clearing a UJSM with egg whites???

Safegyde · Post by **Safegyde** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:53 pm

Hello shiners. Question for you all. I need to clear my wash and on the front of keeping cheap I wanted to just use a couple of egg whites. I don't really have the time to let it settle . . . . . . . . . . . . well, ok. I just don't WANT to wait for it to settle. It's like Christmas waiting to see how it will turn out. So I know that the best overall method would be the factor of time.

Without patiently waiting

I am going to use the egg white. I just wonder about a few things.

1. I guess the egg soaks to the bottom and clears the yeast on the way down. So how do you not get them into your boiler? I know there isn't much of a chance of it getting into the column, but what about smell and taste?

2. Will that mess up my sour mash making? It makes sense to try and remove the egg if doing the UJSM. Don't want an egg-splosion!!

But seriously, if I clear with the egg, should I just not use the remaining yeast in the next wash and just use the backset for the UJSM?

Thanks for your help on this one fellas.

belialNZ · Post by **belialNZ** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:01 pm

I'd rack off of the corn/yeast and then do the egg whites in a different container (If I was going to do that at all).

maybe keep some backset in the fridge/freezer ready to restart a batch after racking off, and then you can still do the eggwhites and distill the next day.

zymos · Post by **zymos** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:10 pm

Egg whites are used to remove certain tannins from red wine. They don't especially do anything to clear yeast, except maybe coincidentally while you are waiting for the egg whites to drop out, the yeast will also settle.

Post by **HookLine** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:09 pm

Not trying to pick a fight here, Zymos. I am genuinely interested in the distinction between what you call finings, and clearing agents. Got some references I can read up on?

Apart from what stillers here have to say, all I have to go on is a single experiment I did. Split a wash into two, used egg white on one, and not on the other. The egg white one was clearer and had more sediment on the bottom after two days. It was a plain sugar wash so there cannot have been much tannin in it.

Cheers

Old_Blue · Post by **Old_Blue** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:12 pm

Cleared stubborn beer with egg whites. takes a day or two usually.

Post by **Dnderhead** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:20 pm

if you can put in cold place it will help

As-Ol-Joe · Post by **As-Ol-Joe** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:46 pm

Safegyde, 90% of what I make is UJSM. Once the fermenting has stopped, which is usually a day or so before I can distill it, it has cleared enough for me.

belialNZ · Post by **belialNZ** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:49 pm

Yeh, I'm the same.

It ferments... I notice its stopped, but I'm kinda busy with stuff, but make a mental note that if I get some free time in the upcoming weekend, its ready...

And by the time I take it off, its more than clear enough to distill.

zymos · Post by **zymos** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:02 pm

Put it this way: egg whites have been used practically forever in red wines, because they remove some of the harsher tannins. They are never used in wine (by anyone who knows about fining agents) to help settle yeast.

In addition, I can find no references to any traditional use of egg whites in brewing beer or distilling (except on the wiki where it mentions floating egg whites on top of a mash to gauge how sweet it is, or something).

So, maybe they could work, yet, out of all the things brewers have, and still do, use to clarify beer, egg whites are not known to be one of them, even though their use in wine to remove tannin is well known.

Therefore.....

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:18 pm

why bother... have some patience and let it settle. I think you are just making work for yourself.

Post by **HookLine** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:34 pm

Fair comment JD. The reason I have been using various clearing agents is that when I started I only had one fermenter (plastic 60 litre). But recently I have gotten my hands on another 3 of them, 2 x 50 litre kegs (in excellent condition), and 1 x 20 litre plastic. So just waiting for the wash to settle has now become a more viable option. It would certainly be easier.

Safegyde · Post by **Safegyde** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:09 am

Thanks for your help guys. I want to let it settle, less work, but also less shine in the meantime!!

I think I will split it in two and settle one with egg whites and the other I will just do a stripping run on it and do a few more runs to make sure the yeast is all cleared out.

I will re-post once I see if the egg whites helped clear it at all.

Post by **HookLine** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:57 am

Safegyde wrote:I will re-post once I see if the egg whites helped clear it at all.

Please do.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:13 am

You just don't need to go to that much trouble for UJSM.
Wait till it's finnished and run it is all i do.

wineo · Post by **wineo** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:40 am

I agree with punkin,Theres no need to clear a UJSM.You may want to strain it enough to keep the bits of grain out of your boiler,but as soon as it doesnt taste sweet anymore,its good to go!

Safegyde · Post by **Safegyde** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:36 pm

Damn it man, It smells sooooooo gooooood!!!! I LOVE that smell. (the mash of course) Am I alone in this?? I doubt it.

Makes me smile when I smell it. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.

I gotta keep my nose out of it.

inspeedway · Post by **inspeedway** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:51 am

after racking ujsm into glass carboys i did the egg white stuff and after 2 days it was still floating on top and other had settled down so i racked into
boiler and run it- heck with that egg-white chit---my experiance!!!!

inspeedway · Post by **inspeedway** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:59 am

ohh i did put it on the front porch where it was cold -maybe thats why
the eggs just floated - i could just see having poched eggs in boiler after
the run!!! thats why i racked it into the boiler!!

Post by **Dnderhead** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:21 pm

i do not think you are supposed to whip the eggs just stir into top

Old_Blue · Post by **Old_Blue** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:44 pm

stir one egg white into about one cup of the wash then pour it back in. Make sure you sterilize the container first. Don't just dump the egg white in.