Irish moss, is it needed?

[Jedsterr]

Hi all

This weekend I am going to try and dip my toe into the world of all grain brewing!

So I excitedly sourced a simple 1 gallon recipe (see below) and raided my home brew supplier for all the stuff needed.

Then I looked on you tube to get the technique right and I kept seeing people adding Irish moss at the end of the boil! Now I know what it is and I know what it does but as you can see this recipe does not say to add it?

So my question is, should I add Irish moss to a one gallon batch? And if so how much?

Thanks for your time chaps




Style (BJCP):
06A. American Pale Ales - American Pale Ale
Volume in US Gallons:
1 gal
Extract Ingredients:
This is a 1 gallon, all-grain recipe for the HBX Picobrewery kit.

1 lb 8 oz 2 row
5 oz Crystal 60L
.5 oz Roasted Barley
.25 oz Cascade hops at beginning of boil (pellet)
.75 oz Cascade hops at 1 minute of boil (pellet)

1/2 packet Munton's dry yeast

Extract Instructions:
Heat 3 quarts of water to 170 degrees, add grains and steep for 45 minutes. Keep water temp between 145-155, stirring every 15 minutes.
While steeping (also known as mashing),heat 1 gallon H2O into another pot to 160F for sparging. At end of steep, pour grains through a strainer into another pot. (You can use a grain sack to hold grains, but make sure you load them loosely and rinse very throughly)

Sparing: slowly pour the gallon of H2O over the strainer or grain bag and let drip into pot. Discard grains.

Boil: Bring liquid (wort) to a boil. Set a 45 minute timer,adding hops according to schedule (above).

At end of boil, take off heat, cool to 70-80F degrees. Pour into 1 gallon jug (using funnel), adding clean water if needed to reach one gallon. Place cap and shake to aerate. Uncap and pitch yeast (1/2 pkt), attach blow off tube.
Should begin bubbling within 24 hours. When fermentation subsides (5-7 days), wait additional 5 days and then bottle.
Enjoy!

Final Gravity:
1.013
Original Gravity:
1.049

 

[malweth]

If you have it, half a tsp or so should be more than enough.

Irish moss helps clear the beer of unwanted proteins. It isn't essential... especially in 1 gallon where you're likely to drink the batch quickly. A beer with less haze (proteins in suspension) will look nicer and last longer.

After boiling the wort, make sure you cool off the beer quickly - this helps more than Irish moss (the moss aids this process).

 

[statseeker]

It's not needed per se. But it helps clear the beer up a bit. I've had pretty good luck with it. Most of my pale ales come out looking clear as a bell. For 1 gallon, I'd use about a 1/2 tsp.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I agree with those guys. But really, why do people on this site keep insisting on putting their toes in their brew? Odd, if you ask me!
:rockin:

 

[dfc]

I notice when I DON'T use it. Irish moss is AMAZING as far as clearing up your brews is concerned.