Is this chill haze?

[NitrouStang96]

I sampled my first batch (Hefeweizen, 3 weeks primary + secondary, 2 weeks bottle conditioning so far), and it's tasting much better than a week ago. Still needs some more conditioning.

I poured it at room temperature, and I was amazed at how clear it was! It looks fantastic before the yeast is poured in (and tastes better ). I drank half, and then refrigerated it for 30 minutes. It was then opaque. Can't see through it at all. Is that chill haze?

If so, let me ask a couple questions about fixing chill haze since I have read confusing information here:

If I am doing a secondary for clearing, when do I add gelatin and at what temp and for how long?

If I am NOT doing a secondary and I have a primary sitting for 2-4 weeks, when do I add gelatin and at what temp and for how long?

 

[Soulive]

Yeah. When your beer is cold, the chill haze becomes evident. Cooling your wort quickly, conditioning longer, and using finings will help that. Hefeweizens should be cloudy though IMO...

 

[BierMuncher]

...If so, let me ask a couple questions about fixing chill haze since I have read confusing information here:

If I am doing a secondary for clearing, when do I add gelatin and at what temp and for how long?

If I am NOT doing a secondary and I have a primary sitting for 2-4 weeks, when do I add gelatin and at what temp and for how long?

You can add gelatin (1Tbs dissolved in 1 cup boiling water and cooled slightly) as you are racking from the primary to the secondary or keg.

You can add gelatin to the primary after about 2-3 weeks, depending on the gravity of the beer. (Bigger beers will require longer live yeast exposure).

Two things to consider about adding gelatin:

If you bottle, your beer will be so devoid of yeast that you may need to add some more at bottling time.

If you like to harvest your yeast from the primary, adding gelatin can really hinder its effective yield for your next batch.

FWIW, I only add gelatin to the secondary or the keg…never the primary.

 

[NitrouStang96]

1a) Ok, after I add the gelatin, should I be cooling it down from the ~65F temperature? I thought I read somewhere that you want to add the gelatin and stick the carboy in the fridge (I don't have a way of cooling anyway, so I don't know why this would matter for me).

1b) And how long should I leave the gelatin in before I bottle?

2a) How much yeast should I pitch before I bottle to carb my beers?

2b) If I pitch new yeast, should I add less priming sugar?


I used some Irish Moss in the last batch I brewed, and it's almost ready to bottle. I'd like to add some gelatin to this one, though, to keep it looking nice when cold. It's been in primary for two weeks now. I'm not going to secondary this one, on the recommendation of my LHBS.

 

[BierMuncher]

1a) Ok, after I add the gelatin, should I be cooling it down from the ~65F temperature? I thought I read somewhere that you want to add the gelatin and stick the carboy in the fridge (I don't have a way of cooling anyway, so I don't know why this would matter for me).

No. room temp (65-70) is just fine for secondary clearing.

1b) And how long should I leave the gelatin in before I bottle?

Gelatin will do its thing in about 48 hours. That's pretty quick. SO the question isn't how long before the beer is cleared...so much as how long before my beer is properly conditioned and tastes good...that varies.

2a) How much yeast should I pitch before I bottle to carb my beers?

You can probably get away with simply swirling up a bit of yeast off your secondary bottom with your racking cane when you transfer the beer. Just because the yeast has settled and is compacted by the gelatin, doesn't mean it's dead. Otherwise, add in about 1/2 a packet of dried yeast that's been rehydrated.

2b) If I pitch new yeast, should I add less priming sugar?

No. Same amount of priming sugar.

I used some Irish Moss in the last batch I brewed, and it's almost ready to bottle. I'd like to add some gelatin to this one, though, to keep it looking nice when cold. It's been in primary for two weeks now. I'm not going to secondary this one, on the recommendation of my LHBS.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Thanks!

A few more from the StupidQuestion™ machine:

New yeast:
I've just been dumping my dry yeast on top of my beer in my fermenters. What do I need to do if I'm rehydrating half a pack of new yeast? Is it mandatory that the new yeast be the same as the fermenting yeast?

Swirling up compacted yeast:
You're going to definitely need to be more descriptive about this for me. I'm thinking it will just be easier for me to pitch new yeast, but indulge me: How much of that cakey junk should I rack off of the bottom of my fermenter into my bottling bucket?

 

[BierMuncher]

Thanks!

A few more from the StupidQuestion™ machine:

New yeast:
I've just been dumping my dry yeast on top of my beer in my fermenters. What do I need to do if I'm rehydrating half a pack of new yeast? Is it mandatory that the new yeast be the same as the fermenting yeast?

Swirling up compacted yeast:
You're going to definitely need to be more descriptive about this for me. I'm thinking it will just be easier for me to pitch new yeast, but indulge me: How much of that cakey junk should I rack off of the bottom of my fermenter into my bottling bucket?

You can use any yeast for adding before bottling. Boil and cool about 1-2 cups of water and add half packet of yeast. Let sit for about 45-60 minutes. Give it a bit of a stir and add it.

I would just stick my racking cane into the yeast bed, swirl it around once or twice to kick up some yeast. Not an exact science here. Yo just want to get some yeast cloud mixed in so you know there is some yeast available.

 

[NitrouStang96]

I would just stick my racking cane into the yeast bed, swirl it around once or twice to kick up some yeast. Not an exact science here. Yo just want to get some yeast cloud mixed in so you know there is some yeast available.

I might still be incorrectly interpreting this, but it seems that this would be counterproductive to clearing the beer.

If I pitch new yeast, how do I ensure that each bottle gets the same amount, or does it matter? Will a simple typical cyclone siphon into the bottling bucket mix it all well enough??

 

[rod]

If I pitch new yeast, how do I ensure that each bottle gets the same amount, or does it matter? Will a simple typical cyclone siphon into the bottling bucket mix it all well enough??



__________________
yes it will

 

[NitrouStang96]

Wunderbar. Danke.

 

[Bobby_M]

Hang on, back up. First, it's a hefe right? It's not really supposed to clear if you used hefe yeast. If you didn't, it will clear without any gelatin.

Yes, you'll get chill haze when you first refrigerate. Once you know the bottles have carbed, stash them in the fridge for at least a week. The longer they stay cold, the clearer they'll get. A 30 minute or 24 hour chill isn't long enough.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Aha! Awesome. I took some comparison pics anyway, will post them later tonight.

 

[shafferpilot]

Once you know the bottles have carbed, stash them in the fridge for at least a week. The longer they stay cold, the clearer they'll get

That's what I was gonna say. Chill haze will settle out after it precipitates into haze in the fridge. I don't think gelatin will do anything to it, since it's in suspension when the beer is warm. Gelatin will remove any haze that's present at room temp. I don't know how well gelatin works with cold beer. This is why people cold crash rather than using finings. It gets yeast AND chill haze to settle out at the same time.

 

[NitrouStang96]

I've learned about a million bucks worth tonight.


None of you are getting paid, though

 

[BierMuncher]

...I don't know how well gelatin works with cold beer....

This was 11 days from grain...4 days in the chiller.

1/2 Tbs dissolved gelatin added to the secondary and allowed to settle for 3 days.

Tis a very light grain bill however, so that makes a difference.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yes, gelatin works to speed things up a bit but I don't want anyone to get the impression that the only way to get there is by using it. If you're bottle carbing, the safest way to get clear beer and still have enough yeast for carbonation is to let the beer settle out on its own a bit in primary (say 4-5 days after active ferment stops and krausen falls out), rack to secondary, then go cold for a couple days (I go for a week). Now bottle, let sit at room temp for 3 weeks or until carbed. Then put the bottles in the fridge for as long as you can stand it.

On an average beer less than 1.050 OG, you're looking at at least 5-6 weeks from pitching yeast to pouring a clear and carbonated beer out of a bottle.

BM's fast clearing is really suited for keggers. No worry about crashing all the yeast out and no need to wait 2-3 weeks for carbonation. It's not the same with bottling.

 

[discgolfin]

I never heard why he is clearing a HEFE? They should be cloudy..that is the principle of the yeast strain being used..

Jay

 

[NitrouStang96]

I'm not clearing my hefe, I'm clearing my next batch. My hefe happens to be clear when poured carefully at room temperature, so I was able to notice what I now know is chill haze after I put my glass in the fridge.