New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association
Brewing => Technique => Topic started by: Richard on February 24, 2012, 08:31:46 PM
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Ok, so I'm wondering - if you have "crystal clear" beer, how long does it take you to get there?
Please state what temperatures you use, whether or not racking is involved, finings, etc.
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The nice clear pale ale that you tried was in the carboy for a month. Temperature would have been around 11c for the last week.
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Very much interested in this myself.
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My first batch of beer (pale ale) was in an oak cask for secondary for 30 days and it was kept quite warm; perhaps 22 or 23 degrees. After a month in the bottle is was clear as anything, it was kept at roughly the same temperature all through its conditioning. I used no finings and did not filter
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Serving Temp + Gelatin for 48 Hours and BAM crystal clear
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Dave how much difference do you find the gelatin makes? I've had some seriously mixed experiences with the stuff. Sometimes it works a charm, other times it does sweet FA.
My somewhat-educated guess is that it works best where your haze is as a result of tannins; if you combine that with a kettle fining like whirlfloc then that ought to work. If you're dealing with a yeast/starch(e.g. weissbier)/pectin(e.g. fruit beer) haze then this isn't going to do much good, but then often times those styles have adapted to include the haze anyway.
This thread is really me just trying to motivate myself to start using gelatin again for some beers, as I stopped for a while to appease vegetarian interests... after the cream ale came out looking like murky bathwater I'm likely to re-introduce gelatin.
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I Added Gelatin to a Raspberry Wheat made with 3086 and it was crystal clear after 48 hours and its always the same I heat my water to boiling add gelatin and let cool until 80F then add to wort you need to give the gelatin time to bloom
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I use a Eurofilter with a coarse filter plate as I am kegging - no waiting, no additives. :D
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WJS: got a link, and could you post before/after shots some time?
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I'll take pics of my next batch
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Thanks man.
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I Added Gelatin to a Raspberry Wheat made with 3086 and it was crystal clear after 48 hours and its always the same I heat my water to boiling add gelatin and let cool until 80F then add to wort you need to give the gelatin time to bloom
I thought adding gelatin to boiling water caused it to clump up. You add it when the water is actually boiling, or after it's cooled a little bit first?
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well at 190F basically as soon as you take it off the heat
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I use a tablespoon per five gallon batch.
Mix it with hot tap water in a sauce pot, about 1 cup of water per tablespoon.
Stir it up and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to hydrate and bloom.
Put the pot on the stove and heat until it looks like it’s about to start boiling…don’t boil.
Cool slightly (I put my pot in a cold water bath).
Add it to the secondary or keg as you’re racking your beer.
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Festa Brew Cream Ale
The unfiltered beer was sitting for approximately 15-20 mins during filtering, you can see there is some settling in the bottom already.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-n0UQef5LNPY/T1I3fTfWpqI/AAAAAAAAAD8/9paD7my7gsk/s640/IMG_1415.JPG)
Used a Eurofilter with coarse red wine filter plates and Co2 to push from keg to keg.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yc3h5HMtvIw/T1I6CB4x1MI/AAAAAAAAAEI/B6QgyQ6io1g/s640/IMG_1413.JPG)
Wasn't sure if the filter was going to be able to handle the pressure from the Co2 but, it's worked great no leaks at all.
Richard: I just realized the "red light" your were talking about at the Garrison, must be my Iphone case?
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Thanks for the pics mate; bloody striking how well that filter works!
I think I may pick one up for future competition beers.
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I think I may pick one up for future competition beers.
uggh...i just got rid of one a few weeks ago...if only you spoken up sooner.. :(
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You can buy a similar pump/filtering kit at Vintners for around $80.00, it's going to be a future purchase of mine.
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Anybody who wants to borrow mine is welcome to it. Just PM me and we can set something up.
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I also have one members are welcome to borrow.
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thanks for offering that to the club guys!
Personally, I just use 1 tab of whirlfloc at 15 minutes left in the boil and then let ferment:
normal fermentation, I let it sit at least three weeks and then carefully siphon and its usually very clear.
spunded fermentation, I wait til fermentation is complete (1-5 days) and then cold crash in the fermenter for 2-3 days. Then the beer is pretty clear too.
wheat or fruit beers, generally I don't want crystal clear anyways, but if I do, then chill a wheat beer for several days in primary and then do a secondary, in the fridge, for about two weeks. With fruit beers, I used to filter, but found it to be a PIA, so I just serve above chill-haze temp and try to minimize pectin.
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It's the "usually" part I have issue with - looking for a more sure-fire solution.
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Im the advocate for gelatin has always worked for me and beers that normally you would have to wait for say 2-3 weeks to mature seem to be perfect to drink at 9th day as it helps drop out nasties that only drop out with time
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I know for one thing that tannins bind with gelatin, which normally take time to age out.
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a 0.5 micron filter available at Home Depot does the trick. It strips some of the good stuff out too, but it is crystal clear every time. Filter cartridges are about $20, but can be stored in sanitizer and re-used.
Alternatively, a 30 micron filter is the size Picaroons uses, and it is enough to provide good clarity but still leave the good stuff fully intact.
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you mean 3 micron filter Kyle? probably a typo.
I bought a 1 micron inline water filter from home hardware on sale a month or so back for $39. It has a silver impregnated ceramic filter that is reusable. Replacements are $20.
I just have to get some reducers for the intake outtake, and will have it setup to filter between two kegs. I'll use this one for beer that's half clarified in a carboy first.
I just noticed they also have 5 micron inline filters for $ with the same type filter...I think I'm going to buy one of these and use it for the first transfer from pressure fermented beer, then the 1 micron into the serving keg.
Links:
5 micron is now $45 - http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index ... tion&Num=0 (http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Plumbing-Electrical/Plumbing/Water-Conditioning/Filtration/Undersink/Dirt-Water-Filter-with-Valve/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/No-24/Ntk-All_EN/R-I3115097?Ntt=Water+Filtration&Num=0)
1 micron - I can't fint the 1 micron on the website, but I saw it in the store. To save money, one could always just buy the 1 micron replacement filter and just swap the two out fo the same filter body.
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Nah Pics definitely said 30.
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Good call on the gelatin. I used it in my latest pale ale, and it's damned clear after 12 days! I just added gelatin to warm water and heated it until it dissolved. Then I added it to a keg of cold beer.
I think this will be a regular thing for me...
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I've read about a relatively new product called "biofine clear". I guess it's a non-animal/vegan product and clears beer up nicely.
If I remember correctly, I believe our grain supplier carries it in bulk. We should look into it because what I've read it's getting great reviews. You add like an ounce to a 5 gallon batch going into the keg.