Whirlfloc

[ECH]

Is it necessary? And does someplace like Noble Grape carry it? Didn't see it on their website, but have learned that not everything they carry is on the website.

Scoop & Save doesn't carry it...the guy there had never heard tell of it, and tried to sell me some little bag of liquid to be used after fermentation. He didn't have any Irish Moss either.

If NG doesn't have it, any other place in Fredericton have it? Want to do my first batch this weekend, and with the wife going away for the weekend, I basically have tomorrow night to get it. First batch is going to be a Hefeweizen so maybe not as crucial with it.

[Jake]

I use it, but it's not entirely necessary. NG would likely have it I would think. If you're using wheat, you likely won't need it as your beer will be cloudy regardless.

[JamesC]

NG has irish moss for sure, but they're hit and miss with actually stocking things vice ordering it. I wouldn't say is needed though, and less so for the hazy beers.  Worse case scenario, I have some here...

[Chris Craig]

I would definitely not bother for this beer.  It's supposed to be cloudy anyway.  I've used it, not used it, and I've had clear beer both ways. 

[ECH]

Yeah, I figured with the Hefe, that there was no use with it. I also have a West Coast IPA style one which will be done after the Hefe, just wondering if I need it for that.

I know its supposed to clear up the beer, the description I read said:

blend of Irish Moss and purified Kappa carrageenan that encourages the precipitation of haze causing materials such as proteins and Beta glucans.

I guess my question would be, do those haze causing materials change the taste of you beer if you don't use it and do get it. Or just the "look" of your beer?

To be honest, I never used anything like that before when I made the beer in a can kits, and the beer always came out clear for me, but I fermented in a primary bucket and then transferred to a carboy afterwards.

[Chris Craig]

No, they have no affect on the taste of the beer.  It's purely aesthetic.

Even if you use whirlfloc, you are going to get hazy beer.  The haze you see in a cold beer is chill haze.  It's just proteins that clump together when the beer gets cold.  This, you can get rid of with either a few weeks at serving temperature, or by adding finings like gelatine.

[Evil Jalapeno]

For whatever it's worth, I throw a Whirlfloc tablet in each of my batches (haven't done any wheat beer yet though). It comes to about $0.25 a tablet, so I don't even think about it and just throw one in the pot at 15 min. Seems to help with the cold break.

[Two Wheeler]

I was very sketched out the first time I used whirlfloc.... look at the pictures below. In the end though, everything fell to the bottom of the carboy, and the beer was very clear.

[Chris Craig]

Where's the rest of your beer??

[Two Wheeler]

Hahaha.... yeah that was my first foray into all grain and BIAB so I wasn't entirely sure what I could get away with. I've been able to max out my 8g pot in the last two and make a full 5g batch.