Finings in a closed fermenter

[Buffers brewery]

Just looking into finings and read that after preparing and adding the finings solution to the beer a "gentle stir" is required to disperse it. Does anybody have a way of doing this without lifting the lid of the fermenter?

 

[Rwilts]

Can you give the fermenter a bit of a swirl ?

 

[Buffers brewery]

Managing to confuse myself here. After further reading, I’m wondering if it would be better to add finings to my pressure barrel when I transfer and prime with sugar solution. Will the finings interfere with carbonation?

 

[Rwilts]

Sorry. I have never used finings so I don't know how they work !

 

[Buffers brewery]

Can you give the fermenter a bit of a swirl ?

Fermentation bucket is in my fridge so difficult to access to “swirl”.

 

[Rwilts]

Why do you think you need them? I have crystal clear beer and never add finings

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Managing to confuse myself here. After further reading, I’m wondering if it would be better to add finings to my pressure barrel when I transfer and prime with sugar solution. Will the finings interfere with carbonation?

Many of us add gelatine to the keg to brighten the beer and there’s no issue force carbonating.

I can’t advise on the level of impact on secondary fermentation but you could try and fall back on forced carbonation if there is a serious impact - then you can tell us!

 

[Buffers brewery]

I have had nice clear ales but occasionally get a little cloudy. Still tastes good but wanted to explore this technique to "polish" my beers

 

[Buffers brewery]

Many of us add gelatine to the keg to brighten the beer and there’s no issue force carbonating.

I can’t advise on the level of impact on secondary fermentation but you could try and fall back on forced carbonation if there is a serious impact - then you can tell us!

You've given me an idea . I could add the finings to the pressure barrel through the beer out post after carbonation and at the start of conditioning? How about this for a (complicated) method...
Prepare finings solution and pour into an empty sanitised coke bottle.
Fill a beer bottle with newly carbonated beer (counter pressure fill)
Carefully transfer the beer to the solution in the coke bottle.
Back fill the beer/finings solution back into the keg.
?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

You've given me an idea . I could add the finings to the pressure barrel through the beer out post after carbonation and at the start of conditioning? How about this for a (complicated) method...
Prepare finings solution and pour into an empty sanitised coke bottle.
Fill a beer bottle with newly carbonated beer (counter pressure fill)
Carefully transfer the beer to the solution in the coke bottle.
Back fill the beer/finings solution back into the keg.
?

It might work although in general the finings are added at the surface and as they drop they gather and take particles down with them. If they start at the bottom I’m not sure how effective they will be. Gas post?

 

[Buffers brewery]

It might work although in general the finings are added at the surface and as they drop they gather and take particles down with them. If they start at the bottom I’m not sure how effective they will be. Gas post?

I have a floating dip tube in my barrels so that might work?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I have a floating dip tube in my barrels so that might work?

Ah yes. Again, give it a go. I can’t see it giving you a problem, it will work well to brighten your beer or not - either way you’ll learn something and still have nice beer.

 

[Caramel Ox]

I have also bought finings for the first time but I’m undecided if/when they are going in.

In keg I was thinking just to depressurise, open lid, fine, close and purge a few times.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Unnecessary I know but I wanted to add the finings without opening the keg, or in my case, barrel.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Could use a syringe and squirt it up the tap.

I'm pondering this at the moment as my current batch needs to be brite and wont have time to clear naturally. Was thinking about squirting in with a syringe or just adding to the keg.

 

[Druncan]

Do you have a spare barrel? If yes, Can you prepare another barrel, add finings. Pressurise then do a pressure transfer? If not, my idea is useless,,,,

 

[hoppyscotty]

Not sure how well you have to stir and mix in the gelatine. It works off positive charge of the gelatine attracting the negative charge of the yeast so direct contact isn't, or shouldn't be necessary. So if you just pour in or squirt in with a circlar motion that should be enough in a relative small vessel. If you're on a massive several thousand litre vessel then you might have to make sure it's better mixed, though I think for cask finings tend to be added to the cask. Keg will probably be fined in the brite tank or fermenter.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Could use a syringe and squirt it up the tap.

I'm pondering this at the moment as my current batch needs to be brite and wont have time to clear naturally. Was thinking about squirting in with a syringe or just adding to the keg.

My pressure barrels don't have taps. I've converted them to corny posts with a floating dip tube from the beer out post.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Well I have fashioned a syringe with a short length of silicone hose attached to a gas call lock connector for squirting in things to the fermenter. Need to make sure you purge the line of any air, but works well - so long as you don't have any pressure in the fermenter.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Managing to confuse myself here. After further reading, I’m wondering if it would be better to add finings to my pressure barrel when I transfer and prime with sugar solution. Will the finings interfere with carbonation?

I always transfer from the FV into a clean bucket, then add finings and wait 24h before racking off to keg
It's surprising how much drops out of it in the intermediate bucket and I don't really want that in my keg...

EDIT: I should add that sometimes if the beer is proving extremely cloudy and I'm in a hurry, I have occasionally depressurised the keg and added gelatine... but I prefer not to do it