How to use Gelatin Finings?

Isinglass is slightly more adept that clarifying than gelatin because it is non-hydrolyzed collagen. Removal of colloidal haze and tannins and yeast can be done by molecular forces other than solely charged (salt bridge) interactions, which include hydrogen bonding (see poly-clar's mechanism of action) or in some cases vanderwaal's interactions. Bottom line, increasing the hydrodynamic radius of a particle, will help it to settle out much more quickly.

 

That's the essence of it! Well put!

 

over 48 hours later and..... no change. First pour did not want to come out, it was like it was jammed. When it finally came out, it was thick and clumpy for lack of a better word. Second pour drank just fine but looked like it did 2 days ago. Third pour I expected it to sort of be a lil bit clearer... but Nothing. BTW this beer is very cold and it was when I added the gelatin. Supposed to work better that way... I guess it didnt hurt anything, but it didnt help anything either. Ill leave it and try again tomorrow, and of course post the results. Unless, maybe it takes more than 3 12 oz pours to get everything out? I guess I could drink another glass... its still a tasty beer. Thoughts?

 

Drink up! It's not going to hurt you, and, indeed, it'll strengthen your nails!
Did you move the keg before you poured it? My experience has been two days to brilliantly clear beer. Maybe it varies. I'd give a bit more time before dismissing it as a failure.

 

poured in the gelatin, swirled the keg just a bit, put it back in kegerator reconnected the gas and let it sit for over 2 days. its still opaque for a pale ale. ah well, i dont care if its clear it was just an experiement. I wanna know where my hops went, 6 ozs in a 5 gal SMaSH beer should be pretty damn noticeable. theyre there, but very subtle. but thats a question for another thread.

 

My experience is that it just takes longer. Give it a week or so.

 

Yeah, Im just gonna let it sit for another few days. I have other beer I can drink til then Ill post what happens in a few more days.
Cheers!

 

On Wednesday I also used gelatin for the first time. Added to 2 kegs (pils and Vienna lager), put back in fridge. Tonight, (2 days later) neither were very clear. I'll give them some more time, also. The Vienna needs to lager quite a bit longer, anyway. The pils has been lagering for about 7 weeks, but was still very cloudy, so I decided to give the gelatin route a try. Will see...

 

Thats why I only tried it with one of my beers, just in case. But theres no off flavors... so far so good. I wish you luck, post what happens!

 

Will do. I went with the gelatin because after 7 weeks the isinglass I had added to the pils had not been effective. Lots of people swear by gelatin, so I am hopeful.

 

Nutha update.... Beer still looks the same. Im guessing its just not gonna work.

 

Interesting. I've heard others say much the same thing. Gelatin works almost eerily well for me. The beer is almost scary clear after two days, even with a yeast not noted for its flocculation properties. FWIW, I've never had any luck with isinglass.

 

There's more to it than just working and not working I think.

The pH of the final beer and the conditions at which it was made is pretty dependent on it I think. I can't really tell ya one way or the other, but I've had beers clear fine without gelatin. I've had beers that clear great WITH it, and I've had beers that just simply won't clear to save their lives, and simply resist any action.

Last time I used it, it cleared my beer fast. The time before... nothing.

 

Interesting. I've only had very spotty success with isinglass. Can you describe in detail your process when using gelatin? How you prepare it, what you do when adding to keg, etc?

 

I heat 1/2 cup of water in the microwave to about 170F, stir in 1/2 packet of Knox gelatin until it appears to be dissolved, dump it into the chilled keg, seal, purge, and walk away. Two days later, my Cream Ale looks like water with a couple drops of yellow food coloring added. Brilliantly clear. The only real difference between my technique and most of the others I've read here is that I don't stir the beer, swirl the keg, or do anything else to mix it up - I just dump it in. It certainly doesn't seem like that would make a difference, but who knows?

 

Seems simple enough. Do you do this after the beer is carbed or before, or does it not matter? Also, do you do it with or without moving the keg, or does that not matter? I know these issues may seem like minutiae, but I'm just trying to figure out this fining game. TIA.

 

I do it while the beer is carbed. Generally I'm finding that it looks like shit when I take my first couple of pours. I expect the first 5 seconds I pull on a fresh keg to be "ehh". Then I drink the next 5 and guage is it's clear enough for my liking.

I will then add my gelatin, prepared as above to a cold, carbed keg. I pour it in the top and use a racking cane to gently move it around in the beer. I don't experience any foaming out the top. I have lately, just dumped it in and did no stirring and have really noticed any difference. I then close up, flush it again and leave it be. I DO NOT move the keg however. I do this all inside the keezer, and I won't take a pour from the tap for 2-3 days. At which point I then run off a bit. You can visually see it looks like shit, even taking a peek in the tap lines. After that.. clear as a bell. I could read the paper through the glass.

I did this to a stubborn ass czech pils last summer. Lagered for like 6-7 weeks and was just being a bitch. Hit it with the finings and holy hell it cleared. That yeast was just slow to move, so I forced it out of the keg.

 

The beer is already carbed before I add the gelatin. I've never moved a keg after the gelatin was added. Maybe that makes a difference. As I said, it doesn't seem like it should, but if that's the only difference, maybe that's it.

 

I pitch the gelatin at room temp or slightly below all the time, and it still does a good job. During the winter I move the beer to the garage for a couple of days, and it works somewhat faster. 2-3 days seems to be the sweet spot for me. Not always gin clear, but I use a bit of wheat malt for most of my brews for body, so I expect a slight bit of haze.

 

Update: My beer is FINALLY clearing up! Wonder what took it so long? Just over 2 weeks later and I can see right through it, although its still a bit hazy. Pretty cool though. I really need to be more patient.
Cheers!