Proper use of Gelatin

[eriggity]

I put 1 table spoon of gelatin into 1/2 pint of hot (microwaved) water and the gelatin granules all completely dissolved. I dumped it into my 5 gal carboy before racking into it as secondary.

Is this the right way to use gelatin as a fining agent? (there was a warning against heating the water to boiling and mine was pretty hot.

Will the completely solublized gelatin precipitate out again?

 

[eriggity]

Probly belongs in Gen Techniques,
apologies!

 

[Orfy]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I think the best use for gelatin is to mix it up with green kool-aid, pitch it into a kiddie pool and get a couple a girls in bikinis to wrastle in it.

But maybe that's just me...

 

[dantodd]

From Brewerylane.com
http://www.brewerylane.com/finings.html

Gelatin Finings (dried form)
100% animal-derived gelatin

Positively charged fining agent for wine and beer. The most powerful of the organic finings, gelatin will also remove excess tannins (polyphenolics) and colouring particles (melanoidins) from wine. Use 1.5 g per 23 litres of beer, 3 g per 23 litres of wine. Pour 125 ml of boiling water over gelatin powder, stirring to dissolve. Stir thoroughly into wine. 5 ml (one teaspoon) = approximately 3 g.

Using more than the recommended amount will remove too much of the colour and flavour compounds from wine and some of the body from beer.

Store cool and dry

BYO's My Wizard recommends adding yeast back in if you plan on naturally carbonating the beer because gelatin and isinglass will strip yeast.
http://byo.com/mrwizard/1277.html

 

[Bombo80]

I was just reading the article from Brewery Lane, on the beer and wine finings. Has anybody ever used the egg whites, in a beer ?? If so, what style was it, how much did you use, and did it work out ??

The reason I am asking, I brewed a fruit beer, and was looking for some additional clearing agent to use on it. I was going to use gelatin, but it looks like that will take out too much of the good stuff (yeast) since I am going to be bottling it, and don't like the idea of adding back in yeast, just for bottling.

Any comments ??

Thanks

 

[dantodd]

No help here on egg whites.

If you don't want to use a strong fining agent and you want to naturally carbonate the beer you have a few choices. Remember though that anything that clarifies your beer will also remove quite a bit of the yeast since it is one of the main particulates suspended in the beer.


Since your sig says you have kegging system I'd recommend just using that to crash cool the beer to clarify before bottling. It should give you a pretty clear product but might take a while longer to carbonate.

You could also, I suppose, use gelatin on 3/4 of the beer and then add back the other 1/4 at bottling. This will give you most of the advantage of fining but allow you to keep some yeast in the beer. I suppose this would give you a little less sediment in the bottle.

 

[Bob]

In re: having to add yeast after fining with isinglass or gelatin.

"Tchah!" he said, with snide derision.



That has not been my experience. In casking English ales, I've found that sufficient yeast remains in suspension to properly bring the beer into condition regardless of the fining method is employed.

Mind, this is in the conditioning of relatively low-gravity English ales (i.e., < 1.050 OG); YMMV may vary with different styles and higher gravities, though I've conditioned and fined strong Belgian and Scotch ales in cask with the same techniques and had no difficulties.

Cheers,

Bob