Gelatin vs. Cold Conditioning

[lmarkis]

Afternoon everyone,

I wasn't sure where to post this question. What are your opinions on gelatin vs. cold conditioning. I know there are instances where cold conditioning for clarity is beneficial for some beers, but if I am only concerned with clarity am I better off using gelatin?

The gelatin seems cheaper and more convenient to clear the beer up rather than having to make the space in the fridge or to purchase an additional fridge to cold condition the beer.

One more thing, if I use the gelatin do I just add it to my secondary fermentor before I bottle it or do I add it to the bucket with the sugar solution just before adding the beer to bottle? Does gelatin really clear the beer up as much as they claim it does?

 

[Yooper]

I've never used gelatin (I want vegetarian/vegan friendly beer) but you can use it in the primary, or secondary, or even the keg if you want. You want to bottle only the clear beer, and not the gelatin, so you'll rack off of it when bottling the beer.

Cold crashing causes much of the suspended particles to fall out, resulting in clearer beer.

I use whirlfloc in the boil (it's a seaweed product) and my beer is really clear so I've never really done cold crashing either except for lagering for some beers.

 

[thielus_protar]

I use a combo of the two. I keg my beer and crash it fo a couple days then add the gelatin to the keg. I also force carbonate and the beer is typically crystal clear by the time it's carbed up ( usually 5-7 days).

I have never tried gelatin in a bottle conditioned beer so I suppose this reply is kinda pointless.

Having said that, I asure you that gelatin really does the trick. My last beer of the keg would be the one that was perfectly clear and then pppffffffttt! empty keg. Since I started with the gelatin the first two or three pints are muddy with junk but it's all good after that.

 

[passedpawn]

I've done both for a long time (with a lot of WIN). When I first got started, I tried gelatin at room temp. I saw the line of cloudiness in the carboy slowly drop; yes, it was a discernible line. After a few days, it stopped midway from top to bottom. So, I conclude that the gelatin didn't work well at room temp.

With gelatin AND cold, the beer clears very quickly. At 35F, it only takes 2 days to get clear.

WITHOUT gelatin, and with cold crashing, it still looks clear in the carboy, but it definitely isn't as clear when it hits the glass. There have been a few times recently that I didn't use gelatin and was disappointed in the appearance of the beer.

I've never noticed a change in flavor with clearing.