What Would YOU Do?

[Evan!]

I've been dryhopping an IPA for almost a week and I'm just about ready to keg it. But I'm not sure what to do first. I'd like to clear it up with some gelatin and cold-crashing first, but I know that the more I x-fer, the more beer I lose. So if it were you, would you skip the gelatin, or go for it?

 

[SRFeldman79]

I say just put it in the keg.
unless its for a competition or for the snobbiest beer drinker, clearing is nice, but taste and having enough to enjoy it for awhile are more important.

 

[cheezydemon]

Clearing is so overrated.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I do put some weight on clarity, but I still think you should rack to the keg now. As long as you can show some restraint, just clod crash it in the keg, and let it naturally clear at cold temps for 2 weeks. After the two weeks, pour out a pitcher in one straight pour and you will remove most of the junk that has fallen out leaving you very clear beer. Maybe not as clear as a tertiary with gelatin, but you will have less risk and more beer!

I think any of these choices would work just fine in the end.

 

[PseudoChef]

I also believe clearing is overrated.

 

[MNBugeater]

If you are going to keg, cold crash, and then "pour out a pitcher in one straight pour" at first to clear it off, you might as well rack it. Your aren't going to lose a pitchers worth by racking it again.

 

[bradsul]

I said keg it and don't worry about it. Now that you've dry hopped it you're on a very short window of time before all that nice aroma you added is driven off in an open vessel like a clearing tank.

 

[Evan!]

I said keg it and don't worry about it. Now that you've dry hopped it you're on a very short window of time before all that nice aroma you added is driven off in an open vessel like a clearing tank.

word. thnx. makes a lot of sense, hadn't even thought about dat!

 

[CBBaron]

If you are going to keg, cold crash, and then "pour out a pitcher in one straight pour" at first to clear it off, you might as well rack it. Your aren't going to lose a pitchers worth by racking it again.

Who said you had to throw away that pitcher?

Personally I don't waste any of my beer by leaving a swig in the bottom of the bottle. I just swig it down.

Craig

 

[maltMonkey]

I don't think clearing is overrated, but it depends on the style. A well dry-hopped IPA should be at least a bit cloudy, IMO.

 

[NWernBrewer]

I agree that clear beer is over rated. It is nice - it adds to the drinking experience. But to be honest - I don't really put too much weight to it. Also, you want to start enjoying those hop aromas before they start to fade away.

 

[Brickhouse]

I said keg it and don't worry about it. Now that you've dry hopped it you're on a very short window of time before all that nice aroma you added is driven off in an open vessel like a clearing tank.

+1

But, I think the gelatin may drag some of that hop flavor and aroma out of it. And you will see the beer clear up anyway.

 

[TexLaw]

Go ahead and cold crash it in the secondary for a few days and then keg it. Even if you want to use gelatin, don't bother racking first.


TL

 

[Evan!]

eff it. racked to keg this morning with a nylon bag tied to the end of my racking tube. worked wonders, as always...the beer was actually quite clear, even without crash cooling or gelatin.

 

[AnOldUR]

+1 on cold crashing the secondary for a couple of days and racking to keg.

But I may be confused by my noobishness.

bradsul wrote:
Now that you've dry hopped it you're on a very short window of time before all that nice aroma you added is driven off in an open vessel like a clearing tank.

I thought that the secondary was the clearing tank and was not an open vessel (it has an airlock.) What am I missing?

 

[bradsul]

...I thought that the secondary was the clearing tank and was not an open vessel (it has an airlock.) What am I missing?

The airlock keeps things from entering, not from leaving. So as the dry hopped aroma leaves the beer it just escapes into the atmosphere.

 

[Evan!]

The airlock keeps things from entering, not from leaving. So as the dry hopped aroma leaves the beer it just escapes into the atmosphere.

heh, not no mo!

 

[the_bird]

Can't you add gelatin right to the keg? Isn't that what BierMuncher does?

 

[Evan!]

Can't you add gelatin right to the keg? Isn't that what BierMuncher does?

Yeah, I guess you could, which is why it was one of my poll options---though, that first pint might be chock full of hog skin, natch. :cross:

 

[Liquidicem]

Isn't that what BierMuncher does?

Do you really want to do what BierMuncher does?

Sorry... couldn't resist. It is April Fool's day after all. :cross:

 

[pjj2ba]

I routinely add gelatin to all of my kegs, and carbonate with corn sugar too. Never had a problem and get nice clear beers. Only once have I noticed chunks of gelatin and that was a time I knew I cooled it too much before adding to the keg.

 

[TexLaw]

The airlock keeps things from entering, not from leaving. So as the dry hopped aroma leaves the beer it just escapes into the atmosphere.

That is true only when the pressure inside the fermenter is greater than the pressure outside. If the pressure is equal (or close enough not to push the stuff around in the airlock), then nothing gets in or out.


TL

 

[bradsul]

That is true only when the pressure inside the fermenter is greater than the pressure outside. If the pressure is equal (or close enough not to push the stuff around in the airlock), then nothing gets in or out.

The dry hop aroma still leaves the beer, making the dry hopping just a waste of time and hops.

Edit: Assuming we're still talking about the dry hopping side, if your comment was about the fermenter in general then I definitely agree.