I am an all-grain brewer and have not brewed an extract beer in years. However, I have a couple of friends who have gluten allergies and I wanted to brew a gluten-free beer for them. Knowing their tastes lean towards the lighter side, I decide to brew a light American lager. For a five-gallon recipe, I used 3 lbs. of white sorghum extract, 2 lbs of rice syrup solids and 1.5 lb of clover honey. At 14 minutes in the boil, I added my usual 1 tsp. of Irish moss as my fining agent. After chilling to 65F, I pitched Saflager S-23 lager yeast and it has been fermenting at 60F for two days. My problem is that this beer is as cloudy and hazy as a hefeweizen if not more so. Since I am expecting something as clear as a Budweiser or Coors, I am a little concerned about the level of proteins in the sorghum extract. Can anybody suggest a clarifier or fining agent that can be added during primary or secondary fermentation and will hold up when I lager it at 35F? Many thanks for the input.
Brewhawk (thrilled with tonight’s Hawkeye Orange Bowl victory)
I would let it go through full fermentation (2-3 weeks) and then evaluate it. If it’s still cloudy then you might look into using gelatin. BTW… 60F is a little warm for a Lager fermentation. Mid 50’s would be better… Great job Hawks!!! (From a Husker fan!!)
[quote]After chilling to 65F, I pitched Saflager S-23 lager yeast and it has been fermenting at 60F for two days. My problem is that this beer is as cloudy and hazy as a hefeweizen if not more so. Since I am expecting something as clear as a Budweiser or Coors, I am a little concerned about the level of proteins in the sorghum extract.
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Using lot’s of adjunct like rice solids can still give a haze. Evaluating for clarity only after just a few days of fermentation? A tad bit early. After the lagering phase it will probably have cleared up.
I would leave the S-23 around 60F, it actually works better at that temp than at normal lager temps IMHO. Makes a good steam type beer. If you still have haze issues after 6 weeks, I would go the gelatin route. I use it pretty often if I’m in a hurry to get a beer clear and it works great.
I have never used a finning agent other than irish moss. How (quantity and form) and when is it generally used? Does anyone have a link to good instructions? I too am an extract/partial mash brewer that is having some trouble with cloudiness in my ales. It clears up, but only after much time (2 months) in the fridge after bottling. Since I bottle rather than keg, I need yeast to condition the beer, do I need to add yeast in my bottling bucket after I use geletin?
[quote]Use a glass jar, and fill it with a cup or cup-and-a-half of tap water. Not hot or warm or cold… just cool. About 70-80 degrees. Put 1-3 teaspoons of gelatin in there and let it sit for 20 minutes. Swirl it up good (it will be cloudy) and pop it into the microwave. Set it for about a minute, but you need to watch it and take it out as soon as it’s clear. The glass will be warm.
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You can put gelatine into bottling bucket.
You should not need to add more yeast.
After the lagering phase it will probably have cleared up.