Gelatin

[dhelegda]

Ok so I am going to use Gelatin to clear my Kolsch Style. I have my Kolsch in a carboy in a dark corner of my walk in closet. Do I need to find a refrigerator to chill my beer before I add the gelatin? Does it need to stay chilled in order for the gelatin to work? I want to keep it in the carboy so I can tell if the process is working?


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[Weezy]

Chilling helps get some of the yeast to precipitate on its own. I dont believe the gelatin needs the cold temps to work.

 

[hawktrio]

I don't think you need to chill at all but it certainly helps clear the beer quicker. I add gelatin at ferm temps and then chill to near freezing for about a week and have had excellent results.

 

[TyTanium]

It works faster with cold beer, but isn't necessary.

I've added gel at bottling before; to room-temp beer; and let them carb up at room temp. Then in the fridge to chill as normal and the gel worked as intended. Just leaves a little more gel-like slime at the bottom of the bottle, but the beer is great.

 

[hawktrio]

My personal concern with chilling then adding gelatin is that it will coagulate and drop out rapidly, not giving it enough time to bond to the oppositely charged particles.

 

[dhelegda]

I added it to the secondary at room temp


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[Calder]

Adding gelatin at RT will clear the beer at RT. It will not clear the protein haze that forms when the beer is chilled (chill haze). To clear those proteins, you need to add the gelatin when the beer is cold and the haze is present.

 

[dhelegda]

I'm trying to clear this...see attached photo


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[Gnomebrewer]

Like Calder said, without chilling the gelatin won't take out chill haze (proteins that clump and become hazy with chilling) which, for me, is the reason for using it.

Time alone will normally clear everything else. How long has your beer been in the fermenter? I've never had a beer that cloudy/sedimenty after 3 weeks in a fermenter (but I've also never used Kolsch yeast).

 

[dhelegda]

3-4 weeks


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[Gnomebrewer]

What sort of yeast? Might help if somebody has experiences with the same strain of yeast.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I doubt that gelatin would get rid of that much sediment....only guessing though.

 

[dhelegda]

Wyeast 2565 Kolsch yeast was used.


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[dhelegda]

Thankfully I just finished a keg and the carboy now fits in the freezer chest! So I put it in. I guess well see in a few days!


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[hawktrio]

Cool. This is how I do it. Add gelatin then immediately chill.