Gelatin - WOW!

Not actually looking to make the beer bright...just looking to drop all the yeast out of suspension prior to DH. So the story goes...the oils from the hops can cling to the yeast membrane and get removed from solution. Hopfen would know, but it was either Cilurzo or Bryndilson who first pointed this out i think either in a zymurgy story or a bn podcast.

 

Gelatin doesn't work so well on the hop tannin haze. Use Polyclar for that.

 

Yep, supposedly it's better for the hop flavor/aroma if you get all the yeast out of suspension. Plus I don't think dry hopping would create any murkiness. The next IPA I brew, I'll test it out.

 

Well yes and no. Some brewers try to add hops at the tail end of fermentation because the added interaction between the hop oils and yeast can produce desirable aromatic compounds. You will lose some oil overall this way, but adding a second charge of hops in several days gets around this problem. Letting (or forcing) most of the yeast to drop out before adding hops will result in better oil retention efficiency in the final beer, but you miss out of the potential for those added yeast-hop aromas.

 

Hmmm, more to consider.

 

I don't normally fine either, but I have used gelatin in some extreme cases of clarity issues to good effect. I recently bought some biofine clear but haven't played with it yet.

 

I will test the hop/yeast dichotomy shortly...great tasting IPA @ 3 weeks...check...gelatin...check...dry hop...in the freezer ready to go...check...murky beer on the horizon...check.

 

Hrmm.. Might try it out then. Like you, I give less than two seconds to the appearance in some cases.

 

Walmart has 32 packet boxes of Knox at a great price, about 25¢ a packet. Much less than the 3-pack boxes, and I'm sure an order of magnitude less than from a brew store. I'm a relatively newbie brewer, but I've used gelatin since the get go. It's easy, effective and cheap. What's not to like.

 

Dry hopping most certainly will haze up a beer. I actually find hazy pale ales/IPAs really attractive. Hill Farmstead's Edward is a beautiful looking pour, imo.

 

Can this be done in the primary? A bucket primary.

Could I put the bucket in the kegorator at about 42, get it cold, then add the gelatin, then rack to the keg a few days later?

 

Yes you can.

 

Does the gelatin gunk up the outpost poppet creating a leak?

 

I've had good luck with gelatin, and its cheap. I know quite a few people who swear by Biofine Clear, since it works faster, but its more expensive. I'll stick with the gelatin.

Plus gelatin makes my beers non-vegan friendly, which always makes me happy. LOL

 

Could you use this in a Tap-a-Draft system (either natural carbing or force carbing)?

 

I've never had that problem. I guess I don't see why it would.

 

How long should one wait after adding gelatin before bottling?

 

WARNING — DUMB QUESTION ALERT! What would be the downside of adding diluted, heated and cooled gelatin solution to bottling bucket along with the diluted sugar solution. That way the geleatin could do its finng thing over a 2 week or longer period. I'll hang up and take your answers off the air.

 

just a polite note:

1. not sure what the source of gelatin is, but if its pig or beef, then someone who keeps kosher or a vegetarian cannot drink your beer
3. if finings or fish gelatin are used, then it opens up a can of worms re: fish allergy. most people with fish allergies would never think of it being in beer.

 

The sugar would likely ferment out partially, even if it you held it at low temperatures.