Using gelatin to clear a beer....

Originally posted by CLevar
I don’t actually know how much "less hoppy" this will make the beer.

I don’t either. There’s just no way to quantify that, but it will be less hoppy.

Originally posted by CLevar
I know that it will remove hop particulates which is desirable(read; I didn’t use a hop bag at any stage, and the fermentor is full of hop pieces from the dry hop). As far as I know, it should not remove soluble or very small insoluble compounds, which may mean that at least some/most of the alpha acids, etc are retained in solution.

Those hop particulates will settle out and the alpha acids are safe, but what you will be sacrificing in order to make a clear beer is the hop oils that have coated the yeast cells in suspension. That is why it is much better to use a poorly flocculant yeast strain for your hoppy beers.

Again, how much of a difference does this make?

From my calculations, if you use gelatin your beer will be 41.58% less hoppy than it would be if you didn’t use it.

Hope that helps.

Why not just drink some cloudy beer?

Originally posted by temporrari
Why not just drink some cloudy beer?

From a bit before:

It seems like the general consensus is "Don’t use it", in which case I am fine drinking cloudy and very tasty beer.

Whoops, somehow I passed that right by.

Originally posted by HornyDevil

Originally posted by CLevar
I don’t actually know how much "less hoppy" this will make the beer.

I don’t either. There’s just no way to quantify that, but it will be less hoppy.

Originally posted by CLevar
I know that it will remove hop particulates which is desirable(read; I didn’t use a hop bag at any stage, and the fermentor is full of hop pieces from the dry hop). As far as I know, it should not remove soluble or very small insoluble compounds, which may mean that at least some/most of the alpha acids, etc are retained in solution.

Those hop particulates will settle out and the alpha acids are safe, but what you will be sacrificing in order to make a clear beer is the hop oils that have coated the yeast cells in suspension. That is why it is much better to use a poorly flocculant yeast strain for your hoppy beers.

Again, how much of a difference does this make?

From my calculations, if you use gelatin your beer will be 41.58% less hoppy than it would be if you didn’t use it.

Hope that helps.

SigFigs man...

41.6% is the correct answer. Minus two points.

Caleb, that motueka dipa I did was clarified with gelatin and I was still very happy with it, even after the 41.6% reduction in hoppiness. The latest batch of dipa (nelson sauvin) was clarified with both gelatin and isinglass, and that will be ready in a week or two. I’ll make sure you get to try some.

But back to the original question, how exactly do you utilize gelatin? And are we talking about the regular stuff in a box at the grocery store?

Originally posted by HornyDevil

Originally posted by CLevar
I don’t actually know how much "less hoppy" this will make the beer.

I don’t either. There’s just no way to quantify that, but it will be less hoppy.

Originally posted by CLevar
I know that it will remove hop particulates which is desirable(read; I didn’t use a hop bag at any stage, and the fermentor is full of hop pieces from the dry hop). As far as I know, it should not remove soluble or very small insoluble compounds, which may mean that at least some/most of the alpha acids, etc are retained in solution.

Those hop particulates will settle out and the alpha acids are safe, but what you will be sacrificing in order to make a clear beer is the hop oils that have coated the yeast cells in suspension. That is why it is much better to use a poorly flocculant yeast strain for your hoppy beers.

Again, how much of a difference does this make?

From my calculations, if you use gelatin your beer will be 41.58% less hoppy than it would be if you didn’t use it.

Hope that helps.

I disagree on the poorly flocculant yeast strain. Sure, some hop oils will attach, but the yeast also will cause a muddiness and astringency. I’m curious as to where you got your info from regarding this?

I’ve used gelatin to clear my super dry hopped beers. Losing a little bit of hoppiness in a really bitter IPA or DIPA really hasnt been much of an issue for me --the beers have been great with the added benefit that they are crystal clear. I use the approach that someone posted here a while back -- take 8 ounces of RO water, place in a sanitized glass measuring cup and add the required amount of gelatin (I think it is 1/2 TB). Let that sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes with plastic wrap over it, then pop it into the microwave for 90 seconds. Many of the gelatin containers from homebrew shops say to boil the gelatin, but I think someone posted here that doing so denatures it. After the 90 second heating in the micro, throw into secondary, stir everything really well with a sanitized spoon then wait about two more days. I usually cold crash my beer for two days, add the gelatin, then let it sit at serving temp (38) for two more days before kegging. My last few batches have been very tasty and crystal clear after the second or third pint out of the keg.

Originally posted by NobleSquirrel
I disagree on the poorly flocculant yeast strain. Sure, some hop oils will attach, but the yeast also will cause a muddiness and astringency. I’m curious as to where you got your info from regarding this?

I’ve brewed identical beers using different yeast strains.

Never had WLP001/1056/Chico cause muddiness and astringency.