Finings

Ingredients
1

Hi All,
So I am still new to home brewing and recently made a summer ale.  I used finings for the first time…LD Carlson gelatin.  I followed the package instructions, 1/2T for 5G of beer (which I was making).  IT said to soak in cold water for an hour.  It was solid, obviously…so being a chef, I heated in microwave for 15 seconds, put it in my bucket with the beer and gave it a stir.  Just finished 2 week bottle conditioning and it is hazy.  What did I do wrong?  Cheers John

2

I admit I am not familiar with LD Carlson brand of gelatin - or any gelatin, for that matter.  However, I have read that package gelatin (the type you would buy in the grocery store) is mixed in very warm water, then heated to 150°, then pitched directly into very cold beer.  I don’t believe the mixture should have been “solid” as you suggested.  That doesn’t seem right.

I’m curious to read the experience from other brewers.

3

This is how I fine with gelatin to reduce O2 pickup in the process:

  1. Cold crash beer
  2. Use 1 tsp gelatin in 2/3 cup of water.
  3. Let stand 15 min or so
  4. Put it in the microwave for 15 sec.
  5. Continue the 15 sec bursts until ~150*F (usually 4 bursts).
  6. Pour the mixture into a clean, sanitized 2L plastic bottle.
  7. Squeeze the air out and put on a carbonator cap.
  8. Pressurize the bottle with a bit of CO2 until it pops back into shape (very short bursts required).
  9. PULL THE KEG PRV to depressurize the keg!
  10. Place a clean, sanitized jumper on the bottle
  11. Invert the bottle
  12. Connect the jumper to the gas in post
  13. Allow nearly all the liquid to drain into the keg
  14. Quickly disconnect it before the last bit empties into the keg.

If you’re not worried about O2 pickup you can skip 6-14 above and simply pour the hot mixture into the keg.

Afterwards, I pull one pint and wait one day for crystal clear beer using floating dip tubes. It seems to take 2-3 days with a standard dip tube.

4

Soda bottles can withstand a large amount of pressure.  Usually I just set my regulator to 30 PSI when I pressurize the soda bottle and the pressure gradient pushes it into the keg without needing to pull the PRV.

5

+1. I alway got a bit nervous with the CO2 pressure [emoji23]

6

I think expecting gelatin to work during the bottle conditioning step was the problem. Bottle conditioning is done with room temp beer. Gelatin works on cold beer (fridge temp or a little colder).

For bottle conditioned beer you need to cold crash in your fermenter. Get the beer down to 32-35F. Then add the gelatin mixture and gently swirl. Then wait 3-4 days before bottling. Add your priming sugar the day you bottle as normal. There should be enough yeast left in suspension to prime.

7

thank you all lfor your input!!! cheers

8

Now that’s brilliant.