Is Irish Moss worth using?

[Eves]

I've been content with my semi-cloudy home brew. However, I've been thinking about it and wondering if perhaps I'd enjoy my beer a bit more if it were clearer. So I was wondering...

Does Irish Moss really make a noticable difference?


Are any of the other clarifiers any better?




A wort chiller is on my list of things to get so dropping the wort's temp to pitching temps should help with clarifying some so this topic is really just about the clarifiers

 

[flyangler18]

Kettle finings are certainly worth using - especially Whirlfloc.

 

[gfd622]

Just my observations - I'm still rather new at this. My wife hates cloudy beers - and so I spent awhile trying to figure that out and trying to make a clearer beer. Gelatin works, but it took forever to carbonate after using that, and unfortunately I can't stand the smell of dissolved gelatin (smells like a rendering plant), so I only did that once. It didn't seem to impart a bad taste on the beer, so maybe it would be OK if you could get past adding that smelly stuff to your wonderful brew (I couldn't).

Irish moss is wonderful. I don't notice a smell (probably because it's in the boil and there are hops and other stinky things around), but I do notice a definite clarity to the beer that I didn't get without it (I brew sierra nevada pale ale clones almost exclusively, so it's the same recipe every time). It really does help - and at only 1/2 - 1 tsp per batch in last 15 minutes, a 2oz pack will last you a long time.

I have not tried any of the other clarity agents, so I can't compare with anything else (once something works I'm done - I don't worry about other ways to do the same thing). I also don't have a way to do a cold crash - but look that up, it's an often used
technique.

Irish moss is something I add to all my brews now, and they are clearer, no question.

Good luck

Dave

 

[944play]

+1 Whirlfloc FTMFW.

 

[Coastarine]

I got whirlfloc and a CFC and now when I see cloudy homebrew that is not supposed to be a cloudy style, it just seems like inattention to detail. Btw get whirlfloc and not just irish moss. The powder never wanted to dissolve in the wort, it just floated around in a clump.

 

[CABeerMaker]

I add both Irish Moss and Gypsum and have very clear beers now. About 1/2 - 1 tsp of each works great for me.

 

[chris1979]

+1 whirfloc and on lighter colored beers isinglass

 

[Homercidal]

I use irish moss and have col crashed my beers when I forget. That works pretty good too. Have not tried whirlfloc, though it seems to be the favorite around here.

 

[flyangler18]

Whirlfloc is Irish Moss on steroids.

It's also way more convenient to plunk in a half a tablet than measure out some puny amount of IM.

 

[shecky]

Whirlfloc is Irish Moss on steroids.

+1. I used Irish Moss for a bit but Whirfloc does a much better job at giving clarity.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

SuperMoss HB FTW!