Whirlfloc Tablets-- conflicting instructions

[woozy]

So who the *heck* makes these whirlfloc tablets that every one seems to be redistributing with conflicting instructions? And what are the instructions?

Most instructions say use 1 tablet for 5 gallons and add in the last 15 minutes.

There are many vocal dissenters who state that the manufacturer says (although they never say who the manufacturer is) they denaturate after 10 minutes and won't work so you need to add them in the last 5 minutes. And that one tablet is for 10-15 gallons. (Half a tablet for 5 gallons). (One source said two tablets was for 25 gallons.)

Most list the weight as 2.5 grams. I weighed mine and they only weighed 2.25 grams or so. One site mentioned 1 gram tablets but I haven't been able to verify their existence.

So what's the realio-dealio?

 

[Ridire]

I add at 15 minutes, one tablet for 5 gallons, and my blonde and IPA have come out as clear as a commercial lager.

I'm sure there are other variables at work but my experience says 15 min.

EDIT: Here is my blonde using one tab at 15 min

 

[Pratzie]

Ive used them on the last four batches. 15 minutes drop one in and let it go. Except for my last batch i forgot and added it with 8 minutes left. All seem to give me the same result, nice and clear beer although i still cold crash.

 

[Ridire]

The beers in those pictures came from a batch that was neither filtered nor cold crashed.

 

[aiptasia]

I drop mine in at 15 and just fuggetaboutdit. All whirlflocs are, are tablets of carrageenin and irish moss, in pressed pill form.

 

[Pratzie]

Yooper (as usual) provides some great info here for Irish Moss and whirlfloc.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/whirlfloc-extract-192043/

The boil of the tab won't denature anything, since its a the charge of the particle that matters. The negative charge of the fining agent binds with the positive charge of the protein in suspension, causing them to drop out.

 

[woozy]

Yooper (as usual) provides some great info here for Irish Moss and whirlfloc.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/whirlfloc-extract-192043/

That's great info, but it's not the info I asked.

Midwest Brewer: "Use one tablet per 10 gallon batch (For 5 gallon batches, cut a tablet in half. Adding a whole tablet won't really gain you anything), and add it with 5 minutes remaining in the boil. Yes, 5 minutes is correct. According to the manufacturer, if Whirlfloc is in the boil for any longer than 10 minutes, the active ingredients become denatured and therefore will not do their job."

And yet their image is:

(Note: 2.3 grams per tab)

Northern Brewer: "Use one tablet per 5 gallons in the last 15 minutes of the boil." (Image has tab at 2 grams)

http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php?topic=7020.0: "I'm sharing what we found "on the internet."

Whirlfloc tablets were made to be a commercial-use product for large batches; the maker didn't know distributors were re-packaging for the homebrew market until recently.

Two 2.5 gram tabs (5 gm total) will treat one hectoliter, or 25 gallons, so one tab does 12.5 gallons, so a full tab is more than needed for five gallons. If you're treating 5-6 gallons then half a tab is plenty."

http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php?topic=7020.0: "The tabs I use only weigh 1.0 gram, they are packaged for Brewcraft."

... and yet the tabs from BrewCraft

seem the same size and the instructions: "Use one tablet per 10 gallon batch (For 5 gallon batches, use a half a tablet), Add it in the last 5 minutes of your boil. According to the manufacturer, if Whirlfloc is in the boil for any longer than 10 minutes, the active ingredients become denatured and therefore will not do their job."
=====

So my questions are:

Who is the manufacturer?
What are their instructions? (5 or 10 gallons? 5 or 15 minutes?)
Are they aware that their tablets are being distributed?
How much does each tablet weight? (2.3 grams seems accurate by my measure)

This is a good example of how information gets "cut and pasted" into the general public.

 

[E_Marquez]

Kind of interesting.. Here is the MSDS for Whirlfloc G. Assuming for a second it is what we know and use...

http://www.ldcarlson.com/MSDS_sheets/6107%20Whirlfloc.pdf
Supplier: Kerry Bio-Science
Kilnagleary, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. IRELAND
Tel. 353 21 4376400 Fax 353 21 4376480

 

[E_Marquez]

And here is the Kerry Group America site
http://www.kerry.com/americas/
But searching that site or the UK one for "Whirlfloc" gets you no hits

 

[ianw58]

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/4915-article-on-whirlflock-tablets/

Supposedly, Quest Iternational was the manufacturer of Whirfloc. They we bought by Givaudan in 2005. I cannot find any other manufacturing reference, nor can I find any reference to Whirfloc on Givaudan's website.

I cannot confirm the facts in the article referenced above.

So...just some more unsubstantiated information to throw on the fire...

 

[woozy]

And here is the Kerry Group America site
http://www.kerry.com/americas/
But searching that site or the UK one for "Whirlfloc" gets you no hits

Neat! If you google "Kerry Whirlfloc" you can get pages like this. But they only describe the product and don't give instructions.

Whirlfloc® is a purifed form of high molecular weight carrageenan extracted from red marine algae (Rhodophycae) and manufactured exclusively for use as a wort fining agent. It accelerates the formation of dense and compact hot and cold trub, saving time, boosting wort recovery and resulting in considerably brighter worts.​

The Safety Hazard sheet you posted was a hoot! What to do if it comes in contact with skin...

 

[woozy]

Ah, I think I found it! So I'm going to shout "bingo". Here I go:

BUNGUM!

Wait... "bungum"? That's not "bingo"!

Through googling it would *appear* that Kerry Bio-Science bought out or renamed itself from Quest International and Whirlfloc is developed by their Irelend branch. Whirlfloc was probably intended for large scale. I found it hard to believe that the tablets have been distributed legally without their knowledge so I assume they knew but put little effort in control and instructions. A person on the Northern Brewer forum claims to have written directly to Kerry and got a response which includes the following:

Typical treatment
rates are 25 - 50 mg/litre. However if the wort pH is found to be low (less than pH 5.0 )dose rates of up to 120 mg/litre​

Now by my math one tablet is 2.3 grams so one tablet for 46 to 92 liters or 12 to 24 gallons. Or if pH is low one tablet to 19 liters or 5 gallons.


Also the indgedients "denaturalizing" seems to refer to the carragen which seems to just be the gelatine-like binding that holds it in tablet form which you *want* to denature. I'm going to start adding mine later though.

I've been doing 1/2 a tablet for 2 gallons and it worked great for my first few batches but not so much lately. Yooper posted something way back in the recesses of my mind which I remember interpreting, rightly or wrongly, as one shouldn't over do irish moss.

So ... I dunno.

Interpretations anyone?

Meanwhile

BUNGUM!

 

[E_Marquez]

And it would seem there are different types of "Whirlfloc" that is manufactured by the Kerry Group..
If you follow the link, clearly, they are marketing to large scale brewers.. with "application data" like Whirlfloc G
Pack size Application rate
44 lbs Use 20 - 50 ppm

OR
Whirlfloc Tablets
Pack size Application rate
5 lbs, 55 lbs Use 2 tablets per bbl for a 10° Plato wort

Whirlfloc Tablets
This is a semi-refined kettle fining agent similar in formulation to Whirlfloc BWS although in a convenient rapidly dissolving tablet form. The tabletization eliminates the need for hydration and makes it particularly convenient for smaller kettle sizes.

Application

Whirlfloc G
Whirlfloc G is a modern granular kettle fining agent derived from Euchema cottonii. Added 10-20 minutes prior to the end of boil it gives excellent wort clarity, much improved beer filtration, improved beer clarity post filtration and enhanced colloidal stability of the finished beer. Although the most economical of all kettle fining agents this product it is best suited to brew lengths in excess of 40 Bbl.

Application

Whirlfloc BWS
This is a powdered formulated kettle fining agent to improve trub compaction, enhance beer clarity and ultimately provide longer filter runs. It is added 15 minutes prior to the end of the boil and must be hydrated prior to addition to the kettle. Use 20-50 ppm; an optimization is recommended to determine the proper rate of use.
http://www.brewerssupplygroup.com/WortClarification.html

 

[woozy]

Whirlfloc Tablets
Pack size Application rate
5 lbs, 55 lbs Use 2 tablets per bbl for a 10° Plato wort

Whirlfloc Tablets
This is a semi-refined kettle fining agent similar in formulation to Whirlfloc BWS although in a convenient rapidly dissolving tablet form. The tabletization eliminates the need for hydration and makes it particularly convenient for smaller kettle sizes.

A BBL is a barrel or 42 gallons so this is 1 tablet for 21 gallons.

Jesus! We're losing ground by the minute!

The quote above "Typical treatment rates are 25 - 50 mg/litre. However if the wort pH is found to be low (less than pH 5.0 )dose rates of up to 120 mg/litre" was for "Whirlfloc T" tablets.

Maybe everyone should just do what they darned pleased. Although it seems to be looking that a tablets good for at least 10 gallons.

 

[ianw58]

I sent an information request to http://www.kerry.com/emea/contact/

As soon as I have results, I'll post them here.

The request:

I am a home brewer and have been using Wirfloc tablets in my wort boils for a number of batches and am very pleased with the results. Wirfloc seems to clear my beers more effectively than Irish Moss or any other product.

I have purchased the tablets through MoreBeer, a distributor in California. MoreBeer sells packets of five 2.5 gram tablets.

These tablets are available to home brewers from a number of sources.

A number of brewers have noticed that each of the sources seem to have different instructions for use.

In particular, the point during the boil varies from 20 minutes before flame out to 5 minutes. Additionally, the number of tablets to use in a typical 5 gallon batch varies from one tablet to half a tablet.

Can you provide proper instructions for use of Wirfloc tablets, please?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Respectfully,

Ian Wilson

 

[E_Marquez]

I sent an information request to http://www.kerry.com/emea/contact/

As soon as I have results, I'll post them here.

The request:

I am a home brewer and have been using Wirfloc tablets in my wort boils for a number of batches and am very pleased with the results. Wirfloc seems to clear my beers more effectively than Irish Moss or any other product.

I have purchased the tablets through MoreBeer, a distributor in California. MoreBeer sells packets of five 2.5 gram tablets.

These tablets are available to home brewers from a number of sources.

A number of brewers have noticed that each of the sources seem to have different instructions for use.

In particular, the point during the boil varies from 20 minutes before flame out to 5 minutes. Additionally, the number of tablets to use in a typical 5 gallon batch varies from one tablet to half a tablet.

Can you provide proper instructions for use of Wirfloc tablets, please?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Respectfully,

Ian Wilson

Come monday they will get hit with a double request then, as I sent much the same request / note right after I found Kerry Group as the manufacture.

 

[woozy]

I'm eagerly awaiting the results.

 

[brewbama]

What was the outcome of the letters written to the company?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[ianw58]

Not a peep.

 

[docrw]

Ridire, how dare you post those pretty beer pix! I'll be right over!

I add at 15 minutes, one tablet for 5 gallons, and my blonde and IPA have come out as clear as a commercial lager.

I'm sure there are other variables at work but my experience says 15 min.

EDIT: Here is my blonde using one tab at 15 min