When is the best time to ad gelitan to my beer for clearer beer? I have read different opinions on this topic. Please set me straight
After it’s been cold crashed.
Loopie, If I do not cold crash when would I use the gelatin. Maybe you can explain the cold crashing to me also. Thank you
After your fermentation as completed, you take the fermenter and drop temps to as close as freezing. This promotes yeast and trub to settle. Even more beneficial is that if the beer develops chill haze adding fining agents (gelatin and others) at this point will help remove those proteins that cause it.
Adding gelatin at any degree will work but just to a much lesser extent. The idea is to add the gelatin and getting it to coagulate so the proteins attach to the gelatin and settle out. The bigger the particle the quicker it will settle out.
Loopie, Do I cold crash after going into the secondary? Also how long do I cold crash
Thanks again
I’ll take this one 
Cold crashing, which is just a name for getting the completely fermented beer down to as close to 32*F as you can get it, helps the process of clearing beer by precipitating suspended yeast and ‘cold haze’ proteins. It’s a process that generally takes a couple days at cold temps. Gelatin speeds the precipitation by electrostatically grabbing ahold of stuff as it sinks to the bottom. Therefore, cold crash without gelatin= works although slower. Gelatin without cold crash= doesn’t really help much.
For the past 4.5 years I’ve cold crashed using a swamp cooler filled with cold water and using 1/2 gallon ice bottles. The water starts at about 55-60 degrees and 4 ice bottles will drop the temp down to 35-40 overnight. Then I hit it with gelatin the next morning and swap out 1-2 bottles to keep things cold. By evening, everything should be done, so I let temps rise naturally. It works well for me, so you can do it too. 
1 Like
Thanks for that info, really interesting. I will definitely try the cold crash. Do I cold crash right after the beer goes into the secondary or do I cold crash in the primary
To finish up, I usually cold crash in my primary, but wouldn’t hesitate to do it in a secondary if I were to use one. When? About 4-5 days before I’m planning on bottling. The day before bottling, I take the bucket out of the swampie and set it where I’m going to do my siphoning, to let anything that I might have stirred up by moving the bucket settle back down.
Cold crash + gelatin= brilliantly clear beer. I started after sharing a bottle of my 3rd batch with a friend. He said the taste was good but it was cloudy. Never got another bottle from me. I’m sensitive that way…
Awesome, thanks for the great information. Greatly appreciate your help
jimrmaine, I have another question on how to use the gelatin. Must I dilute the gelatin with boiling water before I ad it to the beer or can I dump the gelatin directly into the beer in powder form
Let me help 
,
I usually use 1/2 teaspoon to a cup of water. Mix together, then in a micro wave, use 10-15 second bursts, I stir with my thermal pen. I will keep doing this routine until I git to 150*. I read that from … another site, and its working fine, for the last 3+ years… Sneezles61
1 Like
Guess I’m confused… What did @jimrmaine say that I didn’t? 
I do as sneezes does. If you boil the gelatin I believe it denatures the gelatin and doesn’t work as well. You just want it to dissolve.
I do exactly what @sneezles61 does and throw that into a keg that has been chilled to kegerator serving temperature. Usually 1 or 2 days after kegging. Beer comes out nice and clear without too much fuss and muss… the best way to clear beer I have found to date without all the work.
Don’t be sad loopie. I’m just more long-winded… 
By the way I do the same as loopie and sneezles and eric- for me it usually takes only 2 or 3, 10 second bursts, but your microwave may vary. Zap it until it’s clear.
1 Like
How does adding gelatin effect bottling? or is it mainly for kegging?
I use gelatin as part of my cold-crash routine, right before I bottle my beer…
I just take my fermenter and put it in my refrigerator for 1-2 days. I then add the gelatin and let it sit for another two days, and then I bottle it.
i assume it will take alot longer to carbonate since it drops all the yeast out?
It doesn’t drop all the yeast. There’s still plenty to bottle condition.
Like to jump in with a question on the same note. I’ve added gelatin to the keg because I usually harvest my yeast. Will adding gelatin to the primary affect the harvested yeast?
