I used to use Whirlfloc in every batch and then used Gelatin in the keg. Then one day I forgot to add the whirlfloc. I fretted, but, I figured the Gelatin alone would have to be enough.
Low and behold, Gelatin alone cleared that beer as good or better as any batch I had brewed before.
The next four batches I skipped the whirlfloc and just used Gelatin in the keg. Every time the beer was crystal clear.
I am not saying this is a good practice. “The Beerery” says Gelatin oxidizes beer. I can’t taste that, but, I won’t say he is wrong.
I just thought I would report on my results. I surmise that maybe the lack of whirlfloc is leaving more protein for the Gelatin to grab hold of and therefore the Gelatin works betters better in this scenario. But, that is just a guess.
No matter what I do to mitigate oxygen uptake with the use of fining or filtering DO raises and the beer is effected.
Ultimately I have no reason to use it because I don’t have issues with brilliantly clear beers.
And just as a PSA oxidation is not just sherry and cardboard. Beers flavor changing( hops fading, malt fading, sweetness) in the packing vessel is stage 1.
I may be wrong, but my understanding is that the purpose of Whirlfoc is not to clarify the final beer. It’s to settle trub in the kettle before transfer to the fermenter.
The proteins whirlfloc binds to stay in the beer if you don’t use it. Without whirlfloc (or other finings) and without gelatin the beer is quite cloudy.
I pour everything from the kettle into the fermenter. So, whether I clarify before fermentation or after doesn’t really matter to me. Clarifying before and after doesn’t seem to be necessary.
In my experience, whirlfloc gives me a much fluffier trub in the primary fermenter that sticks together. With no whirlfloc the beer actually tends to clear a little bit quicker. I’m guessing that without whirlfloc, there are more/smaller flocs and this might give more surface area to help clear the beer quicker. The downside to skipping whirlfloc is that the trub kicks up a lot more easily and is harder to keep out of transfers.
are you doing an intense whirpool by chance? Sometimes a real strong whirpool can shear the big chunks of trub that whirloc creates which can cause this.
Here’s a picture I took a while back comparing two batches. I forgot the whirlfloc in the left jug. This is the dregs left over after racking. the jug on the left is cloudier because the trub I kicked up during racking hadn’t settled back down yet.
