Protein rest and clarity....

[j1n]

So how much does a protein rest help with clarity?

ive never done one before, i only single infusion mash. was wondering if its worth it and if it makes a difference?

I use WhirlFloc and gelatin for clarity and my beers are clear but ive noticed that if i pour a commercial beer next to my beer the commercial beer is just a tad more clear than mine. both are clear but i can see a slight difference. I normally dont care for ales but lagers i want it to be super clear.

 

[Derek1985]

So how much does a protein rest help with clarity?

ive never done one before, i only single infusion mash. was wondering if its worth it and if it makes a difference?

I use WhirlFloc and gelatin for clarity and my beers are clear but ive noticed that if i pour a commercial beer next to my beer the commercial beer is just a tad more clear than mine. both are clear but i can see a slight difference. I normally dont care for ales but lagers i want it to be super clear.

I think clarity, on a commercial scale, is achieved through various forms of filtering and not a protein rest.

On the homebrew scale it doesn't hurt to experiment with step mashing if your so inclined. I have done it a few times just to see if I could do it and it was fun, but ultimately, probably not necessary.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I'm not sure if a protein rest makes a big difference in clarity. I think it is primarily to help with conversion of certain malts (pilsner, wheat). However, cold crashing definitely helps with clarity.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I don't think a protein rest will do anything for clarity that proper use of finings won't. With a straight single infusion mash, my Kolsch and my Altbier both come out near filtered clarity, because I hit them with gelatin at the end of lagering.

For me, protein rests are more for grain bills with a lot of adjuncts (unmalted/flaked anything, wheat malt, or rye malt), because I find in addition to maybe a point or two higher efficiency (I believe it has something to do with starch that gets bound in protein being released, I don't recall exactly), but moreso it makes lautering easier so I usually don't need rice hulls. If I'm using 10% or so I don't bother. But once I get above 20% it seems to help.

 

[illmatija]

If you decide to do it, keep it short (10-15mins) at the higher end (133F) which will result in more medium sized proteins. Doing it like this, you will likely avoid wrecking body and head retention.

I've done one recently for a slightly undermodified weyerman's floor malted bohemian pilsner (used this malt for the first time though), and I got the clarity and head retention that I never managed to achieve before. In addition to this, I only use 1/2 tsp Irish moss 15 minutes to the end of the boil. No cold crashing or anything, the beer cleared out at 70F in the basement while bottle conditioning.