Finishing Procedure - What's Yours?

[DJP]

OK, so your primary fermentation's finished.

Assuming that you barrel your beer, what do you do next?

[Whorst]

In my case where I'm planning on serving via beer engine, I rack into corny keg with 1/2 cup of priming sugar, and add finings. I leave keg out at room temperature and monitor secondary fermentation.

[oblivious]

In my case where I'm planning on serving via beer engine, I rack into corny keg with 1/2 cup of priming sugar, and add finings. I leave keg out at room temperature and monitor secondary fermentation.

What finings are you using

and do you ever have problems getting natural carbonation with them?

[booldawg]

Will a beer clear suffiently after time without the use of a fining agent?

[Whorst]

I use a gelatin fining that's listed as a 100 bloom type B. I think you guys across the pond call them auxiliary finings? I get beer that looks filtered when I use them. Granted, with some yeasts you probably don't need them. WLP-002 and Safale-04 come to mind.

[mysterio]

Auxiliary finings according to the Murphy's website:

Auxiliary finings aid the action of isinglass finings by enhancing the total negative charge, especially when contribution by yeast is low. This improves the electrostatic interaction between proteins and isinglass finings. Beers fine more quickly because of the larger floc size.
• Auxiliary finings are available in solution as acidified polysaccharides, silicates, alginates and formulated blends.

I use aux finings and isinglass and then to the corni keg where I force carb.

[SiHoltye]

I'm just taking my first tentative steps into fining. 'Til now I've not produced a polished beer, and although not massively important to me, others do it so I want to. I'm using S04 pretty much exclusively and find after the 1 week per 10 point maturation rule my force carbed corni keg can still be 'well' murky-hazy for the first 3 quarters of keg. It gets noticeably clearer, though not clear, just before it's empty.

In more recent times I've sorted out my sparge ph and temp, and fermentation temp, also I stop sparging at 1.010 now, and so scientifically should wait to see if this clears up my probs.

However I'm not a patient man so for the first time ever I added Aux finings to my best controlled beer so far yesterday. It's at 8 degC now, tomorrow in goes IG for kegging on Thursday night.

I'll follow this thread if it develops and in a brew or two I might have the good scientific gumption to forget the finings to suss if my problems were elsewhere. (Assuming it comes clear with'em!)

Can't wait to see if it's clear!

[zigger1_2000]

Regarding the conditioning I am glad people pointed out the brew needs to be at room temperature. I have been putting in the keg and then putting straight into the cold garage. Will it ever mature / condition with the current low temperatures in my garage if left for a certain length of time? Or would I be wise to leave a keg in the house in warmer conditions for a week after kegging?

[zigger1_2000]

Good point. I feel better...

Next few brews I will try straight from primary to keg with forced CO2 and keep in the garage then.