Gelatin: Yes, it works

[Kealia]

I realize this may be old news to some but since I decided to use it again I thought I would post for those that may not know.

Gelatin works WONDERS to clarify your beer. Yes, a good hot break, quick chill, careful racking and extended cold conditioning does too - but not as fast or as thorough IMO. Don't get me wrong, I make clear beers already but when I want an exceptionally clear beer or am doing a heavy dry hop and prefer a clear beer (just for the sake of clarity, mind you) I will use gelatin.

Sometimes pictures show what words can't convey so....

Here is my IPA after a heavy dry hop and 3 days of cold crashing:


Here is that beer a mere 24 hours after adding gelatin:


And it's only going to get clearer once it is kegged and settled. Keep in mind that this wine fridge only gets down to about 40 so even colder temps will improve the clarity that much more.

Here is the process that I use that was well researched and debated on HomeBrewTalk for quite a while. It seems to be the most agreed upon approach:
- Chill beer as cold as you can get it
- Use 1 Tbsp for 5 gallons, scale accordingly
- Heat 1 cup water to boiling and let cool to room temp (or if you aren't worried about your water simply use warm tap water and avoid the boil)
- Add gelatin to water (no stirring) and let it bloom for 30 minutes covered
- After 30 minutes is should be dissolved well, stir lightly
- Heat on stove or in microwave until temp reaches 170 (any higher and it becomes ineffective as I believe it denatures the gelatin - there's a lot of science here I don't understand but you read up on this if you like). I use a microwaveable measuring cup and use 15 seconds blasts, stirring each time.
- Pour hot gelatin into carboy, keg, bottling bucket, etc. with your cold beer
- After 24 hours or more, rack to final serving container (keg, bottles, etc.). If you kegged your beer, you should be able to pour off the first pint or so which will contain the gelatin sludge and then pour clearly after that.

FAQs:
- Yes, there will be enough yeast left to bottle prime
- Yes, gelatin contains animal product so if you're vegan/vegetarian look for other options
- Use only unflavored gelatin. I use Knox that I pick up at Safeway
- Yes, it really works!

I'll post a picture of the actual first pour in a few weeks once I keg and carb this one.

Cheers.

[BlackDuck]

WOW...that's a huge difference.

So just to clarify a couple things.
1. Once it reaches 170, do you hold it at that temp for any period of time, or do you immediately move on to the next step?
2. You pour the hot gelatin right into the cold beer?
3. If your kegging....you're dumping the first pint to clear any gelatin that drops to the bottom of the keg?

[Beer-lord]

You might remember Ron that I tried this once and only once on a Stone Levitation clone and I feel it took the hop flavor out. Once isn't enough to prove anything and I've since made the beer again without gelatin and it was much better (but not as good as yours) so I ran away from it.
I did read lots about it and many felt the same way and since clarity isn't in my top list of things that concern me, I left it alone. But you have me somewhat interested again. I should really brew up a double batch one day and try it both ways and see if I can actually taste the difference.

[Dawg LB Steve]

WOW...that's a huge difference.

So just to clarify a couple things.
1. Once it reaches 170, do you hold it at that temp for any period of time, or do you immediately move on to the next step?
2. You pour the hot gelatin right into the cold beer?
3. If your kegging....you're dumping the first pint to clear any gelatin that drops to the bottom of the keg?

No on #1 move onto next step no need to hold the temp for any time
Yes on #2
Not necessarily on #3, only if you are pulling the stuff that drops out through on that first pour.

FWIW I have only used gelatin once about a year ago, but I pour fairly clear right from the start.

[Kealia]

WOW...that's a huge difference.

So just to clarify a couple things.
1. Once it reaches 170, do you hold it at that temp for any period of time, or do you immediately move on to the next step?
2. You pour the hot gelatin right into the cold beer?
3. If your kegging....you're dumping the first pint to clear any gelatin that drops to the bottom of the keg?

1. No need to hold, just move on.
2. Yes, pour hot gelatin into cold beer.
3. Basically, yes. The first pint (which normally has some trub anyway) is going to be a bit thick and trub-y. So you can expect to pour that or you may find that depending on your dip tube that it just stays in the keg. No worries, it rinses right out.



Paul, I thought I agreed but I've done a lot more reading on this as well. In fact there is a head-to-head that another brewer did and you can read his results, for what it's worth.

I know that the Kolsch I used tasted great but that's not a high-hop beer. I think it was my perception last time that led me to believe it was the gelatin that stripped out some flavor. But I used plenty of hops in this beer so this should be a good gauge. If it turns out that I think it *does*, then I can always adjust by adding some extra hops the same way we can adjust for poor efficiency by using more grains, ya know?

[ScrewyBrewer]

I just fined one of my beers with Knox gelatin last Friday. I used a slightly different method of 1 teaspoon in 1 cup of tap water. I let the gelatin bloom too, then stirred it in good and heated it to 150F. While the gelatin was still at 150F I poured it into 5 gallons of cold beer that was already in the keg. I had already cut 1/2 inch off the beer pickup tube and had cold crashed the fermentor before kegging so the first pour wasn't too murky. The beer is really clear now, it looks as if it's been cold crashed for three weeks in just a few days. As for taste it's still got a lot of flavor I can't say that the gelatin knocked out any aroma either.

[Kealia]

Sounds like the only real differences were:
1) The amount of gelatin used (1 tsp vs 1T bsp)
2) You didn't boil the water first and let it cool down. I don't either but I threw that in there because I'm sure some people have major issues with their tap water and would prefer to do so. In my experience it isn't NEEDED, though.

Hey, you stole my measuring cup!

[ScrewyBrewer]

Haha. Ron you talked me right into trying a glass now....

2015-10-22 - cali steamin-sml.jpg (44.47 KiB) Viewed 774 times

[Inkleg]

Great write up Ron. I've used it before just as you and Vince described.

[Kealia]

Ooh, do we get to guess the style Screwy? I'm going with your Steam Beer.

[Kealia]

Great write up Ron. I've used it before just as you and Vince described.

And what has your experience been in terms of flavor and/or aroma?

I go back and forth between wanting clear beer and not caring (other than my normal practices).
I recently had a really good IPA that was crystal clear and I think that it why I'm doing this again now.

[Beer-lord]

Mine take about 3 weeks in the keg to really clear well and I do admit, I comment on them when they do but normally, I'm all about the nose and flavor. But I'm sure judges will knock points off for cloudy beer.

[FedoraDave]

But I'm sure judges will knock points off for cloudy beer.

They do. Appearance is one of the categories (3 points), and they evaluate the color according to style, head and head retention, lacing, and clarity. The only time I've scored a perfect 3 from both judges was with my Pearly Pils, which, being a lager, was cold conditioned for several months. Right now, my Ottertoberfest is drawing clear as you could want, but again, I lagered it for about four months before kegging.

I'll admit I'm curious about using gelatin, and I'll also admit that I don't always rack as carefully as I should, nor do I cold condition for as long as I should. I like my beer, but I'm always a little disappointed by the lack of clarity. I may try cold crashing before bottling/kegging before I go the gelatin route, though. Yeah, I'm lazy, and don't want to add any more steps to the process.

[Kealia]

For what it's worth Dave. The first few times I used gelatin I added it to warm beer (non cold crashed) and it worked, too. It's just not the widely accepted method, but even this does add a small step to process and I understand not wanting to do that. Just letting you know that there are options.

[Inkleg]

And what has your experience been in terms of flavor and/or aroma?

I have only done it once and can't remember what style of beer. So no help with what it did to the beer. The gelatin did help clear it, but have found mine pour clear after time in the keg and haven't done it again.