Whirlfloc or not?

[hilljack13]

I have started to use whirlfloc tabs (.5) per 5 gal batch. I haven't noticed any difference in clarity. I have also used gelatin a few times and that stuff works wonders, along with a nice cold rest. Am I wasting time with the whirlfloc or does it just work better in combination with gelatin? If I can get by on gelatin I will. Not that the tablet is hurting anything, but I don't see the benefit.

 

[lumpher]

I haven't used Whirlfloc in years. Last time I used it was just to get rid of what I had. The chilling and aging process clears it for me.

 

[hilljack13]

That's what I am seeing. I'll probably run through the stock and go with gelatin and time. Time is my friend with biers!

 

[Kickass]

Cold crash and gelatin are my go to. I forget to add whirlfloc about 75% of the time. I’ve never done a side by side but my thought is, “whitlfloc can’t hurt”. I’m trying to be more consistent with it but when I forget, I don’t sweat it.

 

[worlddivides]

I do it all.

Whirlfloc.
Fast cold break.
Cold crash.
Gelatin.

It's been a while since I only did one or two, so it might be difficult to isolate the individual factors, but the beers are extremely, extremely clear (assuming I'm not adding tons of wheat or oats or whatever). I think the last time I didn't use whirlfloc was close to a decade ago, so I don't really have any remotely recent comparisons of "whirlfloc vs. no whirlfloc."

 

[madscientist451]

I don't usually worry about beer appearance, but I sometimes use whirlfloc. I'm on the fence, it seems to help a small amount, doesn't hurt anything, but if you forget to toss it in, no big deal.
https://brulosophy.com/2017/03/27/the-whirlfloc-effect-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Cheshire Cat]

They are called Protafloc in the UK. I add one for the last 15 minutes of the boil. I also cold crash for two days. The combination works very well for my beers. I never package cloudy beer (I don’t brew NEIPA) and usually my beers clear in 2-3 days. I typically ferment for 5-7 days.

 

[Broken Crow]

I don't really care how much trub goes into my fermenter and I rely on time to clear my beer, but I do use Irish moss but do so just to reduce the silt that goes through my plumbing, particularly my CFC. Without it, it takes a lot longer for me to clean out my kettle filter.

 

[Ninoid]

I don't use any chemicals and I don't have the equipment for to cold crash, but I do strain the wort when pouring into the fermenter through a thick strainer and I have a very clear beer. True, this doesn't work with dry hopped beers.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I don't use any chemicals and I don't have the equipment for to cold crash, but I do strain the wort when pouring into the fermenter through a thick strainer and I have a very clear beer. True, this doesn't work with dry hopped beers.

Irish moss which these tablets are is not a chemical. Cold crashing is a misnomer, I cold crash at ambient temperature and gravity (which is also not a chemical) does the rest.

 

[DonT]

If I remember I'll toss in a whole tab if I want a clear beer. As I see it... it's not gonna hurt any thing, it's cheep, and it can only help. I do have the ability to quickly cold crash, so that helps and I'll toss in some gelatin or Biofine if I feel I need it.

 

[Ninoid]

Irish moss which these tablets are is not a chemical. Cold crashing is a misnomer, I cold crash at ambient temperature and gravity (which is also not a chemical) does the rest.

Yes, Irish moss is not a chemical. I didn't notice any difference in clarity while using it, but I believe it can help. To use natural conditions for cold crashing, you need to take the fermenter outside. I live in a warmer climate so I don't have the conditions for cold crashing outside either.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

Irish moss addition is part of my process, my brewing desk has markings from start to finish in 15 minute intervals, I find if I lay out my hops, irish moss , yeast nutrient at the marked intervals( Irish moss would be between the 30 and 45 markings)this way I'm least likely to forget something, aftervthat time is my friend and clears all

 

[Dland]

I almost always use Whirlfloc, two tabs for last 10 minutes of boil for ten gallons. When I forget, I do notice the difference. A lot of the time I'm making lagers, and these will eventually clear without Wirlfloc, but it takes longer. With ales, which I like clear also, it is more noticeable because I tend to cold condition them for less time, often only a couple of weeks. All my brews are crashed at around 30F after racking to kegs.

 

[Immocles]

I use whirl floc on every brew. I've forgotten probably 3-4 times and notice it when I go to keg the fermented beer. I can usually see through my fermenter near perfectly (after 3 weeks) and the times that I have forgotten, the fermenter stays cloudy.

Cold and time will clear up most beers though. Some yeasts take ages to drop out and highly hopped beers generally will stay cloudy.

 

[fluketamer]

i dont associate clear beer with clear wort.

i do however enjoy more wort in the fermenter and less not-wort in the fermenter . especially when fermenting in the keg where space is at a premium.
so - whirlfloc goes in the boil to get better seperation of the trub. which i have noticed def makes a difference.

i only use gelatin in lagers which i feel benefit from the clarity.

ales tend to be very hoppy and i havent tried gelatin because i think the haze is due to the suspended hop material and maybe thats contributing to the flavor. idk.

 

[Willy]

I whirlfloc every batch. Always use a single pill for my batches which are between 6.5-11 gal. Sure looks like it is making a difference visually as it begins to fizz. I don't know how much, but I think it results in a cleaner wort going into the fermenter.

Only use gelatin now if I feel I need to speed up the clarity that will happen over a week anyway. I love clear beers and don't make NEIPAs cause I don't prefer hazy styles.

 

[ExpatPete]

I use both Whirfloc and a teaspoon of Irish Moss in most brews. I only have pitched gelatin once and didn't like the result. But I know gelatin work so I need to try it again.

 

[mac_1103]

I use both Whirfloc and a teaspoon of Irish Moss in most brews.

So you use Irish moss and Irish moss?

 

[mashdar]

I use whirlfloc, and I get gelatinized goop dropping out of my cold break. In most cases my beer is almost perfectly clear before I even cold crash. When I forget whirlfloc, I sometimes have very stubborn haze.

Cold crashing is a misnomer, I cold crash at ambient temperature

Can you elaborate? To me, cold crash is a process involving near- (or sub-) freezing temperatures. But maybe I'm behind the times. Or is your ambient very low?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

True cold crashing is reducing the fermented beer to near zero to help the particles drop out, but I just leave the finished beer at ambient and get the same effect in 2-3 days. My garage where I brew and leave the beer is 5ish in winter and 18ish in summer. Out of the sun in the UK never gets much above 25.

 

[ExpatPete]

So you use Irish moss and Irish moss?

Yep. It seems to work so if it ain’t broke…..

 

[worlddivides]

Yep. It seems to work so if it ain’t broke…..

He was pointing out that Whirlfloc is a mixture of Irish moss and carrageenan (which is a substance extracted from Irish moss and other seaweeds). So you're basically just adding Irish moss to Irish moss.

 

[RyPA]

I use it in all of my non-hazy batches. I am not sure what improvement I get from it, if any, I just have always threw in half a tab as part of my process.

In my latest WC IPA, I tried gelatin in addition to whirlfloc, and it is my clearest batch so far. Did whirlfloc contribute to it, I have no idea.

 

[Yesfan]

I bought a 1lb bag of whirlfloc for about $17 a couple of years ago. I use it on every batch.

 

[crazyjake19]

Personal opinion here, but I've never found any finings to be necessary. I do use BioFine in my occasional cask conditioned beers because they'll be sitting at cellar temperatures for a shorter amount of time. But for kegged beers, I've never used any finings at all. 2-4 weeks cold conditioning and the beers are crystal clear. My Czech pale lager has been lagering for just shy of 3 weeks and I can read a book through it.

 

[ExpatPete]

He was pointing out that Whirlfloc is a mixture of Irish moss and carrageenan (which is a substance extracted from Irish moss and other seaweeds). So you're basically just adding Irish moss to Irish moss.

Yes. I completely understand that.

 

[Duck&BarrelBrewing]

I have always used supermos in mine. It is a fining agent that you add to the last 10min of the boil and it pulls out some proteins and then when I do a 15min whirlpool at the end I always get trub at the center so I think that works and it does help.

However, I do agree that cold conditioning and the use of gelatin have the most dramatic effect.

 

[Snuffy]

so... it's Irish. Not Spanish?

 

[hottpeper13]

See!

 

[Indian_villager]

I've been following the advice out of the following post and it has made whirlfloc a lot more consistent for me. The pH measured at room temperature should be between 5.0 and 5.2 for whirlfloc to be effective.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/ideal-pre-and-post-boil-ph.669433/post-8662277

 

[hilljack13]

I've been following the advice out of the following post and it has made whirlfloc a lot more consistent for me. The pH measured at room temperature should be between 5.0 and 5.2 for whirlfloc to be effective.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/ideal-pre-and-post-boil-ph.669433/post-8662277

I check randomly, yes I know I should with all brews. But I am consistently ~5.3-5.4. I need to change something. I have some lactic and phosphoric acid I need to use.

 

[redrocker652002]

I don't usually worry about beer appearance, but I sometimes use whirlfloc. I'm on the fence, it seems to help a small amount, doesn't hurt anything, but if you forget to toss it in, no big deal.
https://brulosophy.com/2017/03/27/the-whirlfloc-effect-exbeeriment-results/

I don't typically care that much about that either. Not to start an argument or anything. I use it because I was told it helps, but to be honest I am probably going to finish what I have and not use it much anymore, if at all. I don't mind a cloudy beer if it tastes good. I don't do competition so I don't need to adhere to any style regulations. But, I can see if you are doing competitions where the style says it has to be clear, it would probably help.

 

[Indian_villager]

I check randomly, yes I know I should with all brews. But I am consistently ~5.3-5.4. I need to change something. I have some lactic and phosphoric acid I need to use.

Depending on the beer and the water you start with I'm anywhere between 2-6 mL toward the end of boil to get ~6 gallons of wort down to the necessary range. This is one of those places I am finding brewfather is helping with my consistency, I use the batch notes to record this kind of info and then I go back and edit my main recipe for consistency.

 

[ExpatPete]

Yes. I completely understand that.

I know I am essentially doubling up but I will keep doing it. I love the results!

 

[HM-2]

I protafloc everything, including my NEIPAs. I don't see a huge difference in haze/clarity, but I do see a difference in how quickly the worst of the trub drops out.

 

[day_trippr]

I toss a couple of Whirlfloc tabs in near the end of the 10 gallon boil for everything including hazies. It drops the trub but doesn't affect haze stability at all afaict...

Cheers!

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I use whirlfloc. I bought a small bag once to get me over that “free shipping” threshold. However, I am about out, and considering just letting it go. For me, taste trumps appearance and I don’t compete. I get a kick out of a particularly clear beer, but I don’t know how much money and effort I am willing to spend in chasing it.

 

[mashdar]

I cannot swear that they are related, but I find that my clear beers taste better. It might be aging solves both, or maybe some of proteins/etc affect flavor. I'm more sure of the connection with dark beers.