Will chill haze ever clear up and if so then about how long it usually takes
A month or so of cold storage will clear up almost anything. This works best in a keg though, as in bottles it can be real easy to accidentally stir back up whatever dropped out of it.
I’ve started using gelatin before I keg to combat chill haze. Get the beer down to 32*F to get the haze to form, then add the gel and wait 3 days. Rack to the keg and the clear beer starts flowing.
Does the gelatin give the beer an off taste?
Does the gelatin give the beer an off taste?[/quote]
No.
Are you an extract or AG brewer? There can be a number of factors for chill haze including what’s in your water, your mash pH, how much of the schputz from the brewpot got into your primary and a number of other things. Getting the beer cold and using a gel solution on it can really help clear the beer and I pretty much use it on every batch of beer I make. Cheers.
The gelatin won’t pull out the haze-inducing proteins at higher temperatures? Like 38-45F?
The gelatin won’t pull out the haze-inducing proteins at higher temperatures? Like 38-45F?[/quote]
Not really sure. I’ve only gelled after about a day of cold crash. I suppose if the haze forms at 45*F you’d be able to gel it out.
The gelatin won’t pull out the haze-inducing proteins at higher temperatures? Like 38-45F?[/quote]
Not really sure. I’ve only gelled after about a day of cold crash. I suppose if the haze forms at 45*F you’d be able to gel it out.[/quote]
If you add gel solution to room temp (ish) beer, it will drag things down to the bottom of the vessel but it seems that chill haze can still form when it gets cold. If you get the beer cold and there is haze, it seems like the gel will drag it down or at least the compounds that contribute to it (proteins, tannins) and you can get better clarity. On lighter-colored beers I might add a gel solution to the secondary (basement temps) and then again once the beer is cold and in a keg. I know it helps because the first pint or two are very heavily sedimented and then the rest of the keg is very clear.
Thanks for all the feed back guys. Its just been recently having this chill haze. The last 6 brews have been crystal clear.
As Nate noted, long cold storage will eventually drop it out. Gelling is the way us high volume drinkers get the beer to the glass faster :lol:
Ken: I’ve always transferred to secondary, gelled, then kegged. Have you had any trouble with gel in the keg? I bought the Knox gelatin that has 4 small packs. I use one pack per batch.
:cheers:
I have gelled in the keg without problems, but then any movement of the keg can stir up the sediment, so you lose a little of the benefit. If I am taking a keg anywhere, I like to gel it (or cold condition for a good long time) then transfer keg to keg using CO2 and then carbonate in the final keg. It’s extra work but then I don’t have to worry about clarity at the serving site.
:cheers:
[quote=“ynotbrusum”]I have gelled in the keg without problems, but then any movement of the keg can stir up the sediment, so you lose a little of the benefit. If I am taking a keg anywhere, I like to gel it (or cold condition for a good long time) then transfer keg to keg using CO2 and then carbonate in the final keg. It’s extra work but then I don’t have to worry about clarity at the serving site.
:cheers: [/quote]
When going keg to keg I’d assume you discard the first pint, right? or do you use a shortened dip tube and leave some beer behind?
Right now I’m frantically thumbing through my Websters Dictionary-Brewers Edition and I cannot find “schputz” anywhere, WTF??? :lol:
[quote=“mvsawyer”]
Ken: I’ve always transferred to secondary, gelled, then kegged. Have you had any trouble with gel in the keg? I bought the Knox gelatin that has 4 small packs. I use one pack per batch.
:cheers: [/quote]
I won’t answer for Ken, but I add gelatin directly to the keg prior to racking (and I’ve also added it to the keg days after racking). Never had any issues. Sediment-laden pours for the first 1-2 pints, and then clear beer as long as you don’t disturb the keg. The second-to-last pour (sometimes the third-to-last, depending on how much sediment dropped out) will also be complete garbage, as you pull out the remainder of the sediment, too.
ONCE, I added to the keg and the picnic tap poured terribly so I now stick to gel’ing first then rack to keg. That doesn’t mean I didn’t screw something up since a lot of brewers gel in the keg :?
Adding gel to the keg allows for anything that may still be in suspension (which is usually very little) to be dragged down to the bottom and any haze that forms may come with it. I don’t bother transferring to another keg. At that point, I know that 99% of the schputz is at the bottom of the keg and that it will come out in the first pint or two. The first pint or two of a gelled keg are MUCH more schputzy than a non-gelled keg so I know that something good is happening.
From the Mayfair Court Brewing Dictionary…
Schputz: Pronounced schpütz. Noun. Undesirable solids in a brewpot, primary, secondary, keg or glass of beer. Example: Did you see how much schputz was at the bottom of my brewpot? Also see: Schputzy, Schputzified, Schputzification, Deschputzification, Schputzoid, Schputzapalooza and Schputz-a-tola.
I probably need to trademark that and make a beer called Schputz! It seems to go well with Pabst, Blatz and Schlitz. 
Then I’ll make beer called Schmengee. When I open my brewery, I’ll have Schmengee and Schputz.
[German Accent]I’ll have a Schmengee and two Schputzes![/German Accent]
Yes. Yes it does.
I have picnic taps too. Do you all use “fancy” taps, maybe larger diameter hoseses. 3/16"ID here. I’ve just gelled in a keg but was planning to rack to a new keg before serving. I’ll tap it and If it schputzes up, I’m done gelling in the keg! 
:cheers:
I have picnic taps too. Do you all use “fancy” taps, maybe larger diameter hoseses. 3/16"ID here. I’ve just gelled in a keg but was planning to rack to a new keg before serving. I’ll tap it and If it schputzes up, I’m done gelling in the keg!
:cheers: [/quote]
3/16" ID tubing here with Ventmatic Ultraflo faucets. You won’t have an issue with your cobra/picnic tap. Cheers.
The likelihood of me making a mistake when I gelled in the keg is way possible though I can’t know why. Ill stick to pre keg gelling. I do make some pretty clear beer :cheers:
