Irish Moss

[bosster01]

Question:

I used irish moss for the first time during the last 15 minutes of the boil for my stout that is currently in primary.

I did notice a huge difference, I had a massive amount of stuff "cold break" that I had never experienced before. (I also used a wort chiller for the first time on this brew in case that has an effect).

Anyways my question is should I use irish moss on all my brews? Just some? How about wheat beer? Any opinions on when to use/when not to use?

I did notice this time that even with straining my beer - I had a ton of trub form pretty quickly which I'm not used to. I was worried that all this trub would trap my yeast and hinder fermentation. Didn't seem to happen though.

Thanks!

 

[frazier]

Yep, that's what Irish moss does - it binds together with proteins from the grains. To me, it looks like a giant glob of miso soup floating in the wort after chilling. Don't bother trying to filter it out - the fact that it has coagulated means that it will settle out at the end of fermentation. No, it won't hinder the yeast at all.

anyway, it is sort of optional - it may improve clarity of the beer, or not, depending on a lot of other stuff. Of all the things that go into the pot, I consider it the least critical item. YMMV.

Cheers!

 

[Homercidal]

Yep, that's what Irish moss does - it binds together with proteins from the grains. To me, it looks like a giant glob of miso soup floating in the wort after chilling. Don't bother trying to filter it out - the fact that it has coagulated means that it will settle out at the end of fermentation. No, it won't hinder the yeast at all.

anyway, it is sort of optional - it may improve clarity of the beer, or not, depending on a lot of other stuff. Of all the things that go into the pot, I consider it the least critical item. YMMV.

Cheers!

I second this.

In addition, there is evidence that a good amount of calcium in your beer helps the yeast flocculate better. I've sometimes forgotten the Irish Moss on beers that had about a 100PPM of calcium or more, and with cold crashing they've turned out very brilliant.

As far as wheat beers, that's a matter of personal choice. I don't bother using Irish Moss, or Whirlfloc in any beer that is expected to be cloudy. That's counter-intuitive. (But then maybe the extra proteins in wheat beers is why they aren't as shelf-stable as other beers?)

 

[tofuguy]

I like to rehydrate the Irish Moss in a ounce of water. Stirring it occasionally throughout the brew day until I pitch it in. I have seen an increased amount of proteins coagulate. This picture was taken when I pitched the yeast after cooling. So much has settled so quickly.

View attachment 1453163570752.jpg

 

[govner1]

I like to rehydrate the Irish Moss in a ounce of water. Stirring it occasionally throughout the brew day until I pitch it in. I have seen an increased amount of proteins coagulate. This picture was taken when I pitched the yeast after cooling. So much has settled so quickly.

This^^^^- I rehydrate my Irish Moss in a few ounces of hot water 10-20 minutes before use.

 

[bosster01]

Interesting, thanks for the tip!

This brings up another thing.

So I made an extract kit 2 weeks ago - with a full volume boil. This was the first time I used irish moss.

Oddly enough my OG was like .01 too high. (target 1.05 ended up 1.06). Can irish moss mess up the OG?
I should clarify I was at correct volume (actually a tad high maybe 5.1 gallon instead of 5).

 

[tofuguy]

I personally have not seen any effect, but my process is not dialed in enough to see. 10 point difference is a lot. And with extract I would have to say check your hydrometer in RO water (or at least filtered for a quick check) at its calibrated temperature to confirm nothing is off there.

 

[Calder]

I used to use Irish moss religiously, but quit when my Daughter was found to be allergic to caragenan (seaweed).

I haven't use it in a couple of years now, and have not seen any issues with getting clear beer. Bottled a Rye PA this evening, and was clear going into the bottling bucket.