Clarity from brewing technique

Josh Hughes

Josh Hughes

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Other than what most of us probably do, Whirlfloc, Irish moss gelatin etc what are ways I can get better clarity from the brew process itself?
 
Josh Hughes said:
I mean the brewing itself.
I usually wait 7-10 days to drink from the keg.
Click to expand...
Sorry if my comment came off as a bit carefree, but I find that time is the best clarity aid for me. That and a high flocculating yeast.

Proteins hurt beer clarity as well so choosing grains low in protein (i.e.. don't use a lot of Wheat malt) helps.
 
@Yooper has an article on clear beer, her motto is clear wort makes clear beer.
I believe @HighVoltageMan! also has a lot of good information on clearing beer.

My brews have cleared significantly since I have been recirculating the mash in my all in one unit.
I have been close to two hours from dough in until the end of mash out lately.
The only fining agent I use is whirlfloc, half a tab per 5 gallons.
A good cold crash helps immensely.
I also use a floating dip tube in brews that get a lot of dry hops for a few reasons.
Any hop debris that might get in the keg will not clog my out post.
With the beer being drawn from the top, you will get the clearest pour possible at the time, and anything that settle to the bottom of the keg will not find its way into your glass.
 
Megary said:
Sorry if my comment came off as a bit carefree, but I find that time is the best clarity aid for me. That and a high flocculating yeast.

Proteins hurt beer clarity as well so choosing grains low in protein (i.e.. don't use a lot of Wheat malt) helps.
Click to expand...

It didn’t at all! No worries.
 
Craigerrr said:
@Yooper has an article on clear beer, her motto is clear wort makes clear beer.
I believe @HighVoltageMan! also has a lot of good information on clearing beer.

My brews have cleared significantly since I have been recirculating the mash in my all in one unit.
I have been close to two hours from dough in until the end of mash out lately.
The only fining agent I use is whirlfloc, half a tab per 5 gallons.
A good cold crash helps immensely.
I also use a floating dip tube in brews that get a lot of dry hops for a few reasons.
Any hop debris that might get in the keg will not clog my out post.
With the beer being drawn from the top, you will get the clearest pour possible at the time, and anything that settle to the bottom of the keg will not find its way into your glass.
Click to expand...
I’ll search that out.
 
This is a document I wrote several years back. The section on PVPP needs to be updated. If I use it, I add it to the last 10 minutes of the boil or I use the same technique as gelatin, adding pvpp to boiling water and then adding it immediately to the cold beer. Unlike gelatin, you can't use pvpp on beer that's already carbonated, it creates a volcano similar to adding hops to carbonated beer.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-60w_IvRv3BRDdidmV5M0JhcDg/view?usp=sharing
 
Megary said:
Conditioning time.
Don't keg today and drink tomorrow! :p
Click to expand...
I think I do everything possible NOT to get clear beer. No Irish moss, gelatin, or Whirlifloc, no wort recirculation, and I use wheat in almost every recipe, and I use natural carbonation in the keg. But sitting quietly in a cold keg does wonders for clarity.
 
HighVoltageMan! said:
This is a document I wrote several years back. The section on PVPP needs to be updated. If I use it, I add it to the last 10 minutes of the boil or I use the same technique as gelatin, adding pvpp to boiling water and then adding it immediately to the cold beer. Unlike gelatin, you can't use pvpp on beer that's already carbonated, it creates a volcano similar to adding hops to carbonated beer.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-60w_IvRv3BRDdidmV5M0JhcDg/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...
Thanks I’ll give that a read. A good cold break is probably something that would help me considerably
 
HighVoltageMan! said:
This is a document I wrote several years back. The section on PVPP needs to be updated. If I use it, I add it to the last 10 minutes of the boil or I use the same technique as gelatin, adding pvpp to boiling water and then adding it immediately to the cold beer. Unlike gelatin, you can't use pvpp on beer that's already carbonated, it creates a volcano similar to adding hops to carbonated beer.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-60w_IvRv3BRDdidmV5M0JhcDg/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...

Brilliant (sic) information. Thanks for sharing.
 
Bubba Wade said:
I think I do everything possible NOT to get clear beer. No Irish moss, gelatin, or Whirlifloc, no wort recirculation, and I use wheat in almost every recipe, and I use natural carbonation in the keg. But sitting quietly in a cold keg does wonders for clarity.
Click to expand...
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Ah geez, I sure hope that this doesn't come across insensitive, or racist. I thought it would be funny, but having second thoughts...
 
Recirculate, Whirlfloc and a cold crash is all I ever do. But even the remaining slight cloudiness drops to the floor after a time. I always say the last pour from the keg ends up as the best one. My one and only lager was cloudy at week 3. I found some odd flavors so I just left it alone for a couple months and Lo! It Was Good (and clear).

Only time nothing worked was my Wayner's. Gonna brew that again soon.
 
Donoroto said:
Recirculate, Whirlfloc and a cold crash is all I ever do. But even the remaining slight cloudiness drops to the floor after a time. I always say the last pour from the keg ends up as the best one. My one and only lager was cloudy at week 3. I found some odd flavors so I just left it alone for a couple months and Lo! It Was Good (and clear).

Only time nothing worked was my Wayner's. Gonna brew that again soon.
Click to expand...

I've just done something similar to my Hellish Camden - it tasted a bit weird (but then what do I know) for a Hells so I put it in a barrel, conditioned it, and plan to leave it for a few weeks to see what happens. I hope it turns out like yours and surprises me.
 
Without doing anything, other than waiting patiently, my amber ale is exhibiting nice clarity. I don’t add any finings, I don’t filter, and I add the whole contents of the kettle into the fermenter. My standard for primary fermentation is 3 weeks minimum, then I bottle condition for at least a week before I try my first sample. It seems to me that in general, my beers are clearer now than when I started.
 
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HighVoltageMan! said:
This is a document I wrote several years back. The section on PVPP needs to be updated. If I use it, I add it to the last 10 minutes of the boil or I use the same technique as gelatin, adding pvpp to boiling water and then adding it immediately to the cold beer. Unlike gelatin, you can't use pvpp on beer that's already carbonated, it creates a volcano similar to adding hops to carbonated beer.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-60w_IvRv3BRDdidmV5M0JhcDg/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...

Thank you HVM! I've been just going through the motions like a robot for a long time without any understanding of what was going on when I used Gelatin to clarify my beer.
I've had inconsistent results ( Wayner's resisted all efforts & I just drank, it). Mostly because I boiled the Gelatin, I think.
I'll change my practices & use your revised practice.
Thanks again.
 
56 Firedome said:
Thank you HVM! I've been just going through the motions like a robot for a long time without any understanding of what was going on when I used Gelatin to clarify my beer.
I've had inconsistent results ( Wayner's resisted all efforts & I just drank, it). Mostly because I boiled the Gelatin, I think.
I'll change my practices & use your revised practice.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Your welcome!

Sometimes it just as important to know why a technique works as it is to know how to perform the technique.
 
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