Can Isinglass be stored frozen and still work?

[guypettigrew]

To clear my beers I use auxiliary finings and Isinglass. Both from Brupaks. The auxiliary finings are all ready made up when I buy them, the Isinglass comes as a paste which is made up with water and citric acid. This works perfectly, and my beers clear completely.

The difficulty is the amount of Isinglass I have to buy. The 200g container of the concentrated paste makes up enough finings for 17 brews of 5 gallons each! I make up a litre at a time and store both the concentrate and the diluted liquid in the 'fridge.

Without fail the concentrated paste is out of date before I've used it all. Very wasteful. I know it's only a few quid a bottle, but it all adds to the cost of the brew.

Does anyone know if it's possible to make up the Isinglass then freeze it in 350ml amounts, which I use for a 5 gallon brew, and then thaw it out and use it successfully, please?

Thanks.

Guy

[crookedeyeboy]

No don't freeze it. Freezing will break down the collagen which is the main active protein element of isinglass.

[guypettigrew]

Thanks. Not what I was hoping to hear, but makes sense.

Perhaps I should move over to Harris Beer Brite. What do people here think of it?

Guy

[Cazamodo]

To clear my beers I use auxiliary finings and Isinglass. Both from Brupaks. The auxiliary finings are all ready made up when I buy them, the Isinglass comes as a paste which is made up with water and citric acid. This works perfectly, and my beers clear completely.

The difficulty is the amount of Isinglass I have to buy. The 200g container of the concentrated paste makes up enough finings for 17 brews of 5 gallons each! I make up a litre at a time and store both the concentrate and the diluted liquid in the 'fridge.

Without fail the concentrated paste is out of date before I've used it all. Very wasteful. I know it's only a few quid a bottle, but it all adds to the cost of the brew.

Does anyone know if it's possible to make up the Isinglass then freeze it in 350ml amounts, which I use for a 5 gallon brew, and then thaw it out and use it successfully, please?

Thanks.

Guy

EDIT: Sorry was completely wrong. Ignore me.

[Graham]

Thanks. Not what I was hoping to hear, but makes sense.
Perhaps I should move over to Harris Beer Brite. What do people here think of it?
Guy

Harris BeerBrite was, I believe, based upon Vickers Dryfine (Drifine?) which, ironically enough, was freeze-dried isinglass. To my mind Dryfine it was the easiest and surest method of any small brewer or home brewer to produce ready-to-use finings in just a few minutes. In its raw form it had a very long shelf life and I think that it could be stored frozen. Unfortunately, the Vickers site (now owned by Lallemand I believe) no longer lists dryfine (sp?); but they have another fining product called Vicfine - perhaps they have changed its name, but the site is less than informative. Harris still claim that their stuff is freeze-dried. It will be a shame if the dryfine has gone west; it was good stuff.

[critch]

murphys and vickers both do dried finings used both they both work think murphys is called magicol(ask crooked eye boy he runs murphys homebrew front if im not mistaken)

[Mr. Dripping]

The Magicol is good stuff; but it can be a bit of a PITA preparing it......a good stick blender helps.

[paulg]

I use harris beer brite due to any finings (in fact almost all brewing needs) I need having to come from the uk and reading issenglass needed to be kept cool at all times.
beer brite seems easy to use and successful in giving clear beer .I put it in my cask when racking the beer but I beleive you can use it in the fermenter too