# Brewbrite



## milob40 (18/4/12)

i'm a big fan of using brewbrite in the kettle but have noticed it does lose it's effectiveness
after a few months, mine is about 6 months old i think.
chill haze is back bigger than ever and no cornflake effect in the kettle.
has anyone else noticed this?
is there an expiry date for using it, say 3 months?
seems to clarrify the wort still but loses its effectiveness in reducing haze.


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## seamad (18/4/12)

Haven't with mine yet but its not that old i think. iirc it readily absorbs water from atmosphere , not sure if that effects it but was told to keep it well sealed


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## NickB (18/4/12)

How are you storing yours?

I was told to keep it airtight in the fridge. No issues yet, have had for about 4 months...

Nick


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## Bribie G (18/4/12)

I bought two tubs of BrewBright from MHB in August and yes I've noticed it's gone a bit "slack" although it still goes well in the kettle. I've been keeping mine in the fridge. 
I've got new supplies on the way and intend to freeze it. Provided it's well sealed it should stay good - I recently found a cliplock pack of some Brewbrite I'd bought from a bulk buy about 2 years ago in the freezer. It was still dry and running freely and I used some in a boil last week. Will be interesting to see how that goes.

Will report in this thread.


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## milob40 (18/4/12)

NickB said:


> How are you storing yours?
> 
> I was told to keep it airtight in the fridge. No issues yet, have had for about 4 months...
> 
> Nick


hi nick, just keeping it in the ziplock bag and sqeezing out the air but it can be a mongrel to get it to seal, seems dry enough, but noticed less cornflaking when adding to the kettle and the chill haze has returned.
usually clears up after 2 weeks but so does the volume of beer in the keg  .
i think ross mentioned something about a shorter shelf life when he was asked to stock it , which he now does  .
might order some more and compare, will confirm the results, could just be my storage habits.


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## milob40 (18/4/12)

milob40 said:


> i'm a big fan of using brewbrite in the kettle but have noticed it does lose it's effectiveness
> after a few months, mine is about 6 months old i think.
> chill haze is back bigger than ever and no cornflake effect in the kettle.
> has anyone else noticed this?
> ...


thanks bribie, it's cheap enough to buy but would be nice to know if it needs chucking out :unsure:


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## MHB (18/4/12)

Manufacture recommends storing in a cool dry place and that the container be tightly closed, moisture uptake shouldnt have too much affect on kettle performance but can make it harder to disperse evenly.
I pack mine in a wadded chemical jar with a moisture absorbing sachet, have never refrigerated or frozen it and have had no problems, even with the test stock that is several months older than that which is being sold. But I always make a slurry in cold water and add to the whirlpool, if adding the powder directly to the kettle, it is better to add it 10 minutes from the end of the boil to ensure proper hydration.
MHB


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## Bribie G (18/4/12)

MHB so if making a slurry, which I always do, would you recommend stirring that now and again for 10 minutes or so before pouring into the kettle? Or just chuck it in once mixed.


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## Batz (18/4/12)

MHB said:


> Manufacture recommends storing in a cool dry place and that the container be tightly closed, moisture uptake shouldnt have too much affect on kettle performance but can make it harder to disperse evenly.
> I pack mine in a wadded chemical jar with a moisture absorbing sachet, have never refrigerated or frozen it and have had no problems, even with the test stock that is several months older than that which is being sold. But I always make a slurry in cold water and add to the whirlpool, if adding the powder directly to the kettle, it is better to add it 10 minutes from the end of the boil to ensure proper hydration.
> MHB




I'm still using the test sample you sent me MHB, never stored in the fridge but always kept tightly closed. I think it's still working like the day I first used it.
Great stuff as well.


batz


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## beerdrinkingbob (18/4/12)

I hydrated it in boiling water, what did my efforts have on it?


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## milob40 (18/4/12)

MHB said:


> Manufacture recommends storing in a "cool dry place" and that the container be tightly closed, moisture uptake shouldn't have too much affect on kettle performance but can make it harder to disperse evenly.
> I pack mine in a wadded chemical jar with a moisture absorbing sachet, have never refrigerated or frozen it and have had no problems, even with the test stock that is several months older than that which is being sold. But I always make a slurry in cold water and add to the whirlpool, if adding the powder directly to the kettle, it is better to add it 10 minutes from the end of the boil to ensure proper hydration.
> MHB


hi mark, i originally bought this from you, been mostly a great success, my main concern is the humidity up here last summer was extreme,
i probably should invest in an air tight container, just wondering whether my chill haze is a direct result of poor storage or keeping it too long?


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## RdeVjun (18/4/12)

Moisture- absorbent silica gel sachets in humid climates perhaps? Obviously not food safe though...


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## Rowy (18/4/12)

I've had mine about 3mths and keep it in fridge sealed and dry. I rehydrate in a small amount of cold boiled water from fridge and add about 15mins from end of boil. Works great with my beers.


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## MHB (19/4/12)

RdeVjun said:


> Moisture- absorbent silica gel sachets in humid climates perhaps? Obviously not food safe though...


I dont quite understand your point and no you arent meant to eat the packet of desiccant (as it says on the packet) but the silica gel is pretty benign, it is the same type of sachets you find in bottles of tablets. The sachets are made to be safe in contact with food stuff.
we sell another form of PVPP blended with silica gel powder (Polyclar 70/30+) the same type of silica gel is used to bind proteins but at the other end of the brewing process it being a post fermentation treatment. So even if you dumped the sachet in the kettle it wouldnt do any harm.
Rather than just stick the BrewBright in a plastic bag, we chose high quality food grade plastic jars from a pharmaceutical packaging catalogue, with a moisture proof lid and added a desiccant (which costs more) to give the best possible shelf life to the product and still manage to sell at a more than competitive price
I suppose if you opened the packet and carefully ground the silica gel to a very fine powder and snorted it, you could get silicoses, otherwise ... meh
MHB


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## sponge (19/4/12)

Ive been storing mine in an old home brand napisan container that has been washed 10000 times and dried completely. 

Never had a problem using brewbrite and it stays in the brew dungeon where it can get quite humid (only when brewing, otherwise it stays at a nice dry 22-22'C)

I could store it in the fridge, or even fermenting fridge, but havent had a problem with it and been using it for about 4 months now without a problem.

I may even get a little silicon packet to help with any moisture absorbtion but ive found it quite fine being in the large white plastic container

Sponge


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## [email protected] (19/4/12)

I just vacuum seal it each time after i have taken required amount, sealer is already out for the hops, takes 2 seconds


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## QldKev (19/4/12)

Beer4U said:


> I just vacuum seal it each time after i have taken required amount, sealer is already out for the hops, takes 2 seconds




Good idea, I'm thinking of sealing it into 12g bags ready for single use. Grab a bag, it's pre-measured so its just cut and add.

(12g is for my 3 cube x 4g system)


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## 1974Alby (19/4/12)

a little bit OT., but Ive never used brewbrite...does it replace whirlfloc? or do you need both at the end of the boil?


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## Phoney (19/4/12)

Albainian said:


> a little bit OT., but Ive never used brewbrite...does it replace whirlfloc? or do you need both at the end of the boil?



Replaces whirfloc and polyclar.


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## QldKev (19/4/12)

Albainian said:


> a little bit OT., but Ive never used brewbrite...does it replace whirlfloc? or do you need both at the end of the boil?






phoneyhuh said:


> Replaces whirfloc and polyclar.



replaces and kicks it arse!


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## Spiesy (20/10/12)

any potential issues in using both whirfloc and brewbrite? 

or is it just overkill and a waste?

I mistakenly thought whirfloc was for helping to drop crap out of the kettle, whereas brewbrite worked later on in the fermentation process... wrong?


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## Spiesy (20/10/12)

just read... it contains whirfloc (essentially) as well as PVPP.... got it.


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## bignath (20/10/12)

Spiesy said:


> I mistakenly thought whirfloc was for helping to drop crap out of the kettle....



:huh: 

It is for dropping crap out of the kettle.


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## Spiesy (20/10/12)

there's another line there mate...


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## bignath (20/10/12)

Don't tell me i'm still wearing my beer goggles from last night???

Note to self:

"must be able to see straight in the morning, must be able to see straight in the morning, must be able..."


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## Spiesy (21/10/12)

lol


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## Charst (21/10/12)

I've been keeping mine in the freezer as its dry as a bone in there. No dramas so far.


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## mckenry (21/2/14)

I cant seem to find any retailer in Sydney carrying brewbrite. I'm sick to death of postage costs. Anyone know of any (maybe some of the newbie shops in Sydney) retailers in Sydney carrying it? Nothing at Daves, ESB, Absolute or Southern Highlands. WTF is going on?


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## booargy (21/2/14)

mckenry said:


> I cant seem to find any retailer in Sydney carrying brewbrite. I'm sick to death of postage costs. Anyone know of any (maybe some of the newbie shops in Sydney) retailers in Sydney carrying it? Nothing at Daves, ESB, Absolute or Southern Highlands. WTF is going on?


there are some good areas in and around Newcastle.


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## menoetes (21/2/14)

I'm interested in this product, is it only for all-grain brewing or would you use it in extract brewing? Say, at the end of the hop/wort boil...


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## Edak (22/2/14)

menoetes said:


> I'm interested in this product, is it only for all-grain brewing or would you use it in extract brewing? Say, at the end of the hop/wort boil...


If you are getting break material in there then you could be using it.


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## wide eyed and legless (22/2/14)

I don't use any fining agents, I don't cold crash, just primary and secondary fermentation with a bit of patience.


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## MHB (22/2/14)

Patience (up to a point anyway) can make a big difference to your brewing, BrewBright is a "Process Aid" it just makes something that will happen naturally happen faster/easier, you don't have to use it.
That said it does make whirlpooling and trub separation quicker and easier and helps you get more wort out of your kettle and improves the shelf life of your beer.
For me its a trade off, and for the relatively small cost I'm happy to get the time back that I would otherwise spend standing around waiting for things to happen naturally, not a right wrong answer - just a choice between trade-offs.

If you are boiling kit or extract beers BrewBright will help any hot break that forms to settle better, out to ridiculously long boils (8+ Hours) hot break will continue to form, protein will continue to condense and form flock, the most harmful high molecular weight protein will condense first and as time passes more and more of the smaller proteins will break. at some point you would start removing protein that we actually want in the beer (head and mouth feel).
At about 3 hours all of the really high molecular weight protein will be gone, most of the mid range and about half of the lower weight potentially beneficial protein will have broken.
Where I'm heading with this is that in spite of being a bit of an anti hot break Nazi, well made extract should have had most of the high MW protein removed during its manufacture, so you would need to be a lot less concerned about break material than would a brewer starting with the full concentration of protein that we find in a new wort.
Naturally if you are working with the cheapest crap on the market its liable to be made from enzyme extracted raw animal feed grade barley (and any other cheap grain) and be chockers with protein and other crap we don't want in beer - I could tell you about a sample I got once... (well it might have been OK for making biscuits but never for brewing), you would have lots of other problems besides protein, but BrewBright would help with that at least.
Mark


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## mckenry (22/2/14)

wide eyed and legless said:


> I don't use any fining agents, I don't cold crash, just primary and secondary fermentation with a bit of patience.


You dont use any kettle fining?


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## wide eyed and legless (23/2/14)

I do use Irish moss, but BYO magazine did an experiment with Irish moss an related from that experiment it didn't make any difference.

http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/6/9/e/69e63b58a8bf499c/BYO-BBR-IrishMoss.pdf?c_id=1876423&expiration=1393099029&hw


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## 431neb (23/2/14)

I only use Irish moss also. 

If I want kegged beer to be bright I then use gelatine in the keg. 

Would BrewBright be a better option ? I've never used anything other than Irish Moss.


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## HBHB (23/2/14)

menoetes said:


> I'm interested in this product, is it only for all-grain brewing or would you use it in extract brewing? Say, at the end of the hop/wort boil...


If you're using a half decent extract, it won't be necessary. I'd save the $ and put it towards a good yeast.

Martin


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## NewtownClown (23/2/14)

431neb said:


> I only use Irish moss also.
> 
> If I want kegged beer to be bright I then use gelatine in the keg.
> 
> Would BrewBright be a better option ? I've never used anything other than Irish Moss.



gelatine works on yeast whilst Brewbrite acts on haze forming polyphenols and hot break. If chill haze isn't an issue, don't bother


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## WitWonder (24/12/14)

Regarding the storage of Brewbrite, I wonder if there are some storage related considerations. I had been using a packet bought from Ross at CB which worked well and suddenly noticed the last couple of beers hadn't cleared very well at all and I *think* I've traced it back to the fact the brewbrite I've used in the last couple of brews is from a different supplier. The beers were the same (american pale ale), the yeast was the same, the brewing process and ingredients were basically the same. Which leads me to the conclusion the storage of the product has impacted its efficacy.


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