Finings

[Double_Maxim]

my recipe didn't call for finings but I've got some anyway, do I stick them in or is it not necessary, I used Irish Moss in the boil (probably got nothing to do with it but hey I'm new).

In case you haven't read my other post I'm on day 14 of a stalled brew which I have stirred today to kick it back off again (which seems to be working).

 

[pittsy]

some use finings many don't bother , and irish moss is meant to do same thing really , just conditioning is needed for a clear brew unless its a belgian wit etc which you wouldn't use irish moss or finings anyway

 

[Double_Maxim]

don't think I'll bother then.. the less s**t in there the better as far as I am concerned! :

 

[tazuk]

there is all ways some of theses :thumb:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180835361338? ... 1558.l2649

 

[eggman]

I don't like adding anything unnecessary either, give it time and it will clear naturally. I've never used anything like that in my beers and never had a cloudy pint
:

 

[Double_Maxim]

there is all ways some of theses :thumb:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180835361338? ... 1558.l2649

i'm sure they're all natural but the name Protafloc just sounds like something you don't want in your beer

 

[tazuk]

:rofl: where have you been :rofl: :rofl:

there is all ways some of theses :thumb:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180835361338? ... 1558.l2649

i'm sure they're all natural but the name Protafloc just sounds like something you don't want in your beer

 

[PaulCa]

The beer will clear on it's own in 3-5 days in the bottle. After 2-3 weeks the sediment will be compacted and shouldn't lift off the bottom of the bottle in the first pour (or two), you just have to be careful pouring the last bit and stop as soon as you see sediment floating towards the mouth.

BUT.... If you chill it in the fridge down below about 10C, the cold break material will clump up in solution and the beer will become cloudy again. This is "Chill haze".

You can lager (or cold store) the beer in the fridge for 3 - 5 days to allow the chill haze to settle out naturally (I've never tried), or... you could read this:
http://www.byo.com/stories/techniques/a ... chill-haze

If you read that carefully you'll find that things like Irish Moss and Protofloc are really meant to stay in the kettle. The protiens and what not that are in the hot wort clump up when the wort is cooled. If you simply syphon all that into the FV, along with the irish moss or protofloc then you have effectly achieved nothing with them. The beer will still take 3-5 days to clear and will still go cloudy when chilled.

The idea is to let the wort sit _with the lid on_ after cooling for a few hours, for the cold break material to clump onto the protofloc/irish moss and fall out of suspension to the bottom. You then syphon from the top down, leaving all the cold break material at the bottom of the kettle.

Then when you chill it down, you should not get much, if any chill haze.

Sounds easy, but I've only just learnt this myself.

Out of interest, I have found that syphoning the cold break material and protofloc into the FV has resulted in several of my beers developing the habbit of sediment floating up to the surface after the first pour. I don't know if it's related, or just those beers for whatever reason.

 

[Darcey]

I have only ever used finings when casking beer. As mentioned above if you can chill the beer to 1-4c for a week before you bottle and it should drop bright anyway.