[Iliff Ave]

Is it worth adding gelatin to a batch of beer during bottling? I haven't been able to get it done while it's been cold crashing but really need to get it bottled.

[Robert]

Yeast doesn't have very far to drop in a bottle, and pressure encourages settling out.

[Iliff Ave]

Yeast doesn't have very far to drop in a bottle, and pressure encourages settling out.

So is that a yes or a no?

[Robert]

Probably not worth it.  That's my vote.

[Iliff Ave]

Probably not worth it.  That's my vote.

Cool. Thanks! I figure I'm going to be warming the beer back up to carb so it probably won't be very effective anyway.

[jeffy]

It only takes a short time for the beer to drop bright with gelatin when cold.  If you're bottling tomorrow, add it today and you'll be transferring clear beer tomorrow.

[KellerBrauer]

It only takes a short time for the beer to drop bright with gelatin when cold.  If you're bottling tomorrow, add it today and you'll be transferring clear beer tomorrow.

Maybe I don’t understand, but if the gelatin is being used to assist in clearing the beer, won’t it also drop the yeast and, as such, no longer allow for proper conditioning and carbonation?

[Iliff Ave]

It only takes a short time for the beer to drop bright with gelatin when cold.  If you're bottling tomorrow, add it today and you'll be transferring clear beer tomorrow.

Maybe I don’t understand, but if the gelatin is being used to assist in clearing the beer, won’t it also drop the yeast and, as such, no longer allow for proper conditioning and carbonation?

That's what I thought some time ago and I was assured by some that it wouldn't be a problem. I have done it without issue on many occasions although I mainly keg my beer.

[Robert]

Fining helps attract yeast together into larger clumps that will drop faster (Stokes' Law,) it doesn't hermetically seal them away from the beer.

[KellerBrauer]

Fascinating information.  Thank you!!

[Visor]

    After bottling more than 5,000 bottles of beer, personal experience has led me to the conclusion that although technically there may be some viable yeast still in the beer after fining and crashing, in most cases there isn't enough to reliably carbonate the beer in anything like a timely manner - if at all. I always inoculate my priming spiese with a small amount [~1 to 2 oz.] of harvested yeast, and won't bottle anymore until I've verified that fermentation is active. That works reliably for almost all beers, the exception being really high gravity/ABV barrel aged beers, which are a nut I've yet to crack.

[Greg Turley]

I routinely fine with gelatin and cold crash at 35°F for two weeks. I have never had a beer fail to carbonate. After bottling I warm my bottles to 80°F for 1 week. I also use the Fermentation temperature in the priming calculator

[Iliff Ave]

I routinely fine with gelatin and cold crash at 35°F for two weeks. I have never had a beer fail to carbonate. After bottling I warm my bottles to 80°F for 1 week. I also use the Fermentation temperature in the priming calculator

I too have never had carb problems when using gelatin and cold crashing.

[Kevin]

Listen to the recent Brulosophy podcast on using gelatin. Near the end of the show a listener email sparks discussion on this very topic.

[Visor]

I routinely fine with gelatin and cold crash at 35°F for two weeks. I have never had a beer fail to carbonate. After bottling I warm my bottles to 80°F for 1 week. I also use the Fermentation temperature in the priming calculator

I too have never had carb problems when using gelatin and cold crashing.

  With a few exceptions I only have problems with really big beers, and I always do with big beers that have been in a barrel for months.