A Guide to Beer Additives

The use of these beer brewing additives can greatly improve a beer’s clarity, fermentation performance, or flavor.

Finings/Clarifiers

These additives, often called “fining agents,” help to improve the clarity of your brew:

• Gelatin – Gelatin is a colorless and tasteless compound that attaches to negatively-charged particles in your beer, helping them settle out of suspension. For a five-gallon batch, dissolve 1 teaspoon of gelatin in 1 cup of hot, pre-boiled water. Once dissolved, let cool and pour into secondary fermenter, racking your beer on top of it.
• Isinglass – Made from fish bladders, isinglass is a very common fining agent used in both winemaking and brewing. But don’t worry — used properly, it won’t affect the flavor of your beer. It’s added to the secondary fermenter in the same way as gelatin. One teaspoon is sufficient for a five-gallon batch of homebrew.
• Super Kleer:
  This product becomes unusable if it freezes. For this reason, we will ship at our discretion with weather permitting.
  Super Kleer, liquid, 150 mL two part packet. A two part fining agent containing Chitosan (derived from shellfish) and Kieselsol. It is available in 65mL packets which is suitable for 5-6 gallons of wine. Add directly to the wine and stir vigorously. Rack off the sediment after about 7 to 10 days. This package can treat 5-6 gallons.

 

Water Treatment

The minerals in your brewing water can have a profound effect on the flavor of your finished beer. Mineral beer brewing additives are typically used to adjust the mash pH.

• Calcium Carbonate – Also known as chalk, calcium carbonate is a food-grade mineral blend. It’s one of the few beer brewing additives that raises mash pH (lowers acidity). Carbonate-rich water can help enhance hops bitterness.

Yeast Nutrient

In addition to sugar, beer yeast requires certain nutrients in order to reproduce and convert sugar into alcohol. When it comes to brewing beers made with a high level of adjuncts, yeast nutrient can give the yeast an extra boost that will help them complete fermentation. It can also help achieve a lower final gravity and a drier tasting beer with less residual sugar.

• Super Ferment –Yeast Nutrient and Energizer, powder. A blend of minerals, vitamins, growth factors and trace elements used in brewing, wine or cider making. It contains all factors needed for optimal yeast reproduction and metabolism. It will help prevent sluggish or stuck fermentations and promotes rapid starts with musts and worts. It contains yeast hulls (ghosts) which help ensure a quick and complete fermentation. Normal usage is 0.75 to 1.5 grams per gallon. Fermaid is a similar material.
• Fermaid – proprietary yeast nutrient, powder. A complex nutrient containing diammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, yeast hulls, thiamine, folic acid, niacin and calcium pantothenate. Use of this material or Super Ferment may also reduce the incidence of reduced sulfur compounds and volatile acidity. Use 0.5 to 1.0 gram per gallon.
• Yeast Hulls Springcell (Nutrex 370)- Yeast Hulls (Yeast Ghosts), Nutrex 370. Consists of the insoluble fraction of yeast cells. Supplies lipids and sterols to the fermenting yeast and adsorbs some of the fatty acids which tend to be toxic to yeast. While not truly a nutrient, it helps the yeast remain in better condition, allowing them to complete the fermentation more quickly.

For prevention (when reducing sugars is important or the must is clarified) the application rate is 1.2-1.3g/gal. For curing stuck fermentations (detoxify the must & re-pitching yeast starter in good conditions) the application rate is 0.65-0.87g/gal for reds or 0.38-0.58g/gal for whites. *has must detoxification properties as absorption of the toxic compounds.

Preservatives

• Ascorbic Acid – Also known as vitamin C, ascorbic acid acts as an oxygen scavenger. Oxygen in beer creates oxidation, which results in stale flavors, often described as wet cardboard. Add a 1/2 teaspoon to your beer when it’s time to bottle.