Crystal clear beer

[tmurph6]

Ok from the title you can gather my goal for this brew is to make it as clear as possible. I used a whirlfloc tablet 15 minutes before the end of boil and plan on cold crashing the brew. I'm not entirely sure what the best way of cold crashing is. I did some searching and it seems like there are a lot of opinions. Some do it in the keg, some primary right before transfer to secondary and some in the secondary. What I was planning on doing was keeping the brew in primary for 2 weeks, cold crashing it for 3 days inside my refrigerator at 38 F, then racking it to the secondary to sit for a week and a half, then 3 weeks in the keg on co2. My question is, can I chill my beer then secondary it for a week and a half at 70f safely? Just don't want to take any chances. Thanks.

Ps- I realize kegging for 3 weeks will essentially be cold crashing. I just want clean beer before kegging. Just the perfectionist in me.

 

[Six_O_Turbo]

If you want the beer to be clear before you transfer to your keg, you will want to cold crash a few days before you transfer to your keg, and transfer cold.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

From what I'v ebeen told, Whirlfloc should be added only during the last 5 min of a boil. Any sooner and it loses its effectiveness. Irish moss can be added at 10-15 min, but Whirlfloc should stay within 5 min.

Also, there is some evidence that a very fast cold crash can stress the yeast and cause them to release undesirable esters and other compounds. A gradual chill is usually a good idea.

Lastly, if you're cold crashing in the primary, why heat the beer back up? Why not just hold it at 38° F in the secondary, essentially lagering?

Actually, one more thing - Filtering may seem like a PITA for some, but you could look into gelatin to help clear things up.

 

[tmurph6]

The whirlfloc tablets said 15 minutes on them. I was just following those instructions.

How fast is too fast? If I stick it in the fridge it would probably take about a day to chill it to 38 wouldn't you think? What other method is there?

I think I'll follow that advice and leave it cold. Why not huh?

When, what type and how much gelatin to use?

 

[SteveM]

No one ever seems to mention this in these discussions, but it's my impression that using whole hops rather than pellets results in a much clearer beer. This, along with other ideas discussed in here.

 

[k47k]

use gelatin, crystal clear beer in 24 hours.

 

[CDbrews]

agree with the gelatin, crystal clear and super easy

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/gelatin-no-joke-153093/

 

[stevo155]

Whirlfloc 10 minutes left in boil
Cold crash in Primary for 2-3 days before kegging
Add gelatin at kegging.

My result - completely see-through beer.

 

[scottland]

Stevo has the right idea. A couple things to add.

-Highly flocculate yeast clear up extremely well. Safale S-04 comes to mind. Gelatin is completely unnecessary for yeast strains like this.
-A good hot break helps.
-Use Irish Moss, or Whirlfloc
-A good cold break also really helps
-Cold crash your primary(or your 2ndry if you use one) down to 38 or lower. This can take 2 days. You'd -be surprised how long it takes for the temperature of 5 gal to equalize.
-Take a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin, add it to a cup of cold water, and heat it to about 130-150*, then add that straight into the cold crashed beer.
-Your beer should be crystal clear when you rack to your keg or bottling bucket.

 

[JasonTerry]

Is anything lost in the flavor profile when you use Gelatin?

 

[Wayne1]

Is anything lost in the flavor profile when you use Gelatin?

There can be, depending on the amount of gelatin used.

I dry hop a lot in primary and conditioning. I want a big aroma to come through.

There are times I need to transfer to a third vessel to clarify. For MY tastes and the flavors I want, anything over 1/4 teaspoon of gelatin strips away the delicate hop aroma and flavors I like. You get perfectly clear beer, but all the hops I worked hard to put in goes away.

If you are making beer without large amounts of late hops or dry hops, then you can use up to a teaspoon.

I prefer to heat the water to boiling, let it cool down to under 140 and then add the gelatin. Stir it up and then add it to cool beer. I let the beer cool in the fridge to around 40 for a few days and then add the gelatin. Give it another 3-4 days and then keg.

I have also added it at kegging, but it does take a bit longer to clear. In the end, you will get clear beer with all the aroma that dry hopping offers.

 

[JasonTerry]

Not to hijack the thread... but is it only the Floral end that is removed or is it the bitterness as well?

Could you use gelatin to remove excessive bitterness? Then maybe toss in some dry hopps to gain back the nose thats lost?

 

[Grizzlybrew]

No one ever seems to mention this in these discussions, but it's my impression that using whole hops rather than pellets results in a much clearer beer. This, along with other ideas discussed in here.

You have to remember there are many things that cause haze in a beer - hop residue, yeast, protein.

I just had a conversation with myLHBS owner the other day b/c I have started using Wyeast1968 for a lot of brews and he mentioned I still need to use moss or whirlfloc for chill haze (primarily caused by proteins). There's a great BN podcast about chill haze in beers (I think with Dr. Bamforth) somewhere and then there was a show on 7-25-10 with thw Whites from White labs about their new clarifying enzyme.

 

[ongreystreet]

I was sold some gelatin from my b&m(they sell the same stuff for wine) it says it has shellfish in it, doesn't sound unreasonable, but I don't want anyone to have a reaction. Anything out there that doesn't have fish/shellfish in it?

 

[flabyboy]

is the use of gelatin a concern if bottling? will it take too much yeast out of suspension and greatly slow the carbing process?

 

[Wayne1]

Not to hijack the thread... but is it only the Floral end that is removed or is it the bitterness as well?

Could you use gelatin to remove excessive bitterness? Then maybe toss in some dry hopps to gain back the nose thats lost?

Gelatin, used in excessive quantities, could remove some of the bitterness. It is not something I would suggest as a band aid to treat an overly bitter beer. Age will mellow bitter beers. Put the beer aside for a few months and the bitterness with have decreased significantly.

was sold some gelatin from my b&m(they sell the same stuff for wine) it says it has shellfish in it, doesn't sound unreasonable, but I don't want anyone to have a reaction. Anything out there that doesn't have fish/shellfish in it?

Most clarifying agents are made from organic sources. Gelatin is made from the tissues of pigs, cattle and fish. Isinglass is from the swim bladders of fish.

PVPP is a water soluble polymer. If's main purpose is "reduction of wort darkening and off flavors from oxidation (higher quantities will actually reduce hop bitterness and lighten the color of beer), removal of excessive, harsh tasting phenols. A real advantage to Polyclar is that not only does it reduce oxidation in beer, PVPP selectively removes haze causing polyphenols and not proteins important to foam stability and mouth feel. On the other hand, excessive use of Polyclar can accelerate beer deterioration through exaggerated removal of polyphenols as well as cause poor carbonation of bottled beer due, its ability to aggressively drop suspended yeast cells prior to conditioning. Because Polyclar is insoluble, it is recommended that the bright beer be racked off its sediment if used in secondary fermentation. No side effects are likely if Polyclar is ingested, it's non-toxic and is used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Still, it's a good idea to carefully decant beer from a bottle, or discard the first glass or two drawn from a keg."

From The Northern Brewer website

is the use of gelatin a concern if bottling? will it take too much
yeast out of suspension and greatly slow the carbing process?

Excessive use of any fining agent can cause yeast to settle out. Use the lowest suggested dosage and wait. between 1/4 and 1/8 teaspoon of gelatin will get results without stripping flavor or yeast from your beer.

Others have been successful with tablespoon quantities. I prefer to err on the low side to preserve the taste and flavor of my beers. 1/4 tsp is the most I use and my beer is very clear in the keg. I do not bottle condition, so I cannot offer any definitive advise to those that do.

 

[WrongCoastBrewery]

Whirfloc is actually 15 minutes of boil. Thats exactly what it says on the bottle. I use it, put it in with 15 minutes left, and have very clear beer. I keg so it also gets cold crashed while force carbing. Here are a few places that even say to boil it for 15 minutes:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=465

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/whirlfloc-10-tablet-pack.html

The bottle I bought from my LHBS also says 15 minutes. Oddly enough, Midwests website says 10 minutes but sells the same packs as above, which say 15 minutes. I can see the confusion.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Whirfloc is actually 15 minutes of boil. Thats exactly what it says on the bottle. I use it, put it in with 15 minutes left, and have very clear beer. I keg so it also gets cold crashed while force carbing. Here are a few places that even say to boil it for 15 minutes:

The bottle I bought from my LHBS also says 15 minutes. Oddly enough, Midwests website says 10 minutes but sells the same packs as above, which say 15 minutes. I can see the confusion.

And More Beer's Website says 5 min...

My LHBS guy was saying that if added too early (15 min), the proteins coagulate just as they should, but then the vigorous boiling breaks them apart again and slows the process by which they fall out of suspension. He also told me to use only half a tablet per 5 gallon batch. More Beer says the same, Northern Brewer says 1 whole tablet per 5 gallons, and Austin does not even specify batch size!

Unfortunately, the manufacturer's website has very little in the way of tech info.

Someone suggested that the name WHIRLfloc implies that it is intended to be added during the WHIRLpool portion of brewing.

 

[forcabrew]

i have yet to brew a nice crisp clear brew.. but i will keep trying and keep drinking until i either get drunk or figure out why my brew is cloudy

 

[brentt03]

Stevo has the right idea. A couple things to add.

-Highly flocculate yeast clear up extremely well. Safale S-04 comes to mind. Gelatin is completely unnecessary for yeast strains like this.
-A good hot break helps.
-Use Irish Moss, or Whirlfloc
-A good cold break also really helps
-Cold crash your primary(or your 2ndry if you use one) down to 38 or lower. This can take 2 days. You'd -be surprised how long it takes for the temperature of 5 gal to equalize.
-Take a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin, add it to a cup of cold water, and heat it to about 130-150*, then add that straight into the cold crashed beer.
-Your beer should be crystal clear when you rack to your keg or bottling bucket.

Taking note for future batch!!

 

[Vongo]

Taking note for future batch!!

I am going to try all of the above on a mild brown I am about to transfer.

 

[buffalobrewer]

after reading the title I thought zima.....

 

[LostBavarianMan]

You know I bottled a Doppelbock about a month ago after 4 weeks in the fermentor didnt use pills or potions just let it sit there. Racked to bottle bucket. Conditioned for 3 weeks and the bottles are crystal clear I have no problem with chill haze. But I also used safale-05 on that batch.

 

[mgortel]

DOn't put anything in it! No malt, no hops, no sugar....it will be as clear as water!

Sorry...I couldn't resist.....let us know how your clear beer turns out and post a pic!

 

[TTB-J]

Lots of good suggestions here. If I'm going for a clear beer, I carefully strain my wort through a cheese cloth or paint strainer and then strain again through a plastic mesh strainer. I use Whirlfloc in the last 10 mins or so and it takes care of suspended proteins pretty well. I pick a highly flocculant yeast strain like WLP051, and then let my carboy sit still at least a couple of hours right before I rack to the bottling bucket. That alone has given me great clarity, no cold crash or gelatin needed.

 

[upperNY01brewer]

Use gelatin, fast,easy and cheap