10 replies to this topic

[johnpreuss]

Ok when I brewed my Cream Ale I didn't pay attention to my supplies and I didn't have any Irish Moss or Whirfloc so I went with out. I racked it over to the secondary today after two weeks in the primary and it's CLOUDY. Now I realize the yeast will settle out but does anyone think that Polyclar will help clear this beer if I add some a couple days before I bottle it?

[BrewerGeorge]

I used it once years ago, and still have quite a bit left in the garage. I don't remember how well it worked, but I couldn't get past the idea of putting plastic in the beer.I just use gelatin for most of my fining now.BTW, I think Polyclar is a defunct brand name now called Divergan.

[davelew]

Step 1 is figuring out what is causing the haze. If it's yeast, then crash cooling should work well. If the problem is protein, then gelatin or polyclar or isinglas should work, although I personally prefer gelatin. If it's starch haze you probably have other problems.

[MtnBrewer]

I've used polyclar in the past. Nowadays, I rarely use fining agents post-boil but when I do it's usually gelatin. Not because I'm concerned about plastic in the beer (it's all going to precipitate out anyway) but because gelatin seems to be more effective. For a really stubborn haze problem, you can use polyclar and gelatin together.But in any case, here's my procedure. I forget how much I used for a 5-gallon batch but I think it was around a tablespoon. I took out a cup or two of beer, added the polyclar to that and stirred it to get the polyclar "dissolved" and then added the mixture back to the fermenter. At this point, the beer is going to want to foam since the polyclar acts as nucleation sites for CO2 coming out of solution. Then I would very gently stir the beer and let it sit for a couple of days. If you can chill during this time, that's even better. After everything drops out, just rack off of the sediment and package.

[Deerslyr]

I have used gelatin in the past and it seems to work. I have Irish Moss on hand, but more than half the time I completely space it. I don't know why... I keep it in the freezer next to my hops. I have recently taken to cold crashing the beer, now that I can do it with the chest freezer. Which leads me to the next question.I brewed an American Wheat with a friend for a function he has coming up. Is that "style" supposed to be cloudy? Or is this one that I should cold crash as much as I can? Obviously, I did not use Irish Moss in this one.

[MtnBrewer]

I brewed an American Wheat with a friend for a function he has coming up. Is that "style" supposed to be cloudy? Or is this one that I should cold crash as much as I can? Obviously, I did not use Irish Moss in this one.

It's up to you. For the most part, commercial examples are cloudy due to the powdery strains of hefe typically used (generally an altbier or kolsh strain). However, there's nothing wrong with making a clear version if you prefer.

[Deerslyr]

It's up to you. For the most part, commercial examples are cloudy due to the powdery strains of hefe typically used (generally an altbier or kolsh strain). However, there's nothing wrong with making a clear version if you prefer.

This is going to be served at a wine tasting. I'm just wondering if it would be better to have a clear(er) beer for what very well may be a bunch of beer noobs. Sometimes cloudy stuff can scare people off.

[BrewerGeorge]

This is going to be served at a wine tasting. I'm just wondering if it would be better to have a clear(er) beer for what very well may be a bunch of beer noobs. Sometimes cloudy stuff can scare people off.

In that case, I'd think you'd almost be better with very cloudy so it's obviously intended, or perfectly clear so it doesn't cross their mind at all. Partially hazy like so much homebrew is (especially when you rush it like I tend to do) might tend to throw people off more.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Ok when I brewed my Cream Ale I didn't pay attention to my supplies and I didn't have any Irish Moss or Whirfloc so I went with out. I racked it over to the secondary today after two weeks in the primary and it's CLOUDY. Now I realize the yeast will settle out but does anyone think that Polyclar will help clear this beer if I add some a couple days before I bottle it?

Let it sit in the fridge. It'll clear up. If your unhappy with it, feed it to your friends. It'll be gone before you can worry about it.OR put it in secondary (or primary is fine too, that's what I do) and stick the whole thing in the fridge. Wait a week. Bottle after that and in 3 weeks it'll be clear.Still worried? Use gelatin like the guys suggested.Cheers,Rich

[3rd party JKor]

I did a direct comparison of polyclar and gelatin last year. The gelatin worked better. It won't necessarily work better in all cases, but it did in my case.

[Big Nake]

I used to use Polyclar (or Divergan F) because it was supposed to work specifically on chill haze. John, I don't think you have chill haze unless your secondary is sitting in the fridge. I stopped using it because I was able to get my beers clear by using Whirfloc in the kettle, some gel at room temp when sending the beer to secondary and then again once the beer was cold & flat in the keg. This last step appears to be the real kicker... using gel solution when the beer is cold and flat. So I rack the already clear, room temp beer to a keg and let it get cold overnight. The next morning I make some gel solution, pour that into the keg and begin carbing. Some of the beers that have hit the taps using this method have looked filtered, honestly. I just had family and friends over last week and one of my buds (who is used to my beer) tapped a glass of a light-colored lager, held it up to the light and said, Wow, look at that! Try it, you'll like it.