BeerBorg

Pudge wrote:Again, full disclosure, I am drinking

Aren't we all?!?!?!?

LOL, yeah given time it will but the gelatin also helps pull down other proteins and haze causing elements. Given enough time most beers will clear just not to the extent that you can get quickly with gelatin.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to push it so much as talk about the benefits for those interested.

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I need the proteins. Beer is food for me.

But if I cared, IE I was gifting an entire batch to someone, I might clarify it.

I'm going to have to give it a try. Turn around time is no issue here, but curiosity is.

Most of the time clarity isn't an issue for me but there's something to be said for a beer that is brilliantly clear. Clarity changes things. Like the color, the perception of quality even. As long as everything esle is in place, making a nice clear beer is kind of the final touch. Sometimes it might be a chill haze, sometimes hop haze but usually it's a yeast like US-05 or Wyeast 1056/WLP001...great yeasts but they do not clear well.

The thing with Gelatin I always wondered is what it might be doing to flavor/hop character. Kind of like high floccing yeasts, they can and do pull out some character. I am going to try some Gelatin in some beers to come.

The only way to know would be to use gelatin on half a batch and leave the other half alone.

It has been done, I just haven't done it myself.

I'm a bit disappointed that the total length of time from brew day to taste testing seemed to be under 2 weeks. Did I miss something? That really wasn't adequate time for the non gelatin beer to drop and clear up some. The flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel all leaned towards the non filtered beer, but would it have if that beer had been given more time?

Kealia wrote:Given enough time most beers will clear just not to the extent that you can get quickly with gelatin.

Agreed; I like that I can dose a batch of beer with the gelatin as I'm kegging & it will be all clear by the time it is carbonated.

Pudge wrote:I'm a bit disappointed that the total length of time from brew day to taste testing seemed to be under 2 weeks. Did I miss something? That really wasn't adequate time for the non gelatin beer to drop and clear up some. The flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel all leaned towards the non filtered beer, but would it have if that beer had been given more time?

Yeah, it was quick but some people have their beer ready that quick. And honestly, that's part of the equation here IMO - gelatin allows you to reduce some of that conditioning time because it's pulling out all the stuff that you normally have to wait to settle out on it's own. That's one advantage in my book.

Just kegged the Simply Amarillo and even though it's been chilling at 36 for 2 1/2 days, it's still more cloudy than normal. The last batch was extra cloudy too. I guess that 1 lb of wheat really made a difference.
But, I'm going to try some gelatin to see what all this fuss is about. You'll know my opinion in a week. Not that I even care about my own opinions.

No doubt clarity is far superior using gelatin. Those pictures show it clearly... pun intended.

Based on the above linked tasters test though:
Three tasters (of the 5) preferred the aroma of the beer with no gelatin while the other 2 preferred the gelatin-fined beer
Four tasters (out of 5) preferred the flavor of the no gelatin beer while the other taster perceived no detectable differences
Three tasters (out of 5) chose the no gelatin beer as having better mouthfeel white the others preferred the gelatin-fined beer

I still need to try this on my own at some time to come to my own conclusions. Don't judge everything on a single test but... it seems gelatin gives you a prettier beer while no geltin leaves you with a tastier beer. That is why I wish they had given the beers more time. When the non-gelatin beer is given more time to drop clear, does it then have similar taste/aroma to that of a gelatin beer?

Having just made this brew a few weeks ago, though I have changed a few things this time, I should easily be able to tell if the gelatin makes much of a difference. I'm just hopping all the money I spend on hops isn't 'gelatinized'.

OK, I added gelatin Sunday and last night I thought I'd pull a bit of it off to see how it looks and nothing came out at all. I am wondering if it's so 'congealed' at the bottom that there is a blockage.
Got some work to do to clean things up I guess.

Pudge wrote:When the non-gelatin beer is given more time to drop clear, does it then have similar taste/aroma to that of a gelatin beer?

This is where the science leaves the stage & perception enters. More experimentation needed. I wonder if it may also drop out some of the yeast flavors....