conditioning and bottling?

[shammo]

Was wondering if i was to use finnings and gelatin, and maybe polyclar and then filter, will the bottle still carbonate?

sorry if this is a stupid question, but i thought the priming sugar reacted with the yeast to carbonate?
so wondering if all this clearing of my brew can be done before bottling?

cheers

[Bum]

It isn't a stupid question at all. It seems logical to think that there won't be enough yeast left after finning and filtering - but there will be (assuming 'standard' HB type filtering). It might take a long time but the yeast will work it out eventually.

What is worth thinking about is why you're doing it in the first place. If you're trying to completely remove sediment then it won't work - if there's enough yeast to carb the beer there is enough yeast to produce a sediment. If you just want it to be clear perhaps just do the finnings stage (i.e. no polyclar or filtering) and see if that gives you results you're happy with. Failing that you could always just do an extended conditioning period in the fermenter (secondary might be best) and let old Father Time work out the clarity side of things.

[chadjaja]

My last lager was hit with whirlfloc in the boil, gelatine in the secondary, cold conditioned for 2 months and then bottled. It was crystal clear but took just a tick over a month to fully carb up. Patience got it there in the end.

[SuperBroo]

If it was me, I wouldnt use polyclar in a beer that was going to carbonate in the bottle, but I do occasionally use it with kegs, if I know some non home brewers might be drinking it.
I dont see the point of using polyclar to get a really clear beeer, and then still having yeast in the bottom of the bottle.
Unless its just the chill haze you are trying to remove of course, which is really what the polyclar is for.

I would just do finings for 2-3 days, and chill down to 2-3 degrees straight after I add the finings, then bottle and store at 20c for a Month, well in theory anyway, I dont think I've ever waited a month

Others might think differently...

[shammo]

so finings, chilling and then gelatin before racking to second fermenter is prolly the go, does this sound like a good method???
only new to brewing so obtaining a clearer brew is about all im after at the moment, all my brews will be aged in the bottle for at least a couple of months.

cheers for the help guys

[Bum]

How new are you exactly? If your brew will be a kit and a kilo of dex/BE2/etc then your beer should actually turn out reasonably clear even without finnings and just a bit of time.

Post up your recipe and the advice you get will be more suitable for your method. For instance - if you're brewing kits/extracts then polyclar probably isn't going to do a great deal for you anyway and certainly wouldn't be worth the effort, IMO.

[SuperBroo]

Finings and Gelatin are the same thing as far as I know Shammo, I just buy Gelatin at supermarket as its cheaper.

After 3 weeks in fermenter...
I just add 1 heaped teaspoon of finings into 3/4 cup boiled water, stir and mix thoroughly, cover with a bit of alfoil to keep bugs out, wait till its cooled a bit and then gently stir into the top of the brew.

Then chill the fermenter down if you want, but that is maybe not necessary.
Because I keg mine its just as easy to chill it down then. Chilling may or may not improve the work of the finings, I'm not sure.

Then just bottle after 2 or 3 days.

Then the longer you leave your bottles the clearer it will become, and the better the yeast will 'set' on the bottom of your bottles. PET bottles when pouring a beer, seem to hold the yeast together better at the bottom as well IMO.

[shammo]

i am very new to brewing, only done a couple, so am just doing kit and kilo atm, trying different kits mixed with LHBS brew enhancer(dex, malt and maltodex).

so the packet of finnings i get at LHBS is just gelatin, is this right?? if so, wish i had of known, would have sourced it elsewhere.

i have been using these packets of finnings, and there is a alot of settling going on in the bottom of my bottles but if i could get it clearer and brighter then that would be good, but sounds like its prolly not neccesary.

[Bum]

Well, it isn't necessary but neither is beer - no, really - so if you want to make it more clear then there is no reason that you shouldn't. There's a few substances that can be used beer finnings but, yeah, gelatine is most likely what you've got (especially if it doesn't tell you what it is). The gelatine should be settling in your fermenter rather than in your bottles though - perhaps a bit more time before bottling will help. But as mentioned above, if you're naturally carbonating your beer there will be sediment.

[shammo]

i have been putting the finnings in that i have been getting in when i put the yeast in, which was the instructions i was given, should i be dissolving it in hot water and putting it in after fermentation??

[SuperBroo]

Yes, add finings after fermentation has finished, about 2 or 3 days before bottling...

[Bum]

i have been putting the finnings in that i have been getting in when i put the yeast in, which was the instructions i was given, should i be dissolving it in hot water and putting it in after fermentation??

Dude. Just stop listening to your LHBS attendant. The job that finnings do is to drop yeast out of suspension - if you put it in first you're probably dropping some out before it even starts growing. Sounds like a recipe for stressed yeast to me. Could be wrong about that last detail, of course, but putting it in first is most certainly wrong. Some people add it to primary, some people add it to secondary. I've done both and both work but logic suggests racking to it in secondary should work a bit better as you aren't stirring up the yeast and trub that has already settled out.

[shammo]

ok, so i wont add finnings till fermentation has completed, but i do have some spare packets of finnings from LHBS so should these be dissolved in hot water before adding to brew??

thanks for your help guys very appreciated

[rotten]

If it was me, dissolve in 1 cup of boiling or near boiling water, then stir into brew. After fermentation is complete. If you can chill after this, do it.
Same method for gelatine from supermarket, 1 tsp gelatine in 1 cup of boiling or near boiling water.
Some may mention 80c is best, once it hits your brew though I would really doubt that it matters.
Cheers
Keep asking questions mate, no such thing as a stupid one.

[shammo]

sounds like a plan will do this, although do you think it will help racking to second fermenter after finnaings or is this a waste of time??

[rotten]

rack it, then add finnings (gelatine-same thing) Then chill if possible
Cheers

[shammo]

just have one more question regarding this topic, if i was to rack it then gelatin and chill it, can it can be condition in the bottle at room temp or do i need to keep it cold once i have already chilled it in the fermenter???

[matr]

You will want to bring it back to room temp to carb up.

[emnpaul]

Just to dig up an old thread...

I've got a "Summer Lightning" golden ale clone in secondary at the moment.
Recipe: 1.7Kg Coopers Canadian Blonde Kit
1.0Kg LDME
20g EKG (dry hop 72hrs)
10g Challenger (dry hop 72hrs)
WLP 023 Burton Ale Yeast

Made as per instructions in beer and brewer magazine, with the exception of WLP 023, instead of kit yeast. I've cold cleared it at 5 degrees for three days and racked into second fermenter where upon I'd normally bulk prime and bottle. However, true to the manufacturer's information, the yeast is a medium flocculator and even after 3 days cold clearing there still seems to be a fair amount of yeast in suspension. Well, more than I'd like anyway.

Instead of priming and bottling I've added 1 1/2 tsp gelatine disolved in hot water in order to fine the brew some more. My question is, as I've never seen the need to use fininigs before I don't know what to expect. Will it stick to the bottom hard enough that when I stir in my bulk priming addition, the yeast sediment won't be stirred up, or should I rack again before priming just to be sure?

Cheers
Paul

[emnpaul]

Drinking one of these right now. Bloody good beer IMHO. Loving the Burton Ale Yeast too. Anyway, I digress.

I ended up racking a second time, prior to bulk priming, just for experiments sake, to see just how clear a beer I could get from gelatine and cold clearing. Quite happy with the results really. There is still a small amount of yeast in suspension but way less than I'd expect from a beer that's been in the bottle for six weeks. On the whole I'd say it was worth the effort, but if I was doing it again I'd probably cold clear and gelatine in the fermenter before racking and bulk priming, eliminating the second racking.

It does make for a clearer beer though.

Cheers
Paul