Beer Forum

Extract brewed a brown ale 2 weeks in primary, then cold crashed to corny for 2 weeks and carbonated. Good flavor but very cloudy. I poured off several pints but still very cloudy. I am wondering if I could add gelatin even though it is carbonated. Most people seem to add the gelatin to the keg and then rack from the fermentor straight into the keg. If the consensus ends up being that I use the gelatin, my plan was to use the 1/2 pack of Knox gelatin to 1/2 cup of water and add directly into the keg, shake to mix and let settle for 2-3 days before trying another sample. Thanks in advance for everyone's ideas.

Gelatin to a cold crashed keg is a fine way to use it, but would be made easier if it was in a keg with a shortened diptube that woudl allow you to draw off the beer from above the settled gelatin. If you still want to try it in your keg, I'd probably vent some of the pressure first.

I've never tried adding finings to a carbonated keg. I suspect it will be a problem, because the finings will provide a bazillion nucleation points for the co2 to come out of suspension.

I'd try it out on bottle of soda, carbonated water, or a BMC first, before trying it on a carbonated keg.

If that bubbles up, and you get the menthos/diet coke effect, then you will either have to let it go flat for a week, fine it, then recarb, or just drink the cloudy beer and enjoy it.

Me, I'd just drink it as it is and rebrew, paying attention to clarity issues (ie, irish moss, good hot/cold break, finings post-ferment).

spiderwrangler wrote:Gelatin to a cold crashed keg is a fine way to use it, but would be made easier if it was in a keg with a shortened diptube that woudl allow you to draw off the beer from above the settled gelatin.

+1. I made this mistake when I kegged a Wee Heavy a few months ago and had an awful taste the first few pints. It's certainly possible to use gelatin in your keg but using it when your cold crashing in secondary is what I plan on doing from here on out.

You can cut your diptube if you like or you can just pour off a quarter to half a pint. Either way works and you lose beer both ways. When I use gelatin i usually have crystal clear beer after about a tasting glass worth of beer without the diptube cut.

Adding gelatin is fine to do with an already carbonated keg. Just be ready to put the lid back on after you pour it starts to foam up but if its cold you have plenty of time to put the lid on.