Irish Moss

Irish Moss for clearing. The two main culprits of cloudy beer are yeast and proteins. Beer can be clairified using Irish moss, a fining agent. Fining agents all work by making the smaller molecules aggregate into larger particles so they settle out of solution. Unlike the name suggests, Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) is not actually a moss, as you would know. In reality Irish moss is a variety of edible seaweed (We would not recommend this seaweed with your Chinese meal) Originating along the European and North American coasts of the Atlantic, Irish moss has been used as a clearing agent for centuries. A key component of Irish moss are carrageenans, these carrageneenans are great for clearing as they are very good at binding to proteins, which is an important factor when looking at a clearing product. Another benefit is the electrostatic charge of carrageenans. Being negatively charged these are attracted to the positively charge protein clumps distributed from the boiling wort, these soon become larger clumps with the increased chance of precipitating out of suspension, quicker - Meaning the clumps are less likely to reach your fermenter. Add to the boil 15 - 20 minutes from the end to aid coagulation of proteins. Available in 40g or 100g tub.