Clearing and carbonising ginger beer

[sugar567]

Hi Folks and best wishes for 2012, as a complete novice I would like a little advice on my latest batch, Fiery Ginger Beer. I have at present 1 gallon bubbling away nicely, I have looked all around various forums and posted a couple of questions on an old thread about Fiery Ginger Beer but unfortunately it appears the thread is now dead as I have received no answers yet.

I may answer my own question but here goes:-

Once the fermentation process is complete and the brew has been racked off and is ready for bottling is it possible to then add finings to it to clear it - Kwikclear for example? My concern is that when adding the sugar to the bottles to carbonate, the finings will prevent the carbonation from taking place. The reason I ask is there are various threads saying sediment will drop to the bottom of the bottles during carbonation and this can then be disturbed when the bottles are opened by the resulting fizz, I therefore want to remove as much sediment prior to bottling and carbonation as I can.

I am also planning to use some brown 1 litre PET bottles that I have to bottle this, I may however buy some 500ml bottles instead, could you please also advise how much sugar to add to each bottle prior to fillings and once filled should the bottles be shaken to mix / dissolve the sugar.

Sorry for all the questions but your help would be much appreciated.

Cheers Sugar :

 

[RobWalker]

It is but the best clarifier is the cold. If you've got any room that's cold this time of year, leave it there and watch it settle. Most clearing agents won't stop fermentation happening, all that really will do that is k-sorbate.

 

[sugar567]

Thanks Rob,

Would I be best racking it off a few times then before bottling and carbonising and not bother adding any finings? I have seen some picks of some Ginger beer and its crystal clear and looks really fizzy so this is what i am trying to achieve.

Cheers Sugar :thumb:

 

[screamlead]

I bottled mine when it was cloudy as thats what i wanted a milky cloudy ginger beer. However after leaving it outside in a crate for four months it dropped perfectly clear but with loads of sediment. No problem though as i still get a pint out of 500ml bottles and its very fizzy too - 1 teaspoon of sugar added to carbonate it. :

 

[The Goatreich]

I bottled mine about a week or so ago and it's in no way clear. It looks like traditional lemonade. However, that's exactly what I was after. The glass sized amount left after bottling was tasted for ahem quality control was as flat as a pancake of course, but amazing!

I'm planning on opening up one of my bottles this weekend and see if the second fermentation has kicked in yet.

I batch primed mine, with 1tsp of sugar per 500ml dissolved in a small amount of boiled, cooled water.

 

[RobWalker]

Sugar, my usual method is to let it clear out in the primary, rack into another bucket stirring in the priming sugar straight after, then bottling immediately. Finings are best added in the primary, rather than stirring dilute it with some water - 500ml maybe - and pour it evenly over the top. Most finings work by changing the electric charge of the yeast or sticking the yeast to them as they drop through (that might be a bit scientifically inaccurate) so its fine to do this and much less fiddly, process wise. All finings are generally fine, even gelatine and egg shells!

Your beers protected by co2 at the moment, racking more and more will remove that, so the less the better.

 

[sugar567]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I have a few ideas to work on now.

I also wanted the cloudy (traditional lemonade) look but read elsewhere that if left out in the cold to condition and carbonate it will clear a treat and fizz up, i may go down this route.

Rob: Thanks for the info about the yeast, can you confirm however that if the finings cause the yeast to drop out, then when its racked off and the priming sugar is added to the bottles (say 1 tsp / 500ml bottle) the second fermentation will still take place to get the fizz?

Thanks once again :drink:

 

[scott78]

i added 1/2 tsp of pectalase / gal and its as clear as a bell after 2 weeks.

 

[sugar567]

Then did you add any sugar to the bottles to carbonise Scott?

 

[scott78]

i added half tsp for 1 litre. think i should have used a whole one as it was like flat lager - you could see the bubbles in the glass but couldnt feel them in the mouth. didnt have much sediment in the bottle after 2 weeks.

 

[RobWalker]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I have a few ideas to work on now.

I also wanted the cloudy (traditional lemonade) look but read elsewhere that if left out in the cold to condition and carbonate it will clear a treat and fizz up, i may go down this route.

Rob: Thanks for the info about the yeast, can you confirm however that if the finings cause the yeast to drop out, then when its racked off and the priming sugar is added to the bottles (say 1 tsp / 500ml bottle) the second fermentation will still take place to get the fizz?

Thanks once again :drink:

It will take place unless you kill it with k-sorbate etc. There are still loads of yeast in suspension, theyre just not clouding up your beer. :)

I doubt pectolase would do much, ginger surely doesnt contain that much pectin :p

 

[sugar567]

Cheers Rob :