how many times can I add gelatine?

[Rhubarb]

Hi,
I recently had a go at making a Brut IPA - I added around 150gr of dry hops (not pellets), so there was a lot of material in the bottom of the fermenter.

I racked off 3.5gal (of the 6 gals total) that was clear, but it was obvious that a the remainder was rather murky! I pulled 2 x 1 gallop demijohns worth of beer off the remainder, adding a filter to the siphon so that the hops weren't transferred up the pipe.

At the time, both fermenters looked like they were filled with custard. After 2 rounds of racking off, and storing for 2 weeks in an unheated conservatory (we've had several frosts, so that's the closest I can get to cold crashing with my setup) the first fermenter has now dropped completely clear; The second has gradually cleared to a light golden colour.

Last week I added 1 sheet of gelatine (soaked, strained, melted and diluted in boiled water) to the second demijohn - the top half of the vessel is now clear, although a much paler, straw colour, compared to the almost copper coloured beer of the rest of the batch (I used some brown malt for the biscuity aftertaste).

My question is, how many times can I add gelatine to clear the remainder of the demijohn? I don't want to separate the liquid, as I'd be left with too much head space in each demijohn, but I'm loath to waste any beer!

I could, I suppose mix the clear fermenter with the top half of the second one, bottle it and then siphon off the remainder into a 2l sealed container and leave it for a month or so in the shed to chill out.

 

[terrym]

I don't use gelatin. The only time I tried it I ended up with floaty bits in the beer. My guess is that the bottom layer in your 2nd DJ is a settled gelatin based gloop. So my advice is to package the 1st DJ, then try to package as much of the top clear layer as you can from the 2nd DJ and then move on to the murky stuff. That way you have at least maximised the good stuff. Normally most beers will clear after packaging and carbing, given enough time, especially if there are stored in a cold place, and that's why imo adding finings to homebrewed beer is usually unnecessary.

 

[Dutto]

They use gelatin in Schlitz Beer and I found it one of the most aptly named beers sold out of the USA! Which is why they also use a derivative of gelatin in these ...

https://www.boots.com/health-pharma...constipation-relief-12-suppositories-10006837

Personally, I prefer the "Gravity + Time = Clear Beer" recipe.

 

[pvt_ak]

Used Gelantine once.
Never used since / as above. It will clear on its own in time.
Not worth the faff !

 

[MickDundee]

As @Dutto says, gravity plus time equals clear beer. I use protofloc in the boil and nothing else. Apart from beers that are intentionally cloudy (wheat beers etc), I’ve only ever had one beer not clear with time (in fact I even lost a couple of bottles of Hefeweizen that I brewed in May and found them when I moved house last month. They were crystal clear!

Also, SWMBO is vegetarian so gelatine has never even crossed my mind.