Gelatin finings acting strange

[Sharkman20]

I added about 1 tsp of gelatin to my 5 gallon batch to help clear it, and it's doing something strange. The top 5 inches of beer is perfectly clear, and at the 5 inch mark there is a very distinct line of separation where it has almost layered out and everything below that line is still somewhat cloudy. Also, there are numerous small parts floating inside where it looks almost like some of the gelatin reformed and attached to some of the still suspended yeast and is just hanging out like a little jellyfish. I figured I'd give it some more time, but now it is on day 4 and the "line" has not moved or cleared any more than it was on day 2. Any ideas?

When I prepared the gelatin, I used 2 cups of water and heated on the stove to almost boiling before stirring in the gelatin and letting it completely dissolve. I let it cool to around 110 degrees before adding it into the fermenter.

 

[trevorc13]

Is it sitting at room temp? You may want to try a cold crash to get the rest settled out. If you don't have a dedicated fridge for this, try a cold water bath and add ice as needed. I've never used gelatin before but I think that this should solve your problem.

 

[smizak]

+1 to getting it cold if you didn't already

Try giving the fermenter a little twist, not quite shaking, to see if it's stuff stuck to the sides. Gelatin does that to me.

 

[Sharkman20]

It's been holding around 68 degrees. I gave it a little swirl and it's definitely not stuff on the sides. Now let's see how much room I can clear out in the fridge.... lol

 

[smizak]

It has to be cold to work. get it in the fridge and it'll clear.

 

[Sharkman20]

About how long does it take to cold crash?

 

[smizak]

I've got a beer in the fridge right now, added gelatin on Friday, you can pretty much see through the carboy. About two or three days, assuming it's cold already when you add the gelatin.

 

[passedpawn]

I remember the same effect when I used gelatin at room temp. That line might not get below a certain point without getting the beer colder.

 

[tberry]

I have the same effect going on and I added the gelatin after cold crashing for 24 hours. Its been stuck like this for 48 hours now. Im not sure if I should continue to wait or just bottle it. If the gelatin is in suspension I suppose it would clear the beer in the bottle with it was put in the fridge. I had the temperature stable at 34 - 38 degree for the past 72 - 80 hours.