Clarity Ferm

I have a batch of red ale ready to keg in which I used Clarity-Ferm.  The guy who got me started in brewing 13 years ago is now gluten-intolerant, and I mentioned this product to him.  He owns the LHBS (although he doesn’t brew anymore) and he ordered some in.  Seems like a good product.

My question is this - since the product is an enzyme, is it still active in the yeast sediment?  Enzymes should remain active until they’re denatured, from my understanding.  So in my mind, the entire dose of enzymes should still be in the yeast cake and theoretically should be able to reduce gluten in a second pitch.

Of course, if I pitched only half the cake (which is the max I’d feel comfortable with) I’d only have half the enzymes.  So at best I’d get diminishing returns on the ability of the enzyme to reduce gluten.  Realistically, this is a $3 product which is a negligible cost.  I’m just debating whether to repitch from this cake to try to get more mileage out of the product.  I don’t have a way to test for remaining gluten, so we’d just have to have my buddy try the beer and see if he reacts.

I’m about to keg this beer, so if anybody has any input, it would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Just a quick update- the initial batch brewed with Clarity-ferm was excellent. Brilliant clarity, great flavor and aroma, and my gluten- intolerant friend had no problem drinking it. I’ll keg the batch brewed with half of the yeast cake and see if the gluten level in that beer was impacted as well. Stay tuned. Initial impressions are very positive!

I am gluten intolerant and have been using Clarity Ferm for about 6 months.  I love the fact I can make a regular recipe and not have to use sorghum, etc, to make beer.  But I have not repitched the yeast on a second batch so cannot comment on the effectiveness of the product. Just happy with the product. Cheers!

If it’s true that Clarity Ferm is an enzyme, it’s not going to grow or continue forever. If I recall, one tube is a dose for 5 gallons. The next batch will need another dose.

Yep, an enzyme is not an infinite substance. It will be spent at some point. The above dosage is the good enough dosage for easy packing and use, but the actual manufacture has more complicated dosing based on wort composition and original gravity.

$3 a batch isn’t bad, around me it’s priced at $6. A little tougher to swallow. Any thoughts on the head retention? I believe the last zymurgy Steve Ruch had commented on reduced foam.

I don’t know about head retention, but it has seemed to slow down my fermentation a bit. The batches I brewed with the yeast cake finished higher than expected.