siphon beer into fermenter, or just dump it all in through a strainer?

I have been wondering... Once I have my wort cooled and ready to put into the fermenter, should I be siphoning it out so that I leave the trub behind or something? Or is it better to just dump it all through a strainer into the fermenter and just get rid of the trub later when I transfer to a secondary?

I siphoned the wort with one beer already, and it left quite a bit of beer behind because the trub didn't settle very well in the bottom of the pot, even though I added whirfloc in last 5 minutes.

Suggestions, please! I will be brewing a breakfast stout today

I whirpool then siphon, only because I use a glass carboy and cannot pour. You should try this again if you are comfortable with it with whirlpooling.

However if you decide to pour, I think you still want to avoid the trub when pouring, if possible. The strainer and pouring give you a great opportunity for add oxygen.

It really doesn't matter. If you have lots and lots of trub, you may want to strain or leave it behind by siphoning, but most of my wort goes right into the fermenter anyway since I have a counterflow chiller, so all of the cold break makes it in the fermenter. It compacts down with the trub nicely.

If I'm doing a super hoppy beer with like 6 ounces of hops, I tend to strain a bit as hops can clog my pump. But otherwise, it doesn't matter.

I rarely (almost never) use a secondary (more properly called a clearing vessel or bright tank) and I have very little problem racking into the bottling bucket or keg and leaving the trub behind.

I hookup the tubing to my kettle ball valve and drain it through a strainer and into my fermenter. It keeps hops and adjuncts (coriander seed, orange peel, etc) from going into the fermenter. It's easy the way I do it and there no reason for me not to do it. You certainly don't have to, I've had perfectly fine beers where I dumped the whole thing in, but I personally prefer leaving the hops sludge and all the other stuff behind.


Rev.

I have an immersion chiller.

Should I chill the wort, and then whirlpool and let it settle? Or are you supposed to whirlpool before chilling?

Chill it, whirlpool it, siphon to primary.

With my immersion chiller, 10 gallon batch, I stir while cooling. Takes about 15 minutes to get to pitching temps. Then I remove the chiller start a good strong whirlpool and 5 minutes later, syphon through a funnel with a strainer into my carboys.

I get plenty of O2, very little junk (it's a fine mesh strainer) and super active fermentations.

Great! Thanks for the help everybody. I'm looking forward to brewing today!

I cool using my immersion chiller, then crack the valve on the brew kettle and drain through a strainer into the fermente, catching the break material and hops. When the kettle is down to the "short strokes" i close the valve, upend the kettle and pour te rest of the beer and trub into the strainer. Then I shake strainer to get out all the malty goodness available.

william_shakes_beer said:

I cool using my immersion chiller, then crack the valve on the brew kettle and drain through a strainer into the fermente, catching the break material and hops. When the kettle is down to the "short strokes" i close the valve, upend the kettle and pour te rest of the beer and trub into the strainer. Then I shake strainer to get out all the malty goodness available.

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This is what I have done in the past as well. The problem is, even though I strain it, it still looks like a ton of trub gets into the fermenter. I'm just wondering if whirlpooling and siphoning will get me a much cleaner beer in the primary.

bbbblaine said:

This is what I have done in the past as well. The problem is, even though I strain it, it still looks like a ton of trub gets into the fermenter. I'm just wondering if whirlpooling and siphoning will get me a much cleaner beer in the primary.

Click to expand...

it will get you cleaner wort, however all that trub settles out with the yeast at the end of fermentation, so it never makes it into your packaged beer either way.
I have tried both ways (pouring through a strainer and wirlpool then siphon). since it is moor work to siphon, and then aerate then to just poor through a trainer i tend to use the strainer method.

Another vote for the 'dump through strainer' method. Especially when using whole hops like I used today. Plus, it's just much easier and faster. Also, I'm not leaving any beer behind. After 3 weeks in primary, my beer is crystal clear.

Save yourself some time for future brews!

Put a ball valve on it! just need a 7/8 hole saw or step bit (I believe that is for 1/2")

I put an SS vent filter for driers on my pickup tube. No clogs. No goop in my fermenter.