Issinglass and lager

[moorsd]

Can anyone solve some confusion I have over fining lager?

Reading some Dave Line books he explains that Issinglass can't be used for fining lager for some reason, yet other books I have refer to it as a fining agent for lager??

I realise with long lagering times it isn't always necessary but just wondered as I've added some to my latest batch and after 3-4 days it's still cloudy!

[steve_flack]

Isinglass doesn't conform to the Reinheitsgebot as it's left in the beer when it's served. If you can of course do what you want at home but commercially lagers are chill-filtered.

[moorsd]

To be honest I've had a nightmare brewing lagers!

I've pretty much got brewing ale down to a tee IMO, but every time I try to make a lager things go t*ts up! (Normally problems during fermentation)

Last time I had a stuck fermentation which I tried to correct and ended up with ditch water...this time it doesn't seem to be clearing and has a funny plastic taste (despite covering all the obvious causes for this taste)

Although I may be being a little hasty as it's only been lagering for 4 days

[Jim]

ACcording to DL (if I remember correctly) the reason isinglass is unsuitable for lager is that it can't attach itself to bottom fermenting yeast.

Apparently, isinglass works differently to things like gelatine, which just fall to the bottom and drag whatever's in suspension down with them.

Isinglass attaches itself electrostatically to the yeast cells (again, I stress, according to DL - I've never researched it anywhere else) and bottom fermenting yeast has the wrong charge or something.