Gelatin Fining

[dhelegda]

I am reading mixed things about gelatin, some things I'm reading say it should be added to beer that is old, others say it's best to add it while it's room temp, when do you add your gelatin?

 

[UKCatsFan]

Cold crash for a day or two, then add 1/2 tsp of gelatin in 1/4 cup water. Works like a boss.

Gelatin xBmt

 

[GHBWNY]

Cold crash for a day or two, then add 1/2 tsp of gelatin in 1/4 cup water. Works like a boss.

Gelatin xBmt

I leave it in CC for a few days after adding gel. The day before bottling, I bring it out of fridge and set it right where it will be when bottling. Gives it a chance to settle any it needs to from moving it. Also gives it time to come back up to temp before bottling. Although you can bottle your beer cold if you make appropriate priming sugar adjustment for temp of beer and vol's CO2, I feel the priming sugar mix dissolves better and disperses more evenly in room temp beer.

 

[wardens355]

I chill to 30-32 degrees for several days, then add gelatin at 150F, which allows it to disperse across the top and then settle downwards as it cools. 2-3 days is good. I typically do it in keg if the beer doesn't clear up well after 3 weeks or so. It is probably better to do it in carboy if you move your kegs around often, as there will be some gelatin residue on the sides of the keg that kicks up when you agitate it, resulting in a cloudy pour after it settles.

Gelatin Use

 

[Natdavis777]

Ive added gelatin to both warm beer and then chilled it, and cold beer directly. Both methods worked, but I have found that adding gelatin to already chilled beer gets me a clear beer quicker.

My process goes as:
Ferment beer>Cold crash beer x2-3 days>Add gelatin solution>Keg beer a few days after that> Force carb and enjoy clear beer

 

[augiedoggy]

I chill to 30-32 degrees for several days, then add gelatin at 150F, which allows it to disperse across the top and then settle downwards as it cools. 2-3 days is good. I typically do it in keg if the beer doesn't clear up well after 3 weeks or so. It is probably better to do it in carboy if you move your kegs around often, as there will be some gelatin residue on the sides of the keg that kicks up when you agitate it, resulting in a cloudy pour after it settles.

Gelatin Use

how does the beer not freeze when left at 30-32 for several days?

 

[kombat]

I bring it out of fridge and set it right where it will be when bottling. Gives it a chance to settle any it needs to from moving it. Also gives it time to come back up to temp before bottling.

Why would you want to do that? I've found that whenever I let a chilled and fined beer warm back up, it gets cloudy again, since any minute amount of CO2 in solution will effervesce out at nucleation points (i.e., any yeast/trub/hop matter at the bottom), causing little CO2 bubble "geysers" that launch sediment back up into suspension.

If you've cold-crashed and fined your beer, bottle it immediately, do not let it warm back up or you'll undo at least some of the work you did in clearing it.

Although you can bottle your beer cold if you make appropriate priming sugar adjustment for temp of beer and vol's CO2

This is incorrect. When calculating the amount of priming sugar to use, use the warmest temperature the beer reached after fermentation completed. This is because the reason the calculator is asking you for the beer temperature is so that it can account for any CO2 already in solution in the beer. Since CO2 is more soluble in beer at colder temperatures, the calculator is assuming that the colder the beer, the more CO2 remains in it post fermentation. However, if your beer was initially warm after fermentation finished, then there would have been relatively little CO2 remaining in solution, as it would have gone out your airlock. If you subsequently chilled the beer, it's not like the beer would have "sucked back in" any CO2. It still only had as much CO2 as it had at the warmer temperature (since the yeast are no longer adding any new CO2 to the beer).

I feel the priming sugar mix dissolves better and disperses more evenly in room temp beer.

Also incorrect. There's nothing to "dissolve" into the beer, because the priming sugar should already be dissolved in a small amount of water when you prepared your priming solution. All you need to do is mix the priming sugar solution into your beer, and temperature is irrelevant. Pour the priming solution into your bottling bucket, then gently rack the beer into the same bucket, positioning the siphon hose to produce a gentle swirl (but no splashing or bubbles). If you're worried, give it another gentle stir with a sanitized spoon, but it will mix equally well, regardless of temperature.

 

[wardens355]

how does the beer not freeze when left at 30-32 for several days?

The freezing point of beer is below the freezing point of water.

Freezing point (°C) = –0.42 × A + 0.04 × E + 0.2 in which A is the percent of alcohol content by weight and E is the original gravity of the wort in Plato.

So for a 6% ABV (~4.7% ABW) beer with an OG of 1.05 (12.5 Plato), the freezing point is around -1.3 C, or around 30F. I set the freezer to chill to come on at ambient air of 32 and chill to 30. The beer never gets below 30F, thus never freezes. Higher the alcohol content, lower the freezing point.

 

[augiedoggy]

The freezing point of beer is below the freezing point of water.

Freezing point (°C) = –0.42 × A + 0.04 × E + 0.2 in which A is the percent of alcohol content by weight and E is the original gravity of the wort in Plato.

So for a 6% ABV (~4.7% ABW) beer with an OG of 1.05 (12.5 Plato), the freezing point is around -1.3 C, or around 30F. I set the freezer to chill to come on at ambient air of 32 and chill to 30. The beer never gets below 30F, thus never freezes. Higher the alcohol content, lower the freezing point.

Thanks,
I do understand that alcohol lowers the freezing point but I didnt realize it lowered it that much with such a low amount of alcohol...
I have my fermentation chamber set at 35 degrees right now since there are two kegs sitting in it... Behind those kegs were two mason jars of yeast in beer as I collected from the carboys... they were both frozen.... I realize the temps by the back wall of my modified wine chiller would be colder since they are near the cooling coils but didnt realize they were that much colder to freeze the yeast and some of the beer that the yeast was sitting in... I guess I need to wire up a fan for inside the chamber.

 

[wardens355]

Thanks,
I do understand that alcohol lowers the freezing point but I didnt realize it lowered it that much with such a low amount of alcohol...
I have my fermentation chamber set at 35 degrees right now since there are two kegs sitting in it... Behind those kegs were two mason jars of yeast in beer as I collected from the carboys... they were both frozen.... I realize the temps by the back wall of my modified wine chiller would be colder since they are near the cooling coils but didnt realize they were that much colder to freeze the yeast and some of the beer that the yeast was sitting in... I guess I need to wire up a fan for inside the chamber.

I have a fan in all my freezers that runs continuously. That should help. If the probe is resting against or very close to one of your kegs, the ambient temperature in the freezer may be much lower than 35F while the keg is still cooling down, causing anything already chilled, or of small volume, to freeze.

 

[KartRacer54]

Thanks,
I do understand that alcohol lowers the freezing point but I didnt realize it lowered it that much with such a low amount of alcohol...
I have my fermentation chamber set at 35 degrees right now since there are two kegs sitting in it... Behind those kegs were two mason jars of yeast in beer as I collected from the carboys... they were both frozen.... I realize the temps by the back wall of my modified wine chiller would be colder since they are near the cooling coils but didnt realize they were that much colder to freeze the yeast and some of the beer that the yeast was sitting in... I guess I need to wire up a fan for inside the chamber.

You also should check temps in different areas of the chilling box. Cold air drops. Fridge can be a few degrees colder in different areas. Also the cold plate location of the unit affects temps also.
My wine / beverage cooler has had a STC-1000 added for temp control. The probe location changes temps within the unit.

 

[augiedoggy]

You also should check temps in different areas of the chilling box. Cold air drops. Fridge can be a few degrees colder in different areas. Also the cold plate location of the unit affects temps also.
My wine / beverage cooler has had a STC-1000 added for temp control. The probe location changes temps within the unit.

Yes I also figured that but just did not think it varied as much as it does...
I also use an stc clone to control my wine chiller by bypassing the stock built in controller... this chamber is only for lagers right now since I'm converting over to a glycol setup and cooling jackets.

 

[GHBWNY]

Why would you want to do that? I've found that whenever I let a chilled and fined beer warm back up, it gets cloudy again, since any minute amount of CO2 in solution will effervesce out at nucleation points (i.e., any yeast/trub/hop matter at the bottom), causing little CO2 bubble "geysers" that launch sediment back up into suspension.

If you've cold-crashed and fined your beer, bottle it immediately, do not let it warm back up or you'll undo at least some of the work you did in clearing it.



This is incorrect. When calculating the amount of priming sugar to use, use the warmest temperature the beer reached after fermentation completed. This is because the reason the calculator is asking you for the beer temperature is so that it can account for any CO2 already in solution in the beer. Since CO2 is more soluble in beer at colder temperatures, the calculator is assuming that the colder the beer, the more CO2 remains in it post fermentation. However, if your beer was initially warm after fermentation finished, then there would have been relatively little CO2 remaining in solution, as it would have gone out your airlock. If you subsequently chilled the beer, it's not like the beer would have "sucked back in" any CO2. It still only had as much CO2 as it had at the warmer temperature (since the yeast are no longer adding any new CO2 to the beer).



Also incorrect. There's nothing to "dissolve" into the beer, because the priming sugar should already be dissolved in a small amount of water when you prepared your priming solution. All you need to do is mix the priming sugar solution into your beer, and temperature is irrelevant. Pour the priming solution into your bottling bucket, then gently rack the beer into the same bucket, positioning the siphon hose to produce a gentle swirl (but no splashing or bubbles). If you're worried, give it another gentle stir with a sanitized spoon, but it will mix equally well, regardless of temperature.

I stand incorrected. I mean --- CORRECTED! Thanks for the insight.