Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

isinglass in cask ale

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • isinglass in cask ale

    Does any body have any suggestions on producing cask ale without isinglass (or any animal-derived fining) ?

    I know of some brewpubs that don't use it but I'm assuming they are leaving the cask on stillage for a while until it clears naturally, something that would be impossible to do if sending out to trade.......I've read about somebody using Kieselguhr in the cask at racking.
    If anybody has any thoughts I'd be interested !

    Thanks
    Tariq Khan-York Brewery
    Tariq Khan (Brewer/Distiller)

    Yaletown Brewing and Distilling Co.
    Vancouver, B.C.
    Canada

  • #2
    I've heard of starch based gelatin substitutes used for this purpose, but have no personal experience with it. (Gelatin being animal based as well.)

    If you get a solution, I'd love to hear it.

    There's always the option of serving it cloudy?
    S

    Comment


    • #3
      A couple of thoughts, never having been in the position of trying to produce such a product. However, I know on no vegetable based substitute, such that you could easily sell to Vegans. If there was, teh big boys would probably be using it if it was not rediculously expensive.

      As Sir B says, one possible solution is to market an intentionally cloudy beer, rather like some of the Frenchm German and Belgian beers. However, this will mean, for best results, a total change of yeast, and I doubt you can cope with 2 or more strains successfully.

      The main problem is getting the protein out of suspension. Strict attention to copper finings optimisation and rapid cropping to reduce autolysis will help, but is not the total answer. A long spell of cold conditioning will help to settle more protein out.

      You could then try products such as Lucilite (hydrated silica gel), bentonite or tannic acid. Lucilite will help drag out some of the protein, and will form a nice solid sediment. (it has been used as a filter aid, but proved to be compressible, and tended to blind quickly). Bentonite and tannic acid will help precipitate proteins, but produce huge quantities of fluffy floaty bottoms - beware huge losses. I have never tried using tannic acid followed by lucilite to produce more compact bottoms, but it may be worth a try.

      Apparently careful use of higher than usual level of auxillary finings will also work, but again produces large quantities of bottoms. Again, it might be worth trying lucilite with it.

      Having removed all of this, you will also not have much yeast so will have to repitc
      dick

      Comment

      Working...
      X