Using leaf Gelatine for fining

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JebKerman

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Hi guys.

Going to be using gelatine as a fining agent in an APA I'm about to bottle.

Couldn't get powdered stuff, only leaf.

How many should I use for a pint of liquid?

Cheers
 
Fair point.

Just wanted to try it to give a bit more clarity to the beer

You might achieve the opposite... I've found that gelatine creates an incredibly loose sediment which clouds the beer as soon as you open the bottle. Great for kegs etc but I wouldn't use it again for bottles - the beer is 'crystal' without it within a week anyway.
 
You might achieve the opposite... I've found that gelatine creates an incredibly loose sediment which clouds the beer as soon as you open the bottle. Great for kegs etc but I wouldn't use it again for bottles - the beer is 'crystal' without it within a week anyway.

Thanks Gunge. I'll not bother then
 
You might achieve the opposite... I've found that gelatine creates an incredibly loose sediment which clouds the beer as soon as you open the bottle. Great for kegs etc but I wouldn't use it again for bottles - the beer is 'crystal' without it within a week anyway.

Was that the same after a few months and what yeast did you use? Thought about giving it a go as I normally use isinglass. Never had any problems compacting but there is very little year in the bottle.
 
I've had nothing but trouble getting my beers to clear. I think it's down to emptying the whole contents of my boiler into the FV, but even after a couple of months at 0C lagers are still hazy. Then someone suggested gelatin and now I'm a complete convert, crystal clear every time. I've used either s-23 or s-05 for the beers I cleared with gelatin and no problems with sediment compacting and they pour cleanly right down to the end. They've all taken a month or more to fully ferment in the bottle, but I put that down to being cold crashed for a week.

I had some leaf gelatin but ended up just crushing it up and adding it to the jar of powder.
 
Was that the same after a few months and what yeast did you use? Thought about giving it a go as I normally use isinglass. Never had any problems compacting but there is very little year in the bottle.

Lol it didn't last for a few months! CML yeast, can't remember which one ( I think records are for playing on a turntable ). If I had fined the beer in bulk before bottling, it would have been a different story... and would no doubt have taken forever to carb up. I remember posting on here about it at the time, and someone pointed out that gelatine is not all created equal. The supermarket stuff I used apparently had a low 'bloom' rating. Other than being less effective at clearing than a stronger one, I don't know how it might affect compaction of sediment. But as I said, I gained nothing as my beers are star-bright in a week without clearing aids. Dunno why I bothered, really.
 
You might achieve the opposite... I've found that gelatine creates an incredibly loose sediment which clouds the beer as soon as you open the bottle. Great for kegs etc but I wouldn't use it again for bottles - the beer is 'crystal' without it within a week anyway.
Exactly what happened to me when I tried it - twice - with supermarket Gelatine. Fluffy bottoms!
 
Gelatine is ok for bottling if you do it in the fermenter, and hopefully can get it cold so it sinks out before you bottle it. If you just put it in and then bottle, as soon as you pop the cap and bubbles evolve they push the gelatine off the bottom and it... ummm... looks like the hot-tub at a swingers' party.
 
looks like the hot-tub at a swingers' party.

Boak....

Anyway wee update. I didn't bother using the fining in the end, but I did get a fairly clear beer. It's a bit darker than I'd hoped for but here it is anyway...

https://imgur.com/srdrHim
srdrHim

B9Dgy
 
I added one leaf of the missus's baking gelatin sheets to the FV and left it for another few days at 4C. I bottled it and left it for another 14 days to condition
Beer was lovely and clear. Certainly an improvement over a non gelatin beer I've bottled before.

This was one leaf to about 12l of beer.
 

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