yes, this device is designed specifically for the task of adding finings to a filled keg.

You dissolve the gelatin in water, then attach the included loose ball lock post to the QD, suck the gelatin solution into the syringe, detach the loose ball lock post, attach the QD to the gas post on the keg, and push the solution in the syringe into the keg. Be sure to sanitize everything before you start.

Brew on

Yes, this device works well. But since I don't seem to see this mentioned elsewhere in this thread, please

HOLD THE END OF THE PLUNGER

Trust me. Even if you think you've released the pressure from the keg. You only need to learn this one, because you won't ever forget.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'm sticking with drinking it cloudy. It always comes out the other end perfectly clear.

No additives, just chill time, comes out fine!

 

[sixstring]

I think between Crow and OakIsland, I'll just stick with the chill and wait method after all. I do love all of the info here though, if i ever really need to consider it later, I now have a great thread of information to draw from

 

[Broothru]

I use a 0.5L PET bottle with a Carbonation Cap and a small piece of hose.
I fill it with water and gelatin, then lightly loosen the Carbonation Cap and run some CO₂ through the bottle to scrub out any air.
After that, I pressurize the bottle to a higher pressure than the keg.
Using a jumper hose, I inject the mixture into the keg.
.

^^THIS^^

Works like a champ. Quick, easy to clean, zero ‘hassle factor.’

My latest iteration uses a PET beer bottle (but any commercial carbonated beverage bottle would work fine (like a Club Soda bottle), with a common threaded carbonation cap.

Carb caps can be a bit problematic at times, but I’ve just started using plastic ones from DuoTight that work perfectly with with both black Beverage Out post quick disconnects or gray Gas In post quick disconnects. Like all the DuoTight products, they just work!

About $8 at MoreBeer, Williams Breing, or any number of places online. I connect the disconnects via clear tubing jumper lines with swivel fittings so I can mount and remove any type of quick disconnect to accommodate any gas or liquid post.

Simply put your ascorbic acid or NaMeta antioxidant or fining agent in the PET bottle, seal with the carb caps, shoot a quick charge of CO2 in the bottle, invert the bottle so the cap is oriented downward, and connect the opposite end to either your Gas In or Beer Out post on the keg. Transfer is done in a matter of seconds.

It’s so easy, even a Cave Brewer can do it!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I think between Crow and OakIsland, I'll just stick with the chill and wait method after all. I do love all of the info here though, if i ever really need to consider it later, I now have a great thread of information to draw from

I would take any information you like here and copy/paste into a word document then file in your "Brewing" directory. I keep a directory on my PC for stuff I have saved just like this.

 

[DuncB]

I never bother to vent the keg as I spund my beers to the correct vols.

I enjoy the fight with the pressure in the keg.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes, this device works well. But since I don't seem to see this mentioned elsewhere in this thread, please

HOLD THE END OF THE PLUNGER

Trust me. Even if you think you've released the pressure from the keg. You only need to learn this one, because you won't ever forget.

This is well covered in the instructions on Bobby's website:

Brew on

 

[Broothru]

I spund as well, and also often ferment under pressure. You don’t have to vent the keg to get a successful transfer. All you need is a greater differential pressure in the PET bottle you’re transferring from.

I usually spund at 1BAR/14.7 psig. 20 psig in the transferring PET bottle is more than enough pressure differential to effect the transfer safely, and any excess pressure in the fermenter will be dissipated through the spunding valve quite quickly afterwards.

 

[Skeeter686]

This is well covered in the instructions on Bobby's website:

View attachment 876753

Brew on

Yes. And I was aware of that. And I'd even read a post (probably in "don't do that") about this. And somehow, for reasons that I just can't understand, I had my head inserted in a dark place the first time I used it, and it was an unfortunately unforgettable experience.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes. And I was aware of that. And I'd even read a post (probably in "don't do that") about this. And somehow, for reasons that I just can't understand, I had my head inserted in a dark place the first time I used it, and it was an unfortunately unforgettable experience.

You'll be thinking more about proper procedures in the future, won't you?

Brew on

 

[Tony B]

I use a 0.5L PET bottle with a Carbonation Cap and a small piece of hose.
I fill it with water and gelatin, then lightly loosen the Carbonation Cap and run some CO₂ through the bottle to scrub out any air.
After that, I pressurize the bottle to a higher pressure than the keg.
Using a jumper hose, I inject the mixture into the keg.
.

This is what I do. Works great. I usually put the keg into my kegerator for a day or two under serving pressure to allow it to chill. Then release some pressure, hit it with the gelatin and then crank the pressure to 45-50 psi for 12-18 hours. After the burst carbonation, it’s ready to drink, although it won’t be crystal clear for 2-3 days. Then you can watch TV through it.

 

[sixstring]

This is well covered in the instructions on Bobby's website:

View attachment 876753

Brew on

The comical visions this brought to my mind were enough to make me laugh for quite some time

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I think between Crow and OakIsland, I'll just stick with the chill and wait method after all. I do love all of the info here though, if i ever really need to consider it later, I now have a great thread of information to draw from

Don’t ditch your rig though; you can also use it to inject dissolved sugar to carbonate your kegs naturally rather than using up your tank gas. I also add a little ascorbic acid with the sugar.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

The comical visions this brought to my mind were enough to make me laugh for quite some time

Oh trust me; it’s a real thing. I have had two surprising, unwanted showers! The first time, it was sugar water. The second time it was a gelatin mix. Yeah, I’m a slow learner. For more laughs, check out my post below.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/dont-do-that.527228/post-10466618

 

[sixstring]

Don’t ditch your rig though; you can also use it to inject dissolved sugar to carbonate your kegs naturally rather than using up your tank gas. I also add a little ascorbic acid with the sugar.

oh, nice. Then I'll make the purchase anyway, as I hadn't crossed the "how do i get sugar into these kegs without opening them" bridge yet, but I know it was going to be in my future, and now I have my answer.

 

[duelerx]

Anyone use ascorbic acid or smb to transfer gelatin without oxygen?

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I inject a teaspoon of AA dissolved in 30 ml of RO water into each purged keg just before racking. I've only used gelatin once (was impressed by the rapid clearing, not so much by the character stripping), injecting it using a 300 ml syringe through a gas QD, and tbh if there was any O2 conveyed it was a dismissible level - I even purged the QD by putting a little CO2 pressure in the keg before snapping the QD on.

I kegged that beer (a rice-based "Cold IPA") the last week of March (had to double-check that!) and it's still bright and tasty...

Cheers!

 

[DuncB]

I use 1g of Ascorbic in each purged keg just before closed transfer. Injected with boiled and cooled H2O.
Sui generis reckoned that SMB prolonged life of barley wine when bottled.

 

[sixstring]

I decided a while ago, when this thread was more active, that I wouldn't bother with it after all. I was getting impatient with waiting for the haze to clear. But once I got ahead of my brewing game, now the ones that go to the keg are cleared up nicely all on their own. Just needs some time and patience

 

[kohalajohn]

I'm sticking with drinking it cloudy. It always comes out the other end perfectly clear.

Yes, kidney filtering works great.

I can offer that as a service if someone has beer they need me to clarify.