I’ve read so many methods brewers use for gel fining. I’d like everyone who does it frequently with success to post their method. Then I’ll draw a consensus and give that a shot. Maybe with a really murky batch and post before and after shots.
I use the Bertus method. Works great.
Can you Google that for us?
For adding it to keg: 1 tsp for every 5 gallons. Bloom in ~ 1 cup colder water for 15-20 minutes, then microwave for about 1:20 or so until it hits about 150F (that’s what I’ve found with my microwave). Stir, then dump into cold beer.
For adding it to fermenter: 1 1/2 tsp in 1 1/4 cups water added to the fermenter.
Both worked well, I will use the fermenter method from now on, unless I want to pitch on the yeast.
I take a glass of water, add the gelatin, stir and let it sit about an half hour, boil and then add to the cold keg. When the beer is carbed and ready the first pour is fair, the next are usually brilliantly clear
Edit: I realized I typed boil and I don’t, I heat in microwave to about 150, sorry, had a geriatric moment:)
I’ve used this method MANY times and batted 1.000 - and it’s easy . Not gonna gelatin the next batch or two, next time I do I’ll post pics.
Take a small glass of about 3 oz water, heat in the microwave for a minute or two until boiling, then pull out the glass of water, add a pack of unflavored gelatin, stir several minutes with a sanitized spoon to dissolve, cool slightly and pour it in. After about 24-48 hours, the beer should clear considerably. If you wait an extra couple days, the sediment will become more compact and might even gel up. Works great.
+1
I only use 1/4 cup of water and it works just as well. It goes straight from the microwave to the empty keg, then I rack cold beer and seal.
Microwave 2/3 cups water till boiling set out at room temp covered, let cool to below 150F add 1/2tsp per 5 gal LD Carlson gelatin, just because that’s what I have. Stir a bit wait an hour and pour in keg with beer chilled to 32F.
Captain Stubings light lager after 4 days.
From this. S-23. It was less flocculent because it was the second “dump” from my local brewery.
O forgot I would never use on IPA or APA. It kills the aroma.
This is just what I was hoping for. Keep it coming guys (gals)
Take a cup of beer from the keg, stir in a package of unflavored Knox gelatin and let it bloom for a minute. Put this is the microwave until it hits about 160F, but no hotter than 180F. Pour this onto the cold beer and quickly shut the bale in case it starts to foam up. You can do the same thing with the beer in the fermenter, but it works best when the beer is cold.
+1
I gelatin most of my beers. For ales or darker beers, I add 1 packet of Knox unflavored gelatin to a cup of cold water, let sit for about 20 minutes, then nuke it on high for about 45 seconds. This is just enough time to get it hot enough but not boiling (don’t want to make jello). I then dump that into the keg and rack the beer on top.
For a light colored lager, I do the same but don’t start carbonating right away. I cut an inch off the bottom of all my diptubes, so I let the lager sit in the kegerator for a few days to a week, then jumper it from outpost to outpost to another keg, then carbonate.
I fine in the keg using this method. Just plain old unflavored Knox gelatin. I’ve had great success in clearing most beers. I also have used Bentonite. Follow the instructions on the package. It’s a PITA to get it to completely dissolve, but it settles nicely in the bottom of the keg and stays tightly packed.
I prefer the gelatin fining though.
Gotta add , though : Biofine Clear works at least as well and is much easier to use. Chill the beer thoroughly , add to the keg, rack on top. Same 24-48 hour wait. I’m surprised more people aren’t using it.
This is how I do it. The key is to add it to cold beer, particularly if you want to get rid of chill haze. The beer needs to be cold enough for the haze to form, or else the gelatin won’t do anything.
I haven’t added it to a fermenter in over 10 years. I usually try to give my beers time to clear on their own and only use gelatin when they are stubborn.
I use that Bertus method, too. In the keg.
Don’t want to derail so I can start a new thread if necessary…
I used gelatin in the fermenter a few days ago when I normally throw it in while transferring to the keg. I forgot that I was planning on pitching a new batch onto that yeast. Is that a bad idea? I’ve got some dry yeast around if necessary.