A word on protofloc…

[Monkhouse]

Hi, I only discovered this word along with Irish moss the other day as well as it’s uses. I’ve never used it before but if it can speed up clearing time I’m all for it!
My question is- can it be used in any beer style/recipe? Is there a benefit to getting one over the other? When do I actually add it as I’ve never read anything about using it in any of the brews I’ve ever done in the past!

Dave

 

[robster62]

Hi Dave, I use it in every brew, I add about 5grams of Irish moss/ 1 protofloc tab 15 minutes before the end of the the boil. Hope this helps.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Hi, I only discovered this word along with Irish moss the other day as well as it’s uses. I’ve never used it before but if it can speed up clearing time I’m all for it!
My question is- can it be used in any beer style/recipe? Is there a benefit to getting one over the other? When do I actually add it as I’ve never read anything about using it in any of the brews I’ve ever done in the past!

Dave

Hi Dave, I use protofloc in all beer styles, adding about 15mins before the end of the boil. I do small batches do use 0.5 tablet. Never had any problems

 

[gyurmaember]

I use it only in beer styles meant to finish clear.

 

[Goldthirst]

From what I can gather, protofloc contains Irish moss. Both work added 10 - 15 minutes before the end of the boil.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I use either in all brew 15 minutes before end of boil. Some people add half a protofloc but I always add a full one.

 

[Monkhouse]

Awesome I’ll buy some now. Any preference? Young’s etc?

 

[the baron]

Here is the answer to how much to use I use half a tablet in a 23ltr brew any more and it becomes like soup and you can get a load of extra trub.
Protafloc is used at a lower dosage as it is more efficient. The dose is around 0.3 – 0.5 milligrams per litre or 0.75 grams for a 25 litre batch. Tablets are made in 2 gram sizes so just under half a tablet is fine. Add directly to the wort 10 – 15 minutes before the end of the boil.

 

[Buffers brewery]

As @the baron says, half a tablet, crushed to a powder, added to a 5 gallon batch 15 minutes from the end of boil

 

[the baron]

Murphy's recommend as little as one third of a tablet to a maximum of 3 tablets per 100 litres depending on the brew

 

[aolcot]

Here is the answer to how much to use I use half a tablet in a 23ltr brew any more and it becomes like soup and you can get a load of extra trub.
Protafloc is used at a lower dosage as it is more efficient. The dose is around 0.3 – 0.5 milligrams per litre or 0.75 grams for a 25 litre batch. Tablets are made in 2 gram sizes so just under half a tablet is fine. Add directly to the wort 10 – 15 minutes before the end of the boil.

Hmm, that's interesting.. I normally use a full tablet and don't think much of it, but this week I brewed up a golden ale, about 26L left post boil and set off the whirlpool as normal. Hops put into a hop stand.. after standing for a bit, then chilling, removing the wort chiller/hopstand and then whirlpooling for a few more minutes and letting it settle, it was really murky/hazy (soup like as you will)..

I actually put it down to this being my first 30minute boil (although I did boil it harder than i usually would) as my first hop addition was at 15mins so i figured a good brew to actually see what the fuss is all about these 30min boil times..

I might consider my protofloc regime then on the next brew and see if my soupiness changes as i was expecting this particular batch to be a lot clearer than what it looked like in the kettle.

 

[labrewski]

Irish moss all the way I reckon it works better

 

[DocAnna]

I am reflecting on the amounts described in this thread and thinking that some of my filter blockage issues are related to using too much protofloc. I am going to try a brew this weekend that doesn't need to be crystal clear so will try just a half tablet aka @the baron method.

 

[aolcot]

Yeah i'm already considering buying some irish moss and measuring it out exactly as per my batch size and move away from just throwing in a tablet at 15mins...

 

[Sadfield]

The dose is around 0.3 – 0.5 milligrams per litre or 0.75 grams for a 25 litre batch.

0.75g in 25L is 0.03g/L or 30mg a litre.

Murphys state, typical uses range from 0.75g to 4.8g per hl (0.0075 - 0.048g per l).

 

[Sadfield]

Yeah i'm already considering buying some irish moss and measuring it out exactly as per my batch size and move away from just throwing in a tablet at 15mins...

I do this with protofloc granules at a rate of 0.03g/l. It does require a reasonably precise set of scales to ensure consistent dosing for small batches.

 

[Pete Mc]

I tend to use a bit less than half a tablet, 1g for a 23l batch. When taking a sample for og in a trial jar if it settles to light fluffy clouds then that's the correct amount I believe.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I use half a teaspoon of protofloc in 22L

 

[White Rose Al]

Fascinating thread as many of the AG kits (25L) which come with protofloc and weighed out measures, simply tell you to add it in the last stages of the boil.

Nothing about reducing the size of the tablet

 

[foxy]

It isn't as simple as it seems, water is the main ingredient of beer so it is important to have the water at the right pH to effectively use whichever copper finings are being used.
Copper finings work best at around 5.0 pH the proteins are positively charged whereas the copper finings are negatively charged. The negative and positive are attracted and the proteins fall to the bottom of the kettle.
Getting the brewing principles right will save all the arsing around with gelatine or some other clearing agent in the fermenter.
I am in no doubt there will be those who say water treatment is bulltish just add a campden tablet. She'll be right.