Fining with gelatin

[Secla]

Brewed an ipa recipe with a lot of dry hops so I'm going to try using gelatin to clear
Il be transferring to a keg and I've already got some leaf gelatin from the supermarket, does anyone have any suggestions on how/when and how much to use ?

[gobuchul]

I always use gelatine.

I get mine from the Malt Miller.

They come in sheets about 6 inches x 2 inches and I use 1 sheet for a 23 litre batch.

Dissolve it in warm, previously boiled water, about a cup, allow to cool and add to the keg before you put the beer in.

http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.ph ... ductId=345

[windrider]

Brewed an ipa recipe with a lot of dry hops so I'm going to try using gelatin to clear
Il be transferring to a keg and I've already got some leaf gelatin from the supermarket, does anyone have any suggestions on how/when and how much to use ?

I’ve only ever used the powdered gelatin (Dr Oetker). One teaspoon to about 150ml of water and heat in steps in a microwave and stirring until its about 65°c (try not to go over this).

I usually add it after the dry hops, either to the fermentor or keg. I usually dry hop with hop flowers so it’s usually added to the keg. If I was using pellets then I would personally add the gelatin to the fermentor before racking to decrease the sediment in the keg.

It’s better to add it when the beer is cold as it’ll be more effective.

[alexlark]

I've just got a packet of gelatin power and plan on using it in the keg once the beer is ice cold. The videos I've seen on YouTube look promising. I'll ditch the first half pint after 3 days. From what I've seen this will speed up the clarification greatly. My beers normally have ample time to naturally clear but not so in the summer when I kick a keg in just over a fortnight!

[Secla]

Does it need keeping chilled for a few days or just chilled when racked ?

[Oakey22]

I put in the keg first and then bring the beer in top of it so it mixes in well. Crash cool the beer to 2C before this though and it will be crystal clear in 2 days

[alexlark]

From what I've read, add when chilled and keep chilled for approx 3 days. If this is in the keg the first half/pint will be cloudy and then clear after that. Interested to hear how others do it though.

[Goulders]

I added gelatin to a corney couple of days ago. Poured clear after 24 hours. No cloudy pint. The gelatin tends to form a jelly at the bottom of the keg in my experience.

[Jocky]

Gelatin varies in strength (particularly sheets), so the dosing can be difficult, but err on the side of less rather than more. Even a teeny amount will make a difference. 1 sheet in a 5 gallon batch seems about right for me.

Soak the sheet in cold water while you heat 150-200ml of water to between 65-70c. Then take the gelatin sheet out of the cold water, give it a quick squeeze to remove excess water and then drop it in the hot water. It will dissolve near instantly with a small stir.

Then just dump it in your beer.

I've not done well when chilling the beer for one day, then fining the next day and bottling the following day. Instead I'm lengthening the time I chill (2-3 days, longer is better), then fine and leave again for 2-3 days before bottling. A corny will be more forgiving though as you don't move it and everything drops to the bottom.

[f00b4r]

Gelatin varies in strength (particularly sheets), so the dosing can be difficult, but err on the side of less rather than more. Even a teeny amount will make a difference. 1 sheet in a 5 gallon batch seems about right for me.

I have a conversation chart for the different types in my Modernist Cuisine book that I week dig out and post later, hopefully it will help with the dosage if people can edit in which type they are using.

[f00b4r]

This should enable people to figure out how much gelatin to use. Anyone know what the stuff the Malt Miller sells is (doesn't show it on the picture of the item on the website)?

[scotsloon]

In 40 odd years of brewing I've only used Gelatin twice with no or little improvement. There is nothing as good as patience to clear a batch of HB, gelatin is just not worth the expense or effort.

[gobuchul]

In 40 odd years of brewing I've only used Gelatin twice with no or little improvement. There is nothing as good as patience to clear a batch of HB, gelatin is just not worth the expense or effort.

Why you might be right, as it only costs about 25p for each 20 litre batch of beer and takes about 3 minutes to do, I think it's worth it!

[Kohoutec]

I've got a beer that's nearly ready to crash. I've lightly dry hopped it with loose flowers (20g). Can I still fine this with gelatin or is it likely to gum up around
the hops and make a horrible mess?

Thought about removing as many of the hops as I can first if I can get away minimal splashing, but not sure I need to?

[gobuchul]

Can I still fine this with gelatin or is it likely to gum up around
the hops and make a horrible mess?

I've tried it like that.

However, the gelatine solution I make up is very light and not "gummy". I think it would be fine.