Gelatin

[Jake]

This is directed at Dave (or anyone else who has experience doing this). You brought a beer to the last meeting that was crystal clear, and mentioned that it was because you used knor gelatin in it. Could you explain the process and the product for the group?
When is it added, specifics of product, how much to use, etc. ... wouldn't mind giving it a try.

[Richard]

Method taken from Dave:

Cold-crash beer.
Mix up one or two packets of the gelatin as per the instructions on the side in a sanitised container.
Pour onto beer.
Swirl beer slightly in carboy.
Wait.

[JohnQ]

I've been hesitant to do it, because some have noted that it can cause a 'stripping' of hops flavour, and if I need to choose between being able to see through it and getting a monster hop hit....I don't think I need to finish that line!

JQ

[Richard]

Yeah, although if you do the gelatin fining before you dry-hop...

[JohnQ]

Yeah, although if you do the gelatin fining before you dry-hop...

Except it way YOU that convinced me to not give a damn about how they look, so long as they taste great!
One of my new mantras, some of which include:

You can only have a limited number of real friends, the rest of them are acquaintances; and
Pull up and go around is a valid control manoeuvre.

Among others.

JQ

[Richard]

Yeah I know -- tbh I've not bothered with finings in a while now; cold-crash in the deep-freeze to near-zero seems to hit the spot without adding boiled hooves to the mix. Still; in a competition setting you're kinda forced to pay attention to clarity in many styles, IPA included. My favourite beer (Garrison's IIPA) is cloudy as the moors of Scotland, so you understand my personal preferences are elsewhere

I'm going to try Dave's hotbreak-skimming on the beer after next. This one is going to be a french saison, so I really can't be arsed if the yeast is going to be in suspension anyway.

If I was going to enter in a competition, I'd try cold-crash first, then gelatin if necessary, then rack into CO2-flushed carboy for dry-hop. Competition requires a little more hoop-jumping for the judges, I figure.

[Dean]

when I made that crystal clear pilsner I cold crashed for 3 days with the gelatin

[Richard]

... and then you dry-hopped with Saaz, if I recall correctly. That was some damn tasty beer - was very surprised that the S-23 behaved itself at ~60F.

[Dean]

nope, dry-hopped before the fining/cold crash. At the time I thought it'd stripped the hops taste but now I'm not so sure.

first time I used 1oz pellets, this last time I used 2oz leaf and no finings ....still can't taste what I'd expected to. then again I've not made the same thing without saaz additions for a proper comparison.

anecdotally, this second attempt is nowhere close to as good as the first one ...doesn't taste the same at all and has NO head

[Richard]

ah well, I suspect the stripping effect isn't total - again, something worth experimenting with

If you bring one of the newer ones to the meeting we can probably figure out what the difference is -- better still if you've still got one of the older ones around.

[Dave Savoie]

what your getting is not stripped hops but think of it as aged because hop aroma and shit fade with age it just speeds up the process im all about drinking beers at 2 weeks as Im impatient and generally brew what I wanna drink in the near future