Beer Finings Questions

[NATNRG]

Hi All,

Sorry - no doubt its a newbie question, but I can't seem to find an answer about this...

I have a batch which is Primary and I wish to add finings (wilkos finest). It says to add to the primary after fermentation is complete then give a stir.

I am worried that stirring will agiate and oxiginate to much and bring up some of the bottom sitting sediment.

I was planning to barrel it anyway so would be Ok to siphon to the barrell, then add the finings - leave for a few days, then add the sugar to the barrell for priming after?

Many Thanks,

Nathan

 

[Hop_Head]

Hi All,

Sorry - no doubt its a newbie question, but I can't seem to find an answer about this...

I have a batch which is Primary and I wish to add finings (wilkos finest). It says to add to the primary after fermentation is complete then give a stir.

I am worried that stirring will agiate and oxiginate to much and bring up some of the bottom sitting sediment.

I was planning to barrel it anyway so would be Ok to siphon to the barrell, then add the finings - leave for a few days, then add the sugar to the barrell for priming after?

Many Thanks,

Nathan

It may be old school to some, but it works so why not do what many do and prime / fine at the same time?

These days I tend not to add finings, preferring to let time do its thing, but if I need a beer to drop bright quickly (within 2 to 4 days), over the last 35 years of brewing I've always had the best results by apportioning finings and primings into the barrel at the same time.

I've not tried Wilko finings though, as I've always found gelatine finings (sachets available in all supermarkets) work really well - just dissolve in a saucepan or jug of warmed water (pre-boiled) and add just after you've started siphoning from the FV into the barrel. With the siphon tube resting on the bottom of the barrel to minimise oxidisation, you get a nice natural swirl going which mixes it all in without having to stir.

For primings, my choice for a 23L brew is around 50g sugar (usually demerara) again dissolved in warm water, which is added to the barrel at the same time as the finings.

Hope that helps.

 

[NATNRG]

Hi Hop Head.

Firstly many thanks for the advice.

My fermentation was complete on Wed and did not have the time to barrell until today (Sat) I decided to go ahead and add the fininings before hand and gave a very gentle stir. No problems or disturbed sediment.

I will certainly keep your advice in mind for next time and attempt to prime and fine at the same time!

I tried looking for the fining you recommended but could only find the gelatine sheets at my local supermarket. Is it essentially the same thing?

Thanks Again,

Nathan

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have a batch which is Primary and I wish to add finings (wilkos finest).

I dont make beer but have found (i have tried several) that KwiK Clear is by far the best.

 

[Hop_Head]

Hi Hop Head.

Firstly many thanks for the advice.

My fermentation was complete on Wed and did not have the time to barrell until today (Sat) I decided to go ahead and add the fininings before hand and gave a very gentle stir. No problems or disturbed sediment.

I will certainly keep your advice in mind for next time and attempt to prime and fine at the same time!

I tried looking for the fining you recommended but could only find the gelatine sheets at my local supermarket. Is it essentially the same thing?

Thanks Again,

Nathan

I've never used leaf gelatine as the powder is dead easy to handle and there's no poncing about. Just open the sachet, pour it into some warm water and stir to dissolve. This is the powdered gelatine I buy from my local supermarket (Tesco) http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=280932920. It's the Dr Oetker brand, which should be available in most supermarkets. You get three 12g sachets for just over a quid and one sachet is plenty to clear a beer starbright.

Here's a 6.5% IPA just three days after fining: