[desksmudger]

I've been brewing beer for a while now and normally I let the beer sit in a fermenter for a couple of weeks and bottle. It normally clears really well in the bottle after a couple of weeks. The only problem I have is chill haze. I know it's only cosmetic and I normally drink it above the temperature it appears, but I'd like to sort it for two reasons.

Firstly. It just annoys me. Its the not knowing how to sort it that does my head in.

Secondly. I've got friends who like to drink their beer cold - I know, you can't educate them  - and even though I explain what chill haze is they still eye their pint with a look of suspicion as if I'm trying to kill them.

I'd love to hear about all the different types of finings that you guys use, when and how, what quantity, different brands and where you buy them from.

[davetherave2]

Hi.

I don't even bother adding finings to my beers as I have never found the need to do so. I do a hydrometer test and when it's acceptable for the beer I keg it.  I have never found the need to add finings to my beers as it clears naturally in my kegs.  I read somewhere finings are to be used as a last resort as they change the flavour of you beer.

I've also dunk my fair share of cloudy beer. In fact it is supposed to be very healthy for you. I tend to get cloudy beer towards the end of my keg but I still drink it,and I'm still here now!

The only beer I serve chilled are my lagers. Talking of which, my Lager is getting warm!

Take care.

Dave

[desksmudger]

Cheers Dave,

I think you're right. It does seem to be a lot of fuss when it clears naturally anyway.

John

[johnnyboy]

Unfortunately finings will not clear chill-haze. There is nothing you can do about it apart frmbuy a machine that removes the protiens and that costs thousands.

[Swing Swang]

If chill haze is a protein-related problem then are you boiling the wort for long enough for a full 'protein-break- to occur pre-fermentation?

SS

[desksmudger]

I normally boil for an hour and chill to 80degF within half an hour. Do you think thats ok?

[Swing Swang]

I'd have thought so - It's fairly obvious when the protein break occurs - the lumpy 'sediment' is really quite visible. When I used to brew this happened at about 40-45mins. It's really important to get a good rolling boil - I used a catering pan that fitted over all four rings in a domestic cooker. It has a 25 gallon capacity so a 5-8 gallon batch presented no problems. I fitted a tap to the bottom and when emptying through my chiller (a very large 'blue barrel' of iced water with a small-bore coil passing through it) got an 8gallon batch to below 65F with one pass. I found that stirring the freshly-boiled wort before opening the tap, and keeping it in constant motion created a whirlpool effet and kept the turbid/proten wort in the centre so very little came through into the 'holding' tun. I then raised the holding tun and aerated the cooled wort as it passed into the fermentation vat to get plenty of oxygen into it and so ensure a really rapid primary fermentation. From memory I used to like to pitch at around 65F for bitter and cooler than this for lager.

SS

SS 

[harrymac]

I get a chill haze now and again, and like you don't see it as a problem, but supposedly the way to get rid of it is to chill the beer low enough to cause the haze to develop, then add finings. You should be able to get the temperature low enough outside this time of year, maybe in a shed.