# Gelatin Smell



## citizensnips (30/1/13)

Just added gelatin to my cold conditioning beer before. Haven't used the stuff for a long time and I must say when I started heating it to pasteurize it, it smelt like absolute hell. It reminded me of the worst bit of pork I have ever ate, which really has turned me off pork since. Anyway I figure its got to smell like shit if its made of hoof but still didn't remember it being that bad. I added it anyway on the notion that it didnt smell when it was cold and that it will be at the bottom of the fermenter when I bottle. I read a few other people noticed the smell and it didn't impact the flavour of the beer at all but I wanted to know if anyone on here had noticed it? By the way it was the Wards brand from Coles. 
Thanks


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## mwd (30/1/13)

I use the same brand and have never noticed any smell or odour of any type from it. Maybe yours has gone off.


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## Damien13 (30/1/13)

my gelatin always has a barnyardy, weird porky hoofy smell to it when I add hot water to it...
yeah... frigging gross... never, ever noticed any carryover smell however, even in delicate beers.


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## Batz (30/1/13)

Filters don't smell at all, especially of animals hooves....yumbo :blink:


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## Damien13 (30/1/13)

heheh yeah, fair call batz...


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## twizt1d (30/1/13)

whats wrong with just letting it sit for 2 weeks?


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## Byran (30/1/13)

I have started gelatin treating every batch bar certain ales....... I put the beer in secondary to mix on (1 teaspoon for a cup of hot water) It smells like gelatin in the cup. Not disgusting but has a smell. It doesn't carry on through the beers from what I can tell. Clears the shit out of them in 24 hours. Love the stuff. I always used to get a blob of gunk into my kegs from the primary. Only takes 1 to completely f#@k a clear beer. And now perfect.
I use Wards brand also. Maybe your batch is not right? Or maybe you sensory perception is of the charts. Perhaps you should be a flavour analyst at a brewery?


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## Black Devil Dog (30/1/13)

Ain't no dead cow body parts ever going into my beer,............ewww.


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## Batz (30/1/13)

I've used in my darker ales and lagers, it's OK if you don't want to bother or can't afford filtering.


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## citizensnips (31/1/13)

Cheers for the reply. Yeah I do have quite a strong sense of smell, it's often become a burden, maybe that's what it is. Guess time will tell. 
Cheers


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## CosmicBertie (31/1/13)

eddy22 said:


> Cheers for the reply. Yeah I do have quite a strong sense of smell, it's often become a burden, maybe that's what it is. Guess time will tell.
> Cheers



I always use gelatin to clear up my beers. It sinks to the bottom of the secondary with all the suspended yeast. Never had any beefy flavours or comments from anyone else. One teaspoon in about 100ml of boiling water, mix thoroughly. Pour into secondary as its racking, swirl, and crash chill.

Just make sure to clean out of the secondary when you keg/bottle.


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## wavemaker (7/4/13)

Gotta love that. I came on to the site just now to look up "Finings". There is a lot of technical info on the web, but I wanted some thing a little less complicated and here it is! The brew clearing agent I get from my brew shop looks and acts just like gelatin and my question was,Is gelatin as good for finings as bought speciality stuff.? TIA.


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## Bribie G (7/4/13)

It's an urban myth that gelatine comes from horns and hooves. I emailed Wards and they make theirs out of hides.

And yes it does smell like a dead beast should, but doesn't carry over into the final flavour.

Also "EEEWWW" is only used by brainless American teenage vegan (I didn't say virgin) girlies on forums who invariably have annoying avatars.


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## thylacine (7/4/13)

Black Devil Dog said:


> Ain't no dead cow body parts ever going into my beer,............ewww.


+1, eg Reinheitsgebot ; However, I find gelatin works great in 'clearing-up' my porters, schwarzbiers, bocks and stouts.


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## dr K (7/4/13)

Gelatin is cheap, easily available and effective.
Just a hint, do not use boiling water as this will reduce its effectiveness, if you are worried about sanitaion well it is a food product and besides you add it to fermented beer with yeast in suspension and alcohol in solution..you are well covered!!

K


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## citizensnips (8/4/13)

Yeah since this I must say I have used it a number of times and it doesn't impact the end product one bit. Still smells like absolute shit when it gets hot but once its in the beer shes all good. So cheap and effective, no need for any of the fancy stuff, this stuff clears up your beer a treat and is cheap and harmless


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## NewtownClown (8/4/13)

LOVE the smell of animal hides in the morning....
When a clear beer is desired I prefer PVPP. Works in less than half an hour. Dose, wait, filter, done.


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