gelatine coagulation in kegs

[SeanKTM300]

Maybe someone on the forum has the answer ?

When I keg my beer, I cold crash my fermenters to +- 2 C. Next step is to clean and sanitise my kegs then add prepared gelatine finings which have been mixed and heated to 65 C. Then I gravity feed the beer into the keg.

I then carbonate the kegs at 4C. Thereafter I often bottle from the kegs.

Problem is that either at the start of near the end of bottling from said keg, I get quite a lot of coagulated gelatine in the bottles.

Should I maybe use another fining agent such as Polyclar or similar ? Or will this do the same ?
Maybe some sort of coarse inline filter ? But I don't need the hassle of blocked filters.

Any comments ?

 

[Minbari]

Prolly too hot, you don't want to make jello.

I usually do fining agents in the fermenter. The idea is the the fining agent and yeast, ect drops out before you keg or bottle.

That said, never liked geletin. Goops up too easily. Biofine works 10x better.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Yeah you probably didn't mix it enough then give it another good mix before adding to the keg.
Then when in the keg agitate the keg to mix it in.

I often add my geletin (don't do it much these days but) to the bottom of the keg before transferring that way it's mixed via the filling.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Why are you clearing in kegs? I use gelatin all the time with great results, but I never clear or add gelatin to the keg. You will get sludge if you clear in the keg. Clear the beer before legging and the problem will be solved.

 

[SeanKTM300]

Actually I usually put gelatine into fermenters at 10 C, then cold crash to 2 C for 2 days then add more to keg before transferring from fermenter into keg.

So not a great idea to put into keg as well ? Maybe too cold which causes coagulation ? Is something like Biofine or Polyclar not suceptable to coagulation ?

 

[Minbari]

Actually I usually put gelatine into fermenters at 10 C, then cold crash to 2 C for 2 days then add more to keg before transferring from fermenter into keg.

So not a great idea to put into keg as well ? Maybe too cold which causes coagulation ? Is something like Biofine or Polyclar not suceptable to coagulation ?

No, it is not a geletin. They use silicic acid which has an ionic charge to clear

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Actually I usually put gelatine into fermenters at 10 C, then cold crash to 2 C for 2 days then add more to keg before transferring from fermenter into keg.

So not a great idea to put into keg as well ? Maybe too cold which causes coagulation ? Is something like Biofine or Polyclar not suceptable to coagulation ?

Gelatin works best when added at or near freezing temperatures, one dose is enough. It takes up to 5 days to clear, but it can be faster depending on conditions. Typically it clears in 2 days for me.

Biofine works well too, but leaves a “fluffy bottom” and is easily disturbed. It’s more expensive than gelatin and has to be refrigerated. I have used both in beer, but I only use gelatin now. Biofine is a little quicker, but in time both are capable of producing polished beers.
When I use gelatin, I boil a cup of RO water, remove from heat and add a full pack (7 grams) of gelatin. Stir until dissolved and add it immediately to near freezing beer. Within 24 hours its fairly clear. Wait a week and the beer is polished and crystal clear.

Clearing beer starts in the mash tun and it’s more complicated than it first appears. But I personally don’t like turbid beer, so I work hard to get it as clear as possible.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Another interesting fact when using these two

Geletin is negatively charged so it attracts positively charged stuff.

And biofine is positively charged so it attracts negatively charged molecules.

So theoretically If one of these finning agents haven't done the job the other might get the job done.

The biofine works quicker because it's got more helix sites for the negatively charged molecules to be bound to.

 

[Someday Co]

Gelatin finings can sometimes coagulate and settle in the bottles. Changing the fining agent to something like Polyclar or Biofine Clear, sounds like a good idea to me. Those fining agents work differently than gelatin and can have better results regarding sediment.

Maybe you want to experiment with adjusting the duration of your cold crashing. Cold crashing for an extended period can increase the risk of gelatin and other fining agents settling and compacting in the keg.

Using a coarse inline filter, as you mentioned, could help remove larger particles and minimize sedimentation in the bottles. However, as you mentioned, it may also pose the risk of clogging the filter. But with the right filter I'd give it a go.

After adding fining agents, make sure your giving them enough time to settle.

good luck, hope this helps

 

[Minbari]

Another thought is placing the fining agent inside a fine mesh bag or a hop spider during kegging. This can keep them from ending up in your bottles.

good luck, hope this helps

Not sure that would work. The purpose of a fining agent is to cling to particles and drop out of suspension. Putting it in a fine mesh bag would defeat the purpose. It has to be fully mixed in the beer

 

[Someday Co]

Not sure that would work. The purpose of a fining agent is to cling to particles and drop out of suspension. Putting it in a fine mesh bag would defeat the purpose. It has to be fully mixed in the beer

Yeah your right, after giving it some thought I realized that's a pretty bad idea... don't do that haha

 

[Brewer #408681]

basket random​

Maybe someone on the forum has the answer ?

When I keg my beer, I cold crash my fermenters to +- 2 C. Next step is to clean and sanitise my kegs then add prepared gelatine finings which have been mixed and heated to 65 C. Then I gravity feed the beer into the keg.

I then carbonate the kegs at 4C. Thereafter I often bottle from the kegs.

Problem is that either at the start of near the end of bottling from said keg, I get quite a lot of coagulated gelatine in the bottles.

Should I maybe use another fining agent such as Polyclar or similar ? Or will this do the same ?
Maybe some sort of coarse inline filter ? But I don't need the hassle of blocked filters.

Any comments ?

Gelatin fining agents can sometimes coagulate and cause sedimentation. You can experiment with alternative smoothing agents such as Polyclar or Biofine Clear, as they may provide better results and reduce clotting.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

If you clear in the fermentor and then keg, any last bits should clear quickly in the keg. Then as long as you're not moving the keg around prior to bottling, you should be good.
Also cutting you pickup tube will get you above anything that does settle after kegging.
Good luck

 

[Minbari]

basket random​

Gelatin fining agents can sometimes coagulate and cause sedimentation. You can experiment with alternative smoothing agents such as Polyclar or Biofine Clear, as they may provide better results and reduce clotting.

Isn't that what fining adjectives do?

Biofine Clear works magic