How to... Use Gelatin Finings

[onelegout]

This guide is taken from my brewing blog, www.brewing-tips.com. If you liked it, check out the blog for more tips and tricks!

What Are Gelatin Finings?

Gelatin Finings are used to ‘clear’ beer before kegging or bottling. Gelatin is the most powerful organic fining agent available in brewing.

Note: Gelatin is not vegetarian. If you plan to serve your beer to vegetarian friends, do not use Gelatin finings!

Across the Internet on the various brewing forums there is a massive amount of conflicting opinion on the correct way to use gelatin finings. One of the main things that people get wrong, is they boil the gelatin before adding it to the beer. Boiling gelatin will render it useless; do NOT boil the gelatin finings before adding them to the beer! I hope to clear things up here with a definitive method to using gelatin finings to clear a 5 gallon batch of beer. This is a tried and tested method which I have used for many brews with great success.

How To Use Gelatin Finings

1. Ferment your beer as usual. If you have dry hopped the beer with loose hops, rack the beer from under the hops into a sanitised fermentation vessel in order to remove any hop matter.

2. Boil a kettle.

3. Weigh out 1.5 grams of Gelatin for every 5 Gallons of beer.

4. Pour the hot boiled water into a heatproof measuring jug or other heatproof bowl. Add the gelatin powder and stir until dissolved.

5. Cover and cool until it reaches close to the same temperature as the beer.

6. Add to the beer, stirring SLOWLY so as not to introduce oxygen to the beer.

7. Leave for 5 days or until clear.

8. Rack to bottling bucket or keg as usual, being careful not to suck up the layer of yeast sediment.

I hope this helps you get a clearer beer.
Thanks for reading,
Brewing-tips.com staff.

 

[jambanks]

Nice guide onelegout. I'm just wondering is there a recommended minimum amount of water to use per gram of gelatin. Or do you just what you think looks about right (i.e. a kettle full).

 

[onelegout]

good question!
What I do is add a little at a time until the gelatin is dissolved. I would only use about 100ml per 1.5g of gelatin.

 

[EccentricDyslexic]

I tried this but it didnt work for me, i am wondering if 1.5g in 100ml is enough for 5 gallons? I see others use 15g ie a whole packet.

Steve

 

[prolix]

Great guide.

It is not the jellying properties of the gelatine we use but their charge, I believe as in they attract the suspended yeast then fall out of suspension so don't need a whole packet really, even though I still use it all.

I add beer from the fermenter to fill the jug so I don't have to wait for it to cool before pouring it in the fermenter

 

It is not the jellying properties of the gelatine we use but their charge,

Is their fee very exorbitant? :whistle:

 

[Barticus]

I havent really noticed people discuss this much. Do people still do this?

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Yes I use it,

Apparantly its not as effective as Issinglass or similar but I find it perfect for me. I use 1/2 pint of boiled water to 1 packet of gelatin for 5 gallons is about right. Mix it well in a measuring jug, shove a saucer on top and leave it on one side to cool right down to 20 degrees. Pour into the beer and give it a stir to mix.

In a day or so left like that all the crud will drop right out, rack to another FV or bottle bucket after a few days, then keg or bottle as normal.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I also use Gelatin.
I normally warm about 1/2 pint of ale up and gently stir in the gelatin to dissolve and then bung it in a corny keg.. I then purge all the o2 out as normal then gas up and give it a good shake for 20 seconds at 20psi to carbonate..
Works for me. :thumb:

BB :drink:

 

[Barticus]

Thanks for the replies.