To fine or not to fine?

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Top Cat
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To fine or not to fine?

Post by Top Cat » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:25 pm

Good afternoon brewers.
Just a little history before I get to the point!
I retired from home brewing about twenty five years ago to pursue my own business and consequently disposed of my equipment. Back to the future, for my birthday just after my retirement, my daughter gave me a present of a home brew starter kit, and yes I've been bitten by the bug again! After a couple of malt extract kits supplied, (they're better than they used to be,) I've opened my wallet to get going with full mash as years ago it was the only way I could obtain the quality I was after. My question is this. I used to use isinglass finings when kegging, sometimes I would rack off the primary yeast after 3 days leave for further 3 days then keg, or just leave about a week after pitching, fine when kegging.
Is using isinglass finings still the done thing or is this method not common any more?
For the record, the beer I will be kegging in a few days is a full mash 1045 og light in colour just a shade darker than a lager.
My eyes told me I had a good hot and cold break with the boil.
Regards, and thanks in anticipation of answers.

scotsloon
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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by scotsloon » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:21 pm

Before you move to bottle/keg your beer I'd suggest you check the SG over a 3 day period to ensure that it has stopped fermenting. My approach is to leave the beer on the yeast for 1 week before moving it to a secondary airlocked fermenter, that seems to work well. I have never used any fining agents and as like myself you are now retired you can allow the beer to clear naturally.

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orlando
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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by orlando » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:24 pm

If you used copper finings there is a view that you could just let nature take its course and allow time to clear it. Isinglass is a difficult product to keep over any length of time so as good as it is I tend to use gelatine, which is very effective. However, your brewing process does need to be finely honed to obtain the best results, gelatine can only get you so far. :wink:
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Kev888
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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by Kev888 » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:33 pm

Yes, isinglass is still quite commonly used. As mentioned, gelatin is also popular, e.g. added to chilled beer before later racking/kegging.

Quite a lot of us don't use finings (aside from kettle finings). Perhaps partly because beer-fridges/keggerators and cooled fermenters are more common (which speeds natural clearing), and perhaps partly because things like water treatment and better yeast can promote better clearing too. But there is no particular stigma attached to finings, it is just down to your own personal preference and how clear you need the beer to be in short order.
Kev

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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by alexlark » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:48 pm

Protofloc in boil, crash cool at end of fermentation followed by gelatine. Clear beer, fast, every time.
Last edited by alexlark on Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by guypettigrew » Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:50 pm

Unlike many on here, I always use isinglass finings combined with finings adjunct.

Love scotsloon's comment about being able to let the beer clear naturally now you're retired. I'm retired and I want the beer as soon as possible!

My usual timescale is 5-10 days in the FV, determined by the rate bubbles are seen coming out of the blow off tube. Then into the keg with dry hops, no priming sugar and auxiliary (adjunct) finings and isinglass.

Having tried various types of isinglass over the years my preferred one is the dried version from The Malt Miller which needs making up. It's a bit of a faff but, as with most things, once you've got the hang of it it's dead easy. MM also sells finings adjunct.

Having transferred the beer to a keg I add 50ml of adjunct, gently rock'n'roll the keg to disperse it, then add 70 ml of the made up finings. With some more rockin'n'rollin'.

The beer is clear within 24-36 hours. Not neccesarily mature, but definitely clear!

Guy

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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by Top Cat » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:43 pm

Mmm, thanks guys.
Food for thought. I think I will wait to see what the beer looks like when its finished fermenting, at the moment the fv has a closed top on with a plastic air trap, don't want to disturb just yet. Protofloc was added 10 minutes before the end of the boil so that should help. I also have a pack of dry isinglass to be made up as guypettigrew uses. Given the outside temperature at the moment, a place in the garage will help to clear my keg in the event of me passing on the finings this time. Don't think I've got the patience to wait three or for weeks for clearing though!
Incidentally, how do you guys keep your beer chilled in the summer months, corny kegs and an old refrigerator with the shelves taken out I'm assuming?

Bribie

Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by Bribie » Tue Nov 14, 2017 5:29 am

Another good fining agent that's becoming popular is Silicic Acid in a colloidal suspension (Sold as Biofine). It's not animal-derived so none of the often icky smells of gelatine or isinglass and clears the beer out in a day or so. And it can be kept on the shelf and ready to use instantly. However it works best at near freezing so is more suitable for cold-crashers like myself.

About 10ml into a cornie and after two days:
Biofine 7.jpg

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Re: To fine or not to fine?

Post by scotsloon » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:16 pm

guypettigrew wrote:
Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:50 pm
Love scotsloon's comment about being able to let the beer clear naturally now you're retired. I'm retired and I want the beer as soon as possible!
Guy
I don't have any shortage of beer, I just brewed more frequently, certainly in the early stages to get a stock built up, I find patience works every time with no effort at all. :)

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