Gelatin fining a lager, when?

[Invertalon]

When gelatin fining a lager, would fining prior to transferring in the keg for 4-5 week lager have any negative effect? Would it be better to allow the beer to lager with the suspended yeast for flavor reasons and add the gelatin weeks later, days before carbonating and serving?

Just trying to figure out the best time to add the gelatin without negatively effecting flavor or the ability for the yeast to “clean-up” during the lagering if need be. Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[TheMadKing]

I would fine either in the keg or during cold crash prior to kegging.

Yeast aren't really doing much during the lagering, it has more to do with proteins dropping out and flavors melding than yeast activity.

 

[kombat]

I fine in the keg, because in order to really get the benefit from gelatin, the beer has to already be cold, and cold-crashing in the carboy increases the risk of oxidation. While some mild oxidation may go unnoticed in a more flavourful beer, any oxidation would be more evident in a lager, with their generally cleaner profiles. So I give it 2-3 weeks in primary, then rack to a keg and put it on CO2 in the keezer. 24 hours later (after it's chilled), I hit it with the gelatin.

 

[bruhaha]

I would fine either in the keg or during cold crash prior to kegging.

Yeast aren't really doing much during the lagering, it has more to do with proteins dropping out and flavors melding than yeast activity.

Once I add the gelatin in the FV after cold crashed to 32F, how long should I leave this prior to racking into keg to ensure it has done it's fining job properly?

 

[BobOki]

I personally cold crash in my carboy (glass) primary as I never use a secondary anymore (or on rare occasions). I will just throw in the gelatin, then cold crash to 32f for 2-3 days, then I transfer to keg. The gelatin helps take a lot of poo to the bottom, so I figured I did not want to do that in the keg as all your pours in that keg would come from the bottom.

 

[bruhaha]

I personally cold crash in my carboy (glass) primary as I never use a secondary anymore (or on rare occasions). I will just throw in the gelatin, then cold crash to 32f for 2-3 days, then I transfer to keg. The gelatin helps take a lot of poo to the bottom, so I figured I did not want to do that in the keg as all your pours in that keg would come from the bottom.

Thanks, Bob. I figured I'd try adding gelatin in the primary (I don't use a secondary either) so all the break material will settle into the yeast cake and won't end up in my keg. Just trying to figure how long to let the gelatin settle the haze out before kegging.

 

[TheHopfather]

Just trying to figure how long to let the gelatin settle the haze out before kegging.

24 to 48 hours seems to do the trick. You can actually see the gelatin doing it's thing in the carboy. The beer will start to clear from the top and will gradually drop to the bottom. Even if you rack to a keg before the gelatin has completely cleared the beer it will continue to work in the keg, its a pretty hard process to screw up.

 

[bruhaha]

24 to 48 hours seems to do the trick. You can actually see the gelatin doing it's thing in the carboy. The beer will start to clear from the top and will gradually drop to the bottom. Even if you rack to a keg before the gelatin has completely cleared the beer it will continue to work in the keg, its a pretty hard process to screw up.

Excellent point to say that even if I go ahead and keg at the 12 hour mark, the gelatin will continue fining in the keg. Not ideal, but my business travel schedule is forcing me to fall short of waiting out the 2 or 3 day mark.

I use white plastic fermenter pails and they are not transparent to see the gelatin at work. With 5.5G batches, a 6G plastic carboy is filled so close to the top I avoid using them opting for 7.8G buckets.

 

[ferm.adventures]

I add to the keg. But I have the Clear Beer floats in all my kegs and draw from the top.

 

[TheHopfather]

Excellent point to say that even if I go ahead and keg at the 12 hour mark, the gelatin will continue fining in the keg. Not ideal, but my business travel schedule is forcing me to fall short of waiting out the 2 or 3 day mark.

You'll be fine. I typically fine with gelatin, leave it 24 hours, then rack to a keg. The beer I'm racking isn't crystal clear yet but it always works out. By time time you're carbonated you'll pour off a pint or two of cloudy beer and then it'll be clear from there until it kicks.

I just so happen to have a picture of my just tapped west coast red fined with this process on my phone. Not the greatest picture to show off clarity but not the worst either. This beer is crystal clear.

 

[bruhaha]

Gorgeous beer...wow!

 

[BobOki]

Yeah, I have to say out of all the steps in brewing, fining is the easiest least involved. I fine EVERYTHING except stouts pretty much. It does not affect the flavor really any, unless you got trub floating around, but imo it just makes it look more pro, and we all want impressive looking beer as well as the taste ;P