Clarity from brewing technique

[GFHomebrew]

Can I mention yeast choice.
And a good vigerous boil and Geletin.


I've brewed almost exclusively with kviek Hornindal / Skare/framgarden for a bit over a year now prob more than 18 @months ( you niw testing/tasting stuff out . Clear beer hasn't been my thing for awhile lol.
But clear beer don't mean much to me flavour now that's what I'm here for !

 

[Dogwood]

I've got a lite ale in the fermenter ready to keg. Used white labs clarity ferm put in the same time as the yeast, windsor this batch. Will know soon haw well it worked! I used it last summer in a weee heavy scotish ale as a gluton reducer. Didnt notice if it was clearer or not but sure tasted good!!

 

[J A]

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?

I swear by the step mash with plenty of conversion time; long, slow sparge; longer boil time for Pilsner malts. I get very clear wort going into the boil, very good protein coagulation and very clear wort going into the fermenter. By the time it's chilled and the yeast drops, the beer's pretty much crystal clear. I use biofine for lagers to speed things up a bit but even with out, they'll clear fairly quickly.

 

[Yooper]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/clear-wort-clear-beer-tips-from-yooper.678565/

This is older, but it still is how I do it.

I use whirlfloc in the kettle, if I remember. But no other finings.

 

[Craigerrr]

I just kegged an ESB after a 4 day 2C cold crash, looks like it is going to be super clear!

 

[NatePly]

Per @Donorato, recirc, whirlfloc, and then cold crash for a few days. I also find the following to work; Extended mash (90 minutes or more, adding amylase enzyme to the mash if also using adjuncts), full boil (60 minutes or more), plus Clarityferm (if you don't want chill haze). Do anything that will break down proteins and starches.

 

[Josh Hughes]

I read possibly putting a sanitized balloon over the airlock and leaving that in during the cold crash. Anyone tried it?

 

[Dogwood]

I read possibly putting a sanitized balloon over the airlock and leaving that in during the cold crash. Anyone tried it?

On a mead a couple of years ago, dropped the air lock and broke it. Grabbed a condom and rubber band and used that, got HUGE but never popped! Nothing like a safe fermentation!

 

[Craigerrr]

On a mead a couple of years ago, dropped the air lock and broke it. Grabbed a condom and rubber band and used that, got HUGE but never popped! Nothing like a safe fermentation!

lubricated or dry?

 

[Craigerrr]

I read possibly putting a sanitized balloon over the airlock and leaving that in during the cold crash. Anyone tried it?

This would mitigate O2 ingress, but I don't know that this would have any effect on clarity.
I have seen and heard of people using a Mylar balloon, but have never done it.
I actually attach a Co2 line to the top of my fermenter when cold crashing with just enough pressure to get flow.
Excuse the sketchy shelf support...

 

[Josh Hughes]

On a mead a couple of years ago, dropped the air lock and broke it. Grabbed a condom and rubber band and used that, got HUGE but never popped! Nothing like a safe fermentation!

Just spit out my water and laughed in front of students. Thanks lol

 

[Josh Hughes]

This would mitigate O2 ingress, but I don't know that this would have any effect on clarity.
I have seen and heard of people using a Mylar balloon, but have never done it.
I actually attach a Co2 line to the top of my fermenter when cold crashing with just enough pressure to get flow.
Excuse the sketchy shelf support...

View attachment 14633

Yeah nothing for clarity unless it would help me cold crash. O2 freaks me out

 

[Bubba Wade]

I use a little different technique. I transfer from the fermenter directly to the keg and add priming sugar. During carbonation at room temperature, the yeast are exceptionally effective at scavenging any residual O2. The keg gets pressurized and then I cold-crash/chill the keg. Since it's pressurized with CO2, atmospheric oxygen will not be pulled in.

This is also a de facto secondary fermentation. The only down side is that the first glass from the keg has a bit of yeast. Otherwise, it runs clear.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Did it. After pitching the yeast I just taped (with electrical tape) a mylar balloon to the extra port on one of those orange carboy cap and the airlock was on the other. Once to balloon filled up the airlock started venting. After that I moved it to another keezer for crashing. The entire balloon collapsed during cold crashing. It's amazing how much volume of gas was used up during the crashing period. Granted some of this was absorbed by the beer, but it led me to believe that it was important to crash in a pressurized vessel.

 

[AHarper]

You know I never thought about reverse traffic in the chilling process. I shall investigate this and see if an additional FV or barrel filled with CO2 fed in place of the bubbler airlock might work? Hmmmm.

 

[Hawkbox]

Conditioning time.
Don't keg today and drink tomorrow!

I'm sorry, I don't understand...

 

[GFHomebrew]

View attachment 14634

Did it. After pitching the yeast I just taped (with electrical tape) a mylar balloon to the extra port on one of those orange carboy cap and the airlock was on the other. Once to balloon filled up the airlock started venting. After that I moved it to another keezer for crashing. The entire balloon collapsed during cold crashing. It's amazing how much volume of gas was used up during the crashing period. Granted some of this was absorbed by the beer, but it led me to believe that it was important to crash in a pressurized vessel.

Wow.
Yup ive crashed my plastic conical fermentor with not much positive pressure that thing was sucked right in lol.

 

[west1m]

I just use a zip lock bag in place of the balloon.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

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?

I've gone to great lengths to make clearer beer over the years, tried everything possible, the only thing I do today that helps is a dedicated whirlpool that pushes the trub down and to the center into my trub catcher then gravity and the cold for the rest, a whirlfloc tablet is a must as well as high flocculating yeast and that's my trick, time is your friend also giving gravity to do the work

 

[Zambi]

I use a little different technique. I transfer from the fermenter directly to the keg and add priming sugar. During carbonation at room temperature, the yeast are exceptionally effective at scavenging any residual O2. The keg gets pressurized and then I cold-crash/chill the keg. Since it's pressurized with CO2, atmospheric oxygen will not be pulled in.

This is also a de facto secondary fermentation. The only down side is that the first glass from the keg has a bit of yeast. Otherwise, it runs clear.

That's a system that appeals to me