Clear Beer For Xmass

[Damian44]

Hey peoples, Ive got a batch i need to have ready for Xmass. The keg is going for a 250km trip on Xmass day, so i want it fairly clear.

I want to add gelatine and polyclar but not sure what i should add first? I dont secondry as i only have one fermenter that can handle 50L batches.

Ive just turned the fridge down, so it should be down to 3C in two days. That'll give me 8 days to clear it and carb.

My final gravity is 1.014. Beersmith says i should have a FG of 1.010, any ideas why its so high? Here is the recipe, it was mashed at 67C.


0.55 kg Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 5.32 %

7.05 kg Pilsner (Joe White) (3.0 SRM) Grain 68.13 %

0.99 kg Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 9.58 %

0.75 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM

0.51 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 4.90 %

0.50 kg Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 4.83 %

15.00 gm Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -

15.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -

26.00 gm Green Bullet [8.20 %] (60 min) Hops 12.2 IBU

43.00 gm Pride of Ringwood [4.30 %] (60 min) Hops 10.6 IBU

20.00 gm Cascade [4.00 %] (10 min) Hops 0.9 IBU

20.00 gm Centennial [5.70 %] (10 min) Hops 1.3 IBU

30.00 gm Centennial [10.00 %] (0 min) Hops -

30.00 gm Cascade [6.00 %] (0 min) Hops -

4 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.46 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 3.90 %
Bitterness: 25.0 IBU Calories: 414 cal/l
Est Color: 12.3 SRM Color: Color



TYVM Damian

 

[hughyg]

Mash at 67 might accou t for the high fg?

 

[clean brewer]

You may want to use the "zwickel" method to transfer to another Keg to keep it as clear as possible, a 25okm Road Trip means stirring up the bottom IMO...

:icon_cheers: CB

 

[Damian44]

Thanks guys. Could i add Gelatine to primary than Polyclar, and than Gelatine again when i keg?

TYVM Damian

 

[Fourstar]

Thanks guys. Could i add Gelatine to primary than Polyclar, and than Gelatine again when i keg?

TYVM Damian

If you gelatine again when you keg it will do SFA once it you start bouncing it around in the car.

Personally i would crash chill the sucker for as long as you can, Have it in a keg, chilled as low as possible, get rid opf any excess yest/trub from your diptube and transfer keg to keg zwickel style. Then you have the clearest beer you can get without a filter.

 

[davewaldo]

Thanks guys. Could i add Gelatine to primary than Polyclar, and than Gelatine again when i keg?

TYVM Damian

Yep, thats exactly how I use gelatine and polyclar, works great.

I give the beer 1-2 days cold, then gently mix in gelatine and give it another 2 days. Then I gently mix the polyclar into the top layer so I don't disturb the yeast cake. The polyclar will settle through the rest just fine.

I then give this at least 2 days, 3 or more is better.

Then you need to rack when the beer is still cold as warming it up will stir it all up again. At this stage I rack to a bottling bucket and from here I bottle my beer and it looks crystal clear in the bottles, but still has enough yeast for carbing.

A search on AHB will show the best ways to prepare Gelatine and polyclar.

 

[browndog]

4Star is right, if you add any gelatine when you keg and you disturb it (like having it in a car) you will be drinking mud. You have got to have the beer as clear as you can get it before you keg it.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Bribie G]

If you run the beer into another fermenter for a cold crash, even for as little as 5 days with gelatine immediately then polyclar on day 3 then, when you are ready to keg, assuming it's a standard 23 Litre batch and a standard 19 Litre keg, bottle off four tallies straight out of the cold crash vessel and by the time you get to fill the keg the beer should be running bright.

 

[Gavo]

If you siphon from the fermenter, after using gelatin and polyclar, into the keg keeping the siphon tube above the yeast cake then you won't pickup anything but clear beer. I siphon into the keg rather than using the tap most of the time now and get clear beer in the keg straight away.

Gavo.

 

[Lindsay Dive]

You may want to use the "zwickel" method to transfer to another Keg to keep it as clear as possible, a 25okm Road Trip means stirring up the bottom IMO...

:icon_cheers: CB

What is the 'zwickel' method?? you have my interest.

 

[BjornJ]

How about making a beer filter?

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showtopic=40209



it's easy, cheap and you will get clear beer that will not be disturbed on the 250k drive.
Use a 1 micron filter rather than a 5 micron like I did and you should have crystal clear beer.
Still fine and polyclar after crash chilling, then let it run through the filter.


Thanks
Bjorn

 

[A3k]

Im assuming the zwickel method is the following, or close to. If not, this will work anyway.

Lightly pressurise the full keg.

Remove some beer to get rid of sludge.

Add some C02 to the empty keg to reduce oxidisation.

Place the full keg higher than the empty keg.

Connect the two kegs beer posts by hose. (beer should start flowing now. If not add a little more pressure to the full keg to start a syphon)

Connect the two kegs gas posts by hose.

Let gravity transfer the liquid from one to the other off the sediment.



Cheers,

Al

 

[Fourstar]

I'm assuming the zwickel method is the following, or close to. If not, this will work anyway.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=16907

link to the original post.

I follow the method ross outlines as i find if you do the beer 1st, the flow starts then sometimes backflows due to uneven CO2 pressures in the keg.

 

[Damian44]

Thanks heaps guys. Im gonna add Gelatine than polyclar and then syphon from the top. As its a 50L batch the top half will have to be clearer than the bottom half.

TYVM Damian

 

[Damian44]

Hey again. Ive just kegged my beer. I want to force carb by turning the pressure up high for two days and than burp it and set it to 75 Kpa (serving pressure).

What pressure should i leave it at for two days?


TYVM Damian

 

[Lindsay Dive]

Hey again. Ive just kegged my beer. I want to force carb by turning the pressure up high for two days and than burp it and set it to 75 Kpa (serving pressure).

What pressure should i leave it at for two days?


TYVM Damian

What size is your keg?

FWIW I'll tell you what I do. I chill the keg and then put 4.5 bar (450 kPa) on the beer for 24 hours. This is for a 50 ltr keg. I dispense at 1.2 bar.

 

[Damian44]

Thanks Lindsay Dive, my kegs are 19L Cornelius kegs.

 

[Bribie G]

My last couple of brews have carbed up nicely at about 100 kp for three days. Kegging one on Monday Night for Xmas day, getting close. Can't keg till then as I'm waiting for the Polyclar to settle first.

 

[Damian44]

Thanks guys, Ill set it at 100Kpa for three days.


TYVM Damian

 

[crundle]

I have fallen behind in my production a bit, so I have 4 kegs in the kegerator that I carb up at 300 kPa for 24 hours while the gelatine works on them, then I burp them to get to my pouring pressure. The first pour is a bit like a slurry, but then it pours fairly clear and only improves from there.

I reckon it might be worthwhile to look at making a filter like Bjorn did for future situations where I need to clear a lot of beer in a short time.

Crundle