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  • Isinglass added to brite tank?

    My first attempt at using Isinglass... our pad filter broke!

    The beer has been sitting in the tank at 0c/32F for a few days now.
    Can I mix and put Isinglass (Biofin) directly into the tank, simply by pouring over from the top manway, or it should've been mix during transfer?

    Any DOs and DON'Ts about this stuff?

    zb

  • #2
    Biofine

    I have been using Biofine for about a year now and have had mixed results. Without a doubt the best way to add it to the beer is at transfer. I am adding a T in line just before the bright tank and using a corny keg to push the slurry in using CO2 while pumping the beer in from the Uni. The one thing that i have found is that the isinglass works a lot better at 35-36F than it does at 30-32. For some reason at the lower temperatures the yeast cake would not settle out completely and leaves suspended matter in the beer. As soon as i let it come up a few degrees in temperature the isinlgass would settle out. And no, it is not chill haze. The beer is bright, but you will see what looks like snow flakes, which i am assuming are isinglass-yeast clumps on their way to the bottom of the tank.

    let me know if you find anything new.

    Scott
    Cheers,

    Scott Vaccaro
    Captain Lawrence Brewing CO
    Elmsford, NY
    www.CaptainLawrenceBrewing.com

    Comment


    • #3
      The only thing I would add would be to put your "T" on the input side of your pump. Pumps make great "mixers" for getting your finings well dispersed in your beer. And a few degress of warming right after transfer definitely helps the isinglass drop.
      BrewerTL

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      • #4
        done! But...

        I did the "T" hook up, on the input of my portable pump. I used a cornie with the Isinglass solution ready in it. It got mixed in pretty (too?) fast, right at the begining of transfer. Will use a ball valve next time to have more control. I bubbled some CO2 at the end, to make sure it gets diffused.

        I wonder how mixed that powder needs to be? Instructions calls for an electric blender, but I whiped it with a spoon, then mixed it with 1 gal of beer and shaked the cornie for a minute. Still, I could see some granules.

        Left the brite tank at 3c last nite. When should I see some improvements? SHàhould I crash it to 0c first?

        I'm sceptic....

        Zb
        Last edited by Zucker Bee; 12-14-2006, 08:21 AM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Isinglass must be properly hydrated to work. Granules are not a good sign.

          If your isinglass is pre-hydrolyzed (ie. Drifine brand), you need to blend it at high speed for 2-3 minutes, let it sit for half an hour at about 60oF and then you're good to go.

          If it is not pre-hydrolyzed, it's a little more complicated. You need to make a properly acidified solution to work. Using sterile water @ pH 2.4-3.0 (citric, tartaric, malic, phosphoric or a blend), slowly mix in appropriate amount of isinglass (.5% by weight although I've gone as high as 1%) using spoon or other stirring implement.

          Mix occasionally over next half hour then let it sit overnight @ ~60oF. It takes about 24 hours to properly solubilize. It should be, at point of use, a thick opalescent, viscous solution.

          My brewers called it 'snot'.

          Be aware of the pH effects. Don't overdo it.

          Good luck.

          Pax.

          Liam
          Liam McKenna
          www.yellowbellybrewery.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Yeah...forgot to mention the butterfly valve I use to "dose" the isinglass throughout the majority of the rack. Another way I've done this is to hook up the output of the pump into the racking arm of the unitank and inject isinglass with the "T' set up the same way. Only difference is you're not actually racking but rather creating a loop to thoroughly mix the isinglass into your beer. Once I've injected the finings (taking about 10 minutes to do so) I run this loop for about another 20 minutes. After running this, I do my rack. I've found I can use less isinglass this way and still have clear beer in 36 to 48 hours. Injecting during the rack it takes my beer about 72 hours to clear. I'm using American Ale yeast which is not very flocculant. A more flocculant strain should clear faster than this.

            As far as mixing, I use Allfine (Crosby & Baker) and had a friend make me a stainless steel "paint stirrer" that fits in my drill. This works like a charm....and fast!
            Last edited by BrewerTL; 12-14-2006, 09:09 AM.
            BrewerTL

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            • #7
              Then I think I've missed it.

              Any problem if I make another solution, well stired this time, and then pump it + recirculate it in the brite tank with the old solution still in it?

              Zb

              Comment


              • #8
                You need to be concerned about pH. Remember that the isinglass preparation is quite acidic.

                If you're confident that pH effect will be negligible, I would try it again. Allow 48 hours+ for settling.

                Small additional comment - check with isinglass supplier. Many are preserved with sulphites which of course, piggybacks its way into your beer. Natural sulphites are present in beer to small degree (depends on yeast strain, water etc) but some customers may be sensitive to elevated levels. Something to think about.

                Pax.

                Liam
                Liam McKenna
                www.yellowbellybrewery.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  "...check with isinglass supplier"

                  Well, that's why I'm here. The only information I have at hand is a very bad 3rd generation fax for homebrewers.

                  I think it's manufactured by Kerry, so I'll keep on loocking for info on Google

                  Cheers!

                  Zb
                  Last edited by Zucker Bee; 12-14-2006, 12:57 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    You can overfine beer. The symptoms then are of rather loose, fluffy bottoms, rather than the dense sediment you shuold be able to achieve when done properly.

                    I suggest you take a sample of your beer, split it into a number of measuring cylinders, or similar. They need to be about a foot high, probably 9 inches minimum. Add small measured quantities in different amounts and see which gives you the brightest beer and most compact sediment. Choose the best compromise, if necessary splitting the difference and add an equivalent proportion to the bulk of the beer.

                    Now, finings works best on a gently rising temperature, but will normally be quite effective at zero to 2 deg C, but yuo may need a slightly higher addition rate.

                    If the beer doesn't clear, it may be becase the pH is too high - say above 4.25, or you may need to use auxilliary finings added shortly, mix in thoroughly + a minute before adding white finings. You really need to check the addition rate of auxilliary finings, using variable proportions of aux, with a fixed proportion of white finings. Once you have sorted out the aux finings rate, then you can fine tune the white finings rate

                    Finally, if the yeast count is realy too low, say less than 250k / ml, or you have non flocculent yeast, or because you are using what is normally a lager yeast, then the beer is unlikely to clear well.

                    Have fun

                    Cheers
                    dick

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      time before cooling down

                      1. Should I wait till beer is completely clear to cool it down back to 0c/32F? There's no technical urges for me to do that except it might more efficient. Is it?

                      2. Can I mix the Isinglass and keg imediately in order to get sedimentation in the kegs? That would allow me to free my brite tank earlier

                      Zb

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I don't usually let the beer clear before cooling back down. In my process, the loop/rack (whichever I do) warms the beer up enough to aid flocculation. I'm using grundies in a cold room so the beer is cold again (approx. 37 to 38) by the next morning. Maybe someone with jacketed tanks could tell you more on this, but my feeling is that you could start cooling again within 12 hours or so and the drop to 32*F would speed up the clarification.

                        As for kegging, I would try to give the beer 24 to 48 hours (72 hours if you can) in the brite before kegging. If you can't wait that long, I personally don't see why you couldn't keg immediately. Just be advised that that first pint or so from those kegs might be a little yeasty and I would be leery of moving them around too much.
                        BrewerTL

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Dosing

                          What I have done with success is hook up a T to the racking port (I dont have a racking arm) with a carb stone on one end and a butterfly valve on the other and push finings into the tank through the butterfly valve while running the carb stone. This saves me from an extra transfer and seems to mix well enough. I dont know if this would be effective on large batches. My max is 30 Bbl.
                          Big Willey
                          "You are what you is." FZ

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            With bigger batches you are probably better dropping it through the top and rousing in immediately after if you can't dose it in on transfer from FV to CCT.

                            Although technically it works better on a rising temperature, you can get away with it at zero C quite happily, though may not drag out all the protein quite as well, but if you are filtering as well, no problem. Don't forget to waste the sediment first, it will blind the filter almost instantly

                            Cheers
                            dick

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