Is there any benefit to either? Any reason why I should go Whirlfloc? I use the moss presently.
Irish moss and whirfloc are the same thing just that whirfloc is in tablet so no measuring just toss 1/2 tab or whole in your boiling kettle last 10 to 15 minutes. Irish moss is a little cheaper
I have both and have seen the same results. A little easier with the tablets.
The Whirlfloc tablets also contain carrageenen, so in theory they should work a little better than straight Irish moss.
AFAIK, Irish moss IS carageenan.
Both the same so use whichever one is better suited to your needs. I like Whirlfloc because two tabs in last 5 minutes of the boil takes care of 22 gallons with no measuring involved.
Ok, I might be splitting hairs, but here’s the product description:
“blend of Irish Moss and purified (italics mine) Kappa carrageenan that encourages the precipitation of haze causing materials such as proteins and Beta glucans. Prepared in a quick dissolving, highly soluble tablet form…”
I guess I was aware that Irish moss contained carrageenan, but my point was that Whirlfloc also contains the refined form of carrageenan… :cheers:
I’ve never used whirlflock or irish moss. How necessary is this. I understand it’s a clarifying agent but does it really do more than a cold crash. I’m a novice so i’m open to thoughts on this.
You don’t HAVE to add it. But it does work really well for clarifying your beer by bonding on to proteins and causing them to drop. If its a hefe or wit and supposed to be hazy, then I don’t add it. A half tablet at 5 mins is sufficient for a 5 gal batch.
I am also a novice and only started using it a handful of batches ago. I have to say it has made a dramatic improvement in beer clarity. I don’t think I would brew without it anymore.
The big advantage I see in IM over Whirlflock is that IM is available here. It does make a difference, helping to make the cold break better. But it is just one of a number of tools you should use to help ensure clarity. Good mash pH, a stong boil, rapid chilling and enough time to drop clear after fermentation is complete are also important.
two things: 1) I wish Whirlfloc came in “1/2” tab size-- hate trying to break em in half for a typical 5-gallon sized batch - someone plz resolve this issue and give me intellectual property rights. 2) I have heard “15” minutes prior to end of boil for Irish moss and “5” minutes for Whirlfloc…does it really matter WHEN you add either; is there a time window for either or do you have to add them at those exact times?
I actually wrote to company about timing and got 2 different answers! One said 5, the other said 15…take your choice. I do 5 and it works great.
I use a razor blade to cut mine in half. It works like a charm. Just before use I crush 1/2 tablet in a small tart cup using a ice cream scoop. I add it to the boil any time between 15 and 10 minutes left in the boil. Here is a useful article on the subject:
Here is another, highly technical article. It states:
[quote]Kettle finings should be added to the boil ten minutes prior to the end of the boil for a semi-refined product and five minutes for a refined material. The addition times
reflect the length of time required to dissolve and disperse the carrageenan into the wort. Should kettle finings be added too early in the boil, then degradation of the polymer will occur and product efficiency is lost.[/quote]
So it looks like I’ll adjust my process to add the Whirlfloc with 5 minutes left in the boil.
I guess I am the dissenter. I think whirlfloc performs much better than IM. Also, most folks do not prepare IM correctly either, it needs to be rehydrated. As usual, rebuilt is spot on. pH is crucial for clarity. With proper pH and whirlfloc and a week of cold crashing, no need for gelatine.
I have been rehydrating the whirfloc tablet prior to using. Not sure why anymore…read something somewhere…got confused with irish mosh. Is rehydrating the tablet a waste of time?
yep.
OK, well now I am getting confused. The instructions for IM state nothing about rehydrating before use. And I never have but the results have been outstanding. I add 1/2 teaspoon 15 minutes before the end of boil and I get great clarity now whereas before I did not.
I use a teaspoon IM for 5 gallons. Rehydrate with a couple ounces of wort I pull from the kettle after it starts boiling, and then add 10 minutes before the end of the boil. Results have been outstanding for me also.
My experience is that the even without rehydrating IM works pretty decent, rehydrated (30m in hot wort/water) works better, but not as good as whirfloc. The amount and method I used is exactly what rebuilt does. Rehydrated IM get very thick and quite disgusting BTW :lol:
